The magical world around us
Becoming Mindful
I love to go for walks around my neighborhood. I’m lucky to live just steps from a wonderful lakefront area full of parks, marinas and man-made harbors. One of my habits was to go out in the morning when things were still quiet and plan my day as well as tackle any problems or work issues rattling around in my brain. I found the walking made me focus better. It’s almost like my surroundings dissapeared. Part of my brain was on autopilot, while the rest of it focused with laser intensity on the problems at hand.
I say that WAS my habit because I don’t do that much anymore. I decided to slow down, be mindful and live more in the “now”. I changed my approach to my walk. I moved slowly and effortlessly as if to not disturb the air around me unduly. I was also very quiet. Finally I started opening my mind to notice what was around me, rather than thinking about something else.
I couldn’t believe the change. What had always been a “nice” walk turned into something of magic. In addition to the geese, swans and ducks, I noticed dozens of different birds – loons, herons,different types of gulls, blue jays, cardinals. My gentle quiet step and open eye revealed a world of rabbits, turtles, beavers and many other animals. In the water I noticed huge carp skulking about the shallows while salmon jumped in the harbor.
Too many distractions
Why was I seeing all of this? I have done this same walk for more than five years. My surroundings haven’t changed. I’ve changed. Simply by being mindful and experiencing the here and now rather than being distracted by the problems and issues of the future I totally changed my experience for the better and noticed so much more.
Oddly enough, I found my mind became much sharper. Problems that I used to focus on in order to solve conciously, were now easier to answer. By being mindful of my surroundings I was able to get a fresh perspective on things once I got back to the computer or the telephone.
Since I started this mindful journey, I began noticing other things. Joggers tuning everything out around them: Headphones set to some cheesy urban music, rather than taking in the song of the birds and the splashing of the fish. Most baffling of all are people talking “power walks” in the park, spending most of their time and attention nattering on their cell phones.
How different our experiences are as we travel through the same path of the same park together.
What wonderful experiences are right in front of you? Why aren’t you taking advantage of them?
