To practice mindfulness is to be conscious. It is to be present. Self-aware.
When was the last time you felt fully self-aware of the moment you were in?
When your senses of smell, sight, and touch all kicked in at the same time and you were just… present?
We all get caught up in the more or less frivolous things in life, like changing radio stations until we find one without commercials, consistently checking our phones for new notifications, moving from one task to the next most often without breaks or a moment to breathe.
We’ve wrapped ourselves into a world of easy access, making us more and more impatient and less present in our daily lives. We look for the most convenient options and take shorter paths to make us happy, and in the process we sometimes forget that there is often no long term meaning in such circumstances.
If only more people would just stop.
If only they would take the time to notice all that exists around them, and maybe even appreciate it.
To distinctly see a snowflake with such unique patterns, to perceive individuality.
To truly hear the voice of a concerned father, to listen to compassion.
To again and again smell the rose for all it is worth, to breathe contentment.
To gently touch the hand of a lover, to feel devotion.
When you allow yourself to exist in a way in which you not only experience a moment, but also feel it… truly feel it, you are allowing yourself to be mindful. Like each action is countered with a reaction, each moment in your life can be countered with a mindful feeling, or attitude.
Mindfulness can be about many things, whether it be the acuteness of senses in each moment that passes, or about a conscious mindset in itself, thinking through decisions and choices. Mindfulness can be peaceful…it should be peaceful. It can be tranquility, meditative, or “Zen.”
It can be absolutely nothing at all… so aware and astute to your surroundings that they all blend together and it’s just you existing, present in the moment that you are.
As my calendar tells me for this month of February, “Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, sitting or lying down, everything you do is Zen.”
Once this calming tranquility becomes habitual, the mindfulness you encounter can become the most serene, beauteous thing. When you associate moments with meanings, and experiences with understanding.
It really is the simple things in life that matter most. Being mindful, being aware, can bring simplicity to its full potential.
