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:


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 
the glass half full                                                                       the glass full empty
speaking my truth                                                                            consequences
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
                                              
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Have you been practising mindfulness? Share with me how? Let's breathe, smile and be aware of the present moment, with purpose and without judgment, shall we?