Mindfulness in the Midst of Sadness

Yesterday a music icon died. In case you’ve been under a rock or in a SCIF all day, Prince Rogers Nelson passed away. As a result, I was not a very good employee. As a matter of fact, one of my Facebook friends posted this status, which pretty much summed up a lot of people’s productivity for the day:

“There isn’t a single person between 40 and 60 getting an ounce of work done. We all need to meet somewhere, drink, sing his songs and cry. It’s like we’ve lost a family member.”

I was sad when Michael Jackson died. But it didn’t impact my work productivity. My heart ached when Whitney Houston died. But I didn’t have a problem getting my work done. But today. Today, Prince’s sudden death roiled me. It made me so unhappy. I did what had to be done at the job, but it was tough.

I know everyone has those people whom we’ve never met who have made a big impact on our lives. Prince was that one for me.

I am thankful I was on business travel and my meetings had ended by the time I received the news. I was able to manage the remaining conference calls and emails. I got the job done. But the ache in my heart remains.

Using mindfulness to remain in the moment and know that I should be happy for the many concert experiences and memories helped a lot. Sharing the pain with friends and people I never met via social media helped, too. Knowing we are not alone in the moment made a huge difference.

Rest in power, Prince. Your music made so many lives better. Mine included.

Did hearing this news affect your day, too?