While I type on the computer right now, each click under my fingers harmonizes with the staccato of the raindrops hitting the window. It makes me stop and pay attention to the rain. There is artistry in water falling from the sky. I have always considered rain to be a healer, like music. I notice how my breath is pattering softly with every "musical note" that the innocent droplets are extracting from the air. It is a duet. It is a conversation between myself and the universe. It is a connection. The quiet of being one with the rain makes me sing. Deep inside of me. The moment seems like an instant from a piano concert. The joy of listening to the rain, of reveling in the winter light, of looking at the white tulips, of sipping hot coffee, of relishing in the safety of the dailiness is tap dancing in my heart. I am here appreciating the world around me. My awareness erases the worrisome thoughts and stillness pours through my reality.
At this moment, I understand: just like that, the beauty of the present moment is unfolding in front of my eyes and all my senses are detecting what is going on inside and outside myself. This powerful energy of mindfulness makes me fully alive, fully present to touch the good, the bad, the ugly, the boring, the unpleasant, the habitual, the beautiful, the blissful for my nourishment and my healing. I do not want to live a happy life. I want to live a mindful life. Because mindfulness gives birth to happiness. In fact, happiness is not found in external things at all, but it is a power we hold within ourselves. And if I have to choose a theme word for 2017 (which I barely do), MINDFULNESS it is.
So how do I do mindfulness? How to become skillful with my awareness in present time? How to stay HERE and now so I encounter life in the most truthful way?
Thich Nhat Hanh, the master of mindfulness, whose books I've read several times, makes it sound simple and possible. "The practice of mindfulness", he says, "requires only that whatever you do, you do with your whole being." "When you pour tea", he continues, "the act of pouring the tea into the cup can become an act of meditation if you pour with mindfulness. Don't think about the past. Don't think about the future. Don't think about what you're going to do next. Focus entirely on the act of pouring the tea. Everyone knows how to pour tea, everyone knows how to drink tea, but not everyone pours tea mindfully and drinks tea mindfully... When you hold the hand of a child, or when you walk, or when you hug your partner, invest one hundred percent of yourself in the act of hugging." Always go home to your body. Your true home is in the here and the now.
Being fully in each moment and connecting to peace in the midst of chaos and uncertainty is harder than it sounds, especially in a world which constantly demands your time and attention. I have been trying to practice mindfulness for years, but I am human. Some days, some months, some years are better than others. This year, I am promising myself to invest more in training my attention as I begin simply to:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At this moment, I understand: just like that, the beauty of the present moment is unfolding in front of my eyes and all my senses are detecting what is going on inside and outside myself. This powerful energy of mindfulness makes me fully alive, fully present to touch the good, the bad, the ugly, the boring, the unpleasant, the habitual, the beautiful, the blissful for my nourishment and my healing. I do not want to live a happy life. I want to live a mindful life. Because mindfulness gives birth to happiness. In fact, happiness is not found in external things at all, but it is a power we hold within ourselves. And if I have to choose a theme word for 2017 (which I barely do), MINDFULNESS it is.
So how do I do mindfulness? How to become skillful with my awareness in present time? How to stay HERE and now so I encounter life in the most truthful way?
Thich Nhat Hanh, the master of mindfulness, whose books I've read several times, makes it sound simple and possible. "The practice of mindfulness", he says, "requires only that whatever you do, you do with your whole being." "When you pour tea", he continues, "the act of pouring the tea into the cup can become an act of meditation if you pour with mindfulness. Don't think about the past. Don't think about the future. Don't think about what you're going to do next. Focus entirely on the act of pouring the tea. Everyone knows how to pour tea, everyone knows how to drink tea, but not everyone pours tea mindfully and drinks tea mindfully... When you hold the hand of a child, or when you walk, or when you hug your partner, invest one hundred percent of yourself in the act of hugging." Always go home to your body. Your true home is in the here and the now.
Being fully in each moment and connecting to peace in the midst of chaos and uncertainty is harder than it sounds, especially in a world which constantly demands your time and attention. I have been trying to practice mindfulness for years, but I am human. Some days, some months, some years are better than others. This year, I am promising myself to invest more in training my attention as I begin simply to:
CARE MORE ABOUT CARE LESS ABOUT
my breath my thoughts
my body my jeans
my smile my wrinkles
listening talking
concentration interruption
kindness shallow judgments
giving taking
the lessons the failures
books news on FB feed
letting go attachments
other people's story know-it-all expert
making art conflicts
exploring traveling
experiences material possessions
my spiritual growth changing others
confronting my fears my comfort zone
confronting my fears my comfort zone
the glass half full the glass full empty
speaking my truth consequences
critical thinking conformism
critical thinking conformism
good enough perfection
Jazz rules
trying my best multitasking
the dance the how
my photography comparison
the rain getting wet
nature and its silence my smartphone
people objects
being doing
It's where I'm the happiest. I am so happy that I grew up as an only child because it forced me to be creative, to be more pensive, to observe. I remember my family thinking there was something wrong with me as they contemplated taking me to a specialist because I hardly spoke. But they discovered that I had much to say, but I observed MORE than I spoke. Over the years, I've become more vocal, but one of my favorite places to be is in the silence, with only the rhythm of words or the song of God's birds in my environment. Sylvia, more than ever do we all need to learn these wonderful things you are sharing today. Too many falsehoods are being passed off as truths, and it's making people more anxious than they should be. There is also this new way of being "liked", "belonging" and "successful" through social media that is a huge trap. I admit, I've been caught in this trap a few times, leaving wounded. But the spirit of God in me and in those who love me remind me that this is not the truth. Flesh and blood reality cannot be measured for its worth by silicon methods. Artificial intelligence is just that. The temporal, the flesh, the scent of a flower, the song of the wind, all passing, are what's real. Our thoughts, our goals and most of all, our LOVE are embedded in a reality that is eternal. Let's celebrate it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, your photos have been my inspiration for so long, and the secret of them is this: emotion. You capture it well, and that is what I hope to do in my work. Much love to you, Anita
I really enjoyed and 'absorbed' your words and thoughts on mindfulness. I have told myself over and over to live in the moment but I don't think I truly understood how. I think I have a better grasp of it after reading your post and I will definitely put your thoughts to use. I am scattered and always multi-tasking. I hold myself up to standards of not only others, but set by myself which are really overwhelming. I touched (not as eloquently as you) in my post today.
ReplyDeleteYour list of 'cares' could read the same for most of us. Doubt plagues us and beats us down. We need to turn it around to be healthy inside and out.
Jane x