Lettuce Turnip the Beet!

Entering in to the final stretch of my sophomore year of college, yet another visit to the Beginner’s Mind is justified.  In fact, the Beginner’s Mind approach, formally introduced to me by Leo Babauta in his article “Approaching Life with Beginner’s Mind,” serves as not only an ideal mindset to apply in my continuing studies and career, but also as a metaphor to represent my current state of uncertainty and curiosity.  While blogs one and two have largely focused on the first mentioned aspect of the Beginner’s Mind, this post will focus on the latter.

So, just how can a theory for how to approach life also describe one’s current stage in life?  The answer is simple: by choosing to embrace the life theory of the Beginner’s Mind, a person’s choices are altered in favor of exploring and investigating as many opportunities and curiosities that confront them.  In my case, while there are certain goals I am set on, such as attending medical school, my Beginner’s Mind has allowed many details of my future to remain undecided. Some may argue that this is unfavorable, as it diverts time and effort to pursuits that may not produce tangible results in the long run.  I counter this by questioning that very focus on “tangible” results. To me, the Beginner’s Mind is all about appreciating the universe in its entirety, and taking the time to find beauty in all things, even when it may not be readily apparent. Not every pleasure or success can be easily measured or proven.  In fact, one’s individual choice to apply the Beginner’s Mind cannot even be directly measured, yet the effects on the lives of both the person and those around them are likely to unmistakably change for the better.

This brings me to where I am right now.  Many people, including some of my professors, are shocked to find that I am not taking my MCAT this month, and thus will not be able to apply to medical school next year.  Most people were sure that with my semester credit loads of 21, research involvement, and drive to succeed, I would graduate early and go straight to medical school. While I am still considering an early graduation (mostly for financial reasons), I will still take a year off, which I plan to use for further exploration.  A part of me wonders if I have made a mistake and am simply losing time, but my Beginner’s Mind tells me that any path that leaves space for the most enrichment and discovery is the right one to choose.

Circling back to the beginning of this post, which cited my “current state of uncertainty and curiosity,” I have decided that this is, in essence, the root of the Beginner’s Mind.  In addition to curiosity, I now recognize that even uncertainty must also be appreciated as something constructive, as it allows one to avoid closing their mind to potential opportunities that come their way.  As Babauta puts it, “the practice of beginner’s mind can transform any activity, get rid of a lot of our difficulties, allow us to be more flexible, open, curious, grateful, present” (Babauta, par. 13).  And so, I will continue on my path, still not entirely decided on where it will lead, and focus on maximizing not only my enjoyment, but also gratitude with each and every turn my life will take.  

As someone who moved to new cities eight times between preschool and high school graduation, I have become quite accustomed to change.  Even more important though, my ability to adapt has been skillfully tuned. Consistently arriving at new schools and struggling to fit in and make friends was difficult every time, but from a young age I learned to appreciate the “little things” and look for the positive side of each situation, no matter how small.

In my last post, I spoke about a rather trivial aspect of my tendency to look for the pros in each situation: cooking in my dorm with only a microwave.  I invoked the wisdom of Leo Babauta and the Beginner’s Mind. In truth though, by applying the idea of “dropping our expectations and preconceived ideas about something, and seeing things with an open mind, fresh eyes, just like a beginner,” (Babauta par. 6) I not only found greater enjoyment in my microwaveable culinary pursuits, but have striven to find more fulfillment in other areas of my life as well through use of this same mindset.

Often, we become caught up in the elements of life that we find dissatisfactory, leading to focusing on the lives of others and comparing ourselves to people we consider to be “better” in one way or another.  Ulla Suokko touches on the idea of living a life that may seem perfect on the surface, but still feeling incomplete or uncertain of whether you are on the right path. She talks about trying to see the bigger picture in life, and keep an open mind to the “signs” that the universe gives.  To many, this idea may seem similar to Babauta’s Beginner’s Mind, but I personally found Suoko’s message to be, for the most part, uninspirational. This strikes a stark contrast to my enjoyment and practice of the Beginner’s Mind.

My justification for my above statement is this: keeping a Beginner’s Mind means being ready to accept and appreciate anything that comes your way, which is how I aim to live my life, especially after being thrust into new environments and having to adapt on a regular basis throughout my childhood.  To me, Suoko’s “signs” mean accepting that you are at least uncertain, but possibly even unhappy, with your current situation, then expecting the “universe” to give you signs or make things better. In particular, Suoko’s example of receiving a “financial sign” from the universe prior to a big travel expenditure seemed extremely unrealistic.  There are many things in life that are expensive, yet are also vital to our happiness or daily life. Often, we do not have ample money to spend and struggle to pay for these expenses. The universe certainly does not always provide us with a “financial sign” or windfall of money to aid us in these situations.

To end this post on a much happier note than my last, admittedly rant-like paragraph, I want to return to my past and my approach to the Beginner’s Mind.  As I mentioned above, my childhood moves afforded me with experiences that were quite honestly unnecessary, and most assuredly difficult. Still, upon growing older, I see that these very same experiences have shaped who I am today for the better.  Even before being introduced to Babauta’s work, I was leading my life with tenets related to the Beginner’s Mind. After reading his work and consciously working to apply the Beginner’s Mind (stimulated by my first blog post), I see only increasing benefits from this mindset.  

As I enter the final portion of my sophomore year refreshed after spring break’s week off, I hope to continue searching for the positive side of each situation and save a few moments every day to pause and appreciate what I already have.  A practice that goes along with this is my plan to spend more time working in the CommUnity Garden on campus. I feel that this is a form of meditation, but also a way to give back to the world that is simultaneously providing me with all the things I appreciate today.  In doing so, I will explore my own ideas and feelings about my current life, and stay ready to accept the opportunities that come my way (without periods of stagnation where I must wait for a “sign” to proceed onward).

Hi there!  I am a student, runner, healthy chef, potter, and more—but you can just call me Maryam.  I study public health and biochemistry at the University of Miami, and hope to attend medical school after graduation.  In my spare time, I love to be active and consistently try new workouts, explore Miami, and spend time in the CommUnity Garden on campus.

Coming to University last year, you could say I was a beginner.  A beginner in choosing my own educational plan, a beginner in using communal bathrooms, and even a beginner in figuring out how to satisfy my culinary pursuits with only a microwave and mini fridge.  To this day, my frustration often boils up farther than I care to admit when I crave the sweetness of oven roasted vegetables or desire to bake a real batch of cookies, but the truth is that the lack of a full kitchen is a reality of living in a UM dorm, and the achievements I have made using just my microwave are truly far more than anyone would expect.  After reading Leo Babauta’s “Approaching Life with Beginner’s Mind,” I thought about the constraints that dorm living puts on cooking, but also the many new and delicious recipes I have created using microwave power. Though it may seem odd to some, I hope to apply the beginner’s mind to cooking in my dorm. Babauta hit home when he stated that the beginner’s mind allows you to approach an activity without being “clouded by prejudgments, preconceptions, fantasies about what it should be,” (Babauta par. 10).  When I first arrived to college, I was discouraged, only thinking about how I used to use my toaster oven daily or enjoyed preparing pancakes on the stovetop. Now, after giving the beginner’s mind a try as I tinkered with my microwave baked peanut butter protein cookie recipe, I can personally attest to Babauta’s claims. I was able to bypass old expectations and comparisons, instead experiencing enjoyment and gratitude when they cooked perfectly. And maybe— just maybe, they even tasted a bit better too.

Join me as I explore the intersection of food, air, and culture.

“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear”– Buddha