Sedona, Arizona
February 5, 2021
Looking at this photo, I realized Clarke is practicing mindfulness in a way. He is completely present. He’s not thinking about the past or the future. Just now. And that’s a beautiful thing!
You might have come across mindfulness at the gym. At the doctor's office. On a magazine cover while waiting in line at the supermarket. And you might be wondering so what's the big deal with mindfulness.
First when we're mindful we're not lost in the trance of forgetfulness. We're able to be present for the ordinary moments of our lives as well as the things we care most about.
A second benefit of being mindful is ever less likely to become entangled in our experiences, less caught up in the story we've been telling ourselves. We see things in our life more clearly.
Finally, when we practice mindfulness we can learn more directly about our habits of mind and entrenched ways of being. This frees us up and invites us to get curious about how we relate to people, our experiences and even ourselves.
These three benefits sound pretty good to me. I work at mindfulness almost every day. I am better at it than I used to be, which means I am aware of when I am thinking about the past or the future — at least a good bit of the time. It is still hard to stay in the present which is why I keep working at it.
Gotta wash the dishes.