Mindfulness Moment
I had a whole other blog post planned for today, but it will have to wait until next week. Sometimes that happens, right? You make a plan, and then something else comes up that’s more compelling. Notice I said ‘compelling’– not distracting or disturbing or irritating. Compelling, which (I think anyway) means it’s something that grabs your interest for a positive reason.
It started snowing. Big, fluffy flakes. What started out as a few flurries has grown into what can reasonably be deemed a ‘real’ snowfall. Now I love snow. Always have, and every winter I feel nostalgic for the years I lived in upstate New York where it snows ALL the time in winter. So when it started snowing today, I immediately left my desk and put on the kettle to brew a cup of tea. Because I had a wild and crazy idea. I took my mug of hot tea, got the dog up from her nap, wrapped a scarf around my neck, opened the front door, and sat on the front porch drinking tea and watching it snow.
Mmmmm, mindfulness.
As I sat there, I concentrated on feeling the warmth of the mug in my hands, how the hot tea seemed to warm my insides when I took a sip. I became aware of the sounds of birds squawking in the trees (they didn’t sound necessarily happy), the drip-drip-drip of the water off the edge of the house gutter. I noticed how quiet the street seemed with no one outside, no cars driving by. I watched as the snow eventually began to stick to the ground and cover the patches where leaves had fallen in heaps. I watched with amusement my dog’s uncertainty about leaving the cover of the porch to get out into the falling snow. And when my tea was finished and the dog was shivering, we came back inside.
Was that on my agenda for today? Was “sit on the front porch and watch it snow” an item on my to-do list? Nope. But sometimes unexpected things happen in the course of a regular day, and we need to snag those moments when they come our way. It doesn’t snow here that often, so whenever it does I take advantage because I never know when the next snowfall will be.
I challenge you to look for those mindfulness moments in your own life. And then, when they come along, take the ride! Enjoy it!
If you’re curious about how music therapy and mindfulness fit together, contact me anytime. I’m always happy to answer questions!
