Happy Thanksgiving!
Being that this holiday revolves around gratitude and reflection, I have spent some time pondering what I am truly thankful for—those deeper, authentic appreciations that aren’t material.
And as I thought about it, I realize I’m thankful for my ability to be thankful. It’s easy to take it for granted—the ability to have the time, space, and means to sit and reflect in life, to be in the moment. That’s a completely free luxury that I often forget that I have in my possession.
And so this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for mindfulness.
In all of the readings, TED talks, and podcasts that I absorb, Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn’s analogy on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday Conversations podcast provided the simplest version of what mindfulness truly is:
“Mindfulness is not a concept; it is a practice… here’s your homework: the next time you’re in the shower, check to see if you’re in the shower, because you might not be in the shower. You might have your whole Monday morning, 9am meeting in the shower with you, but you’re not actually there...feeling the water on your skin—you’re off in the future or off in the past…”
This simplified explanation provides a perfect entry point into mindfulness: just check to see if you are mentally in the shower. When you are, you’re practicing mindfulness..
I’ve written before about being on “autopilot” in life, which seems to be the opposite of mindfulness. As I practice being mindful, I notice I am more present and less stressed in my life.
So here are the TOP 3 ways I practice intentional mindfulness:
- Meditation: I set a 5-minute timer (so I don’t keep checking the clock), and I sit silently to let go of thoughts and welcome a new awareness—my best ideas always come after this practice. If Jonah can’t sleep, I tell him to visualize a little ninja in his head, kicking thoughts out as they come in—he laughs, but it works—for both of us!
- Focusing on my Boys: Instead of watching what the boys are watching, I try to remind myself to watch them—small change, big impact.
- Looking at the Sky: while driving or taking a minute to pause at work, the sky is a beautiful place for me to focus my attention and step into the present. Nothing reminds you how small you are than stopping to realize that that sky is covering billions of people.
We all have five minutes to pause in our days.
Kids or not, we all have a person or people we love who we could consciously pay attention to as they speak or as they watch something that makes them joyful.
And even on the cloudiest days, the sky is up to something much bigger than whatever we’re worrying about in our day-to-day lives.
Mindfulness is the only way I’ve found to “make” more time. I’m not in control of the pace of life, but I do have a choice in how much of it I will absorb.
Here’s to letting the past, present, and future reside in their own, respective places,
Kristy
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