I’m Tom Cummings, a 67-year-old meditation practitioner and student of Buddhism. I live in Westchester, New York, with my wife of 27 years, and occasionally with one or both of our 22-year-old twins, a son and a daughter, when they’re home for a brief visit from their current out-of-state domiciles – the Drexel University campus in Philadelphia, PA (him, about to graduate in June 2017) and Orlando, FL (her, completing a six-month internship at DisneyWorld in July 2017).
I started this blog in 2011, as the main feature on the home page of my old (and now-defunct) professional website. At the time, I was a personal life coach and executive consultant, working with both individual and corporate clients to support them in becoming more effective in their personal relationships and professional endeavors.
It was doing this work that first brought mindfulness practice to my attention. I had begun practicing yoga and meditation as a means of improving my focus and concentration during sessions with my clients, and before long I noticed that I was becoming more centered and self-aware in every other area of my life as well. And then I noticed that the most successful of my clients were invariably those who had become most mindful throughout the entire week about the work we were doing in our once-a-week hourly sessions together.
This is when (and why) I began to practice meditation in earnest, and to study Buddhism. And now that I am no longer actively engaged with clients, both the practice and the study are the twin cornerstones of my day-to-day life.
Posting to this blog on a periodic basis affords me the opportunity to deepen my understanding through the discipline of writing, and gives me the pleasure of exchanging thoughts with, and learning from, readers who share my interests in mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhist philosophy.
I welcome your comments on any of the posts in this blog, and I invite you to connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Goodreads.
{This page was last updated on June 1st, 2017}
Engaged Mindfulness 
What does it mean to be an ‘aspiring’ practitioner?
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I appreciate your question! The more I ponder it, the more I realize that the phrase “aspiring practitioner” lacks clarity. I know what I intended it to connote – the idea that as a practitioner, I am always aspiring to be more mindful. I don’t believe that I will ever be done with this practice, or that there will ever come a time when I will have attained a perfect state of mindfulness and will therefore no longer need to practice. However, my unfortunate phrasing suggests that I am aspiring to be a practitioner, rather than aspiring to be more mindful more often. The next time I update my Bio page, I will change the wording accordingly. Thanks very much for prompting me to think about this more carefully.
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Hello Tom!
I’d love to connect and collaborate with you (somehow!)
My work outlines practical and creative ideas inspired by love in the quest for wellbeing.
In Fit for Joy, I wrote about the paradox of two realities that don’t match: physical health and mental chaos. The idea was to start a conversation about the “true” meaning of health.
As a podcast host, I am in search of meaningful truths, ideas, and insights about mental and spiritual health that can awaken new ways of thinking, leading us toward a new way of being — Being Well.”
Would you be interested in any or a combination of:
– A podcast interview: A Quest for Well-Being
– Guest blogging
– Book review
Or you might have other ideas!
Looking forward to collaborating with you!
Much Love,
Valeria
Email: info@fitforjoy.org
Website: https://fitforjoy.org
Podcast: https://fitforjoy.org/podcast
I am a well-being coach, writer and the author of the Fit for Joy book. Daily routine: meditate, eat healthily, exercise, and show gratitude!
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Apologies for the long delay in replying to your kind note, Valeria. Unfortunately, I must report to you that Engaged Mindfulness is no longer an active blog – please see the final post, “A Farewell, and an Invitation”, dated August 7th, 2018, for an explanation, as well as for a link to my new blog, The Liberal Buddhist. Perhaps you can take a look at some of the recent pieces I’ve posted there, and let me know what you think. For now, all good wishes to you in your further endeavors with Fit for Joy.
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Hi Tom! Thank you for your response and wishes! I still would love to have you on the podcast. If you are interested, please email me at info@fitforjoy.org. Much “Love,” Valeria
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Thanks, Valeria! I’m interested, of course, but first I’d like to listen to a few of the Fit for Joy podcasts. I’ll do so over the next week or two, and then I’ll email you.
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It sounds great! Thank you for your interest.
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