Why mindful? And what does that even mean anyway?

I like to hang onto things—to cling to past experiences and their corresponding feelings (good and bad) like some kind of memory hoarder. 

At the same time, I enjoy time travel into the future. If only I had a functional crystal ball, then I wouldn’t need to spend so much time guessing and imagining what lies ahead. I like to know how things are going to play out so I create possible scenarios in my head. It’s a crap shoot. About 90% of my predictions are wrong. Or more often, by the time the future becomes the now, I’ve forgotten what outcome I was trying to orchestrate in the first place. 

My husband started actively learning about mindfulness years ago, long before it became a trend. And man has it ever become a trendy. These days you can’t swing a yoga mat without hitting a meditating millennial or a #mindful hashtag. 

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn is the first book on the subject of mindfulness that my husband read. In fact, it’s the first book he’s read from cover to cover in our entire marriage! Clearly it captured his attention. 

I’m reading it now. It’s no ‘Girl On A Train’, but I’m enjoying it. And more importantly, I’m learning. One line that stuck a chord with me so far is simple. It’s simply… “This is it.”

THIS IS IT. Right now. No do-overs. No second chances. Now. 

As my day goes along and I often begin to feel the pressure of activities and responsibilities weighing me down, causing me to lose focus, which usually results in a flurry of multi-tasking madness or hyper-focusing on a past event that is a useless waste of mental space since it’s, you know, in the past. So I’ve been stopping for a minute, taking a breath (like, an actual deep and focussed breath), and saying, “This is it.” Like my own personal Lisa Mantra. Actually noticing what is happening to me and around me in the present and acknowledging that this moment is “it” —it’s my actual life, is slowly but surely changing me in some pretty spectacular ways. 

Okay so that’s it for now. I’m off to play my singing bowl and meditate. Kidding. But also not. 🙂

Mindfully and gratefully,

~ Lisa

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