Are You Careful, or Conscious?

My mother was probably the first person to tell me to be careful. As someone who has lived my life on the crumbling edge of a cliff, I was always willing to risk safety and comfort in favor of dangerous excursions into unknown black holes of mind and body. Friends and family members have often told me to "be careful," a warning of danger from a place of their own fear for my safety. "Be careful" translates to the idea that life is a constant threat of death.

The command "be careful" can also translate to "be full of care," which takes on these different meanings:

• Be conscious
• Stay in the moment
• Be aware of what you are focusing on
• Focus on what's going on around the obvious

The call for accepting and being conscious is greater than ever before. The universe's events are not predictable, and the old laws, processes, and ways of doing things no longer bring predictable results.

Joshua Cooper Ramos writes about this in his exciting book, The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us and What We Can Do About It. In a style similar to Malcolm Gladwell's, Ramos presents his ideas in true stories that fit together to create that flash of "Ah-hah! I get it!" 

Below are links where you can buy Ramos' book and see Charlie Rose's live interview with him.

The Age of the Unthinkable 

Charlie Rose's Interview with Joshua Cooper Ramos 
  
Here is my list of meanings for "Be careful":

• Be mindful
• Be present
• Be aware
• Be conscious
• Be vigilant
• Be focused on what you want
• Be thoughtful about your choices of what you say and do--think before you say a discouraging word

My life of risking, losing, accepting circumstances, and constantly adapting has prepared me for this time in my life. I don't know when my slowly-multiplying white blood cells will finally take me into the phase of leukemia that makes me ill, how the illness will impact my ability to function, and whether I'll choose the treatment, and if I do, what the consequences of that treatment will be.
  
I don't believe that I can control my thoughts. They're constantly running through my mind in an ongoing movie. But I do believe that I can choose which thoughts I will focus my attention on. Some thoughts are worthy of cartoons, while other higher-self thoughts require words and actions. The life skills I have learned--being mindful and present, aware and conscious--grow flowers along the path of my journey into the unknown.