A Bellyful of Mindfulness

Taco Bell, a huge Mexican fast-food franchise, has a new ad campaign focusing on the slogan, "Get full." The commercials show people ecstatically announcing that they are full--thanks, of course, to the huge value meals now available at Taco Bell.

We know that feeling full isn't simply a matter of building a bigger, better burrito. There's a whole lotta emptiness going on, and it's not always filled by what we put into our bellies.

The search for connection, for meaning, for love-- these are longings not met by the bags we pick up at the drive-thru window. To feel full in the truest sense, we must figure out what we are lacking in our lives. We're not always mindful of this quest.

Seeking satisfaction in activity? That can work. Be honest here--is your time spent actively avoiding emptiness or actively seeking fullness? These are two different things. If you find yourself with a full calendar and an empty heart, you're bathing yourself in distraction, and sooner or later, that's going to plug up your bathtub.

Being full doesn't mean you're packed with positive thoughts and emotions all the time. We need the whole enchilada to help us develop as caring, compassionate humans, and sometimes that means we are full of frustration, sadness or despair.

Hey, it still counts as being full! You're a vessel, and you should be continually filled, but not necessarily consistently filled with the same stuff. It's the emptying and filling that keeps things interesting.

"A full cup must be carried steadily."--English proverb

Getting spilled is part of life. What are you doing to spill yourself...and what are you doing to get filled up again?

Spend time contemplating the concept of fullness. Be mindful of opportunities to notice when you are feeling depleted or overflowing.

Concentrate on paying attention to thoughts, emotions, stories, people, places and activities that make you feel full, and practice saying, "This is full" whenever you notice it.

Good full or bad full--don't judge that. Just be mindful of that sense of fullness wherever you feel it.

Taco Bell entices people to "get full" and this is good advice. But skip the "full-on value meal" and concentrate instead on your own fullness whenever you see an ad or drive by a Taco Bell.

Ask this: Am I full? What is filling me right now?

Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Stir things up and start again.

That's a recipe for full-on living.