This virus has brought the most unique opportunity for mindfulness I have ever experienced…or could have dreamed of for myself, or my students.
I have taught mindfulness practices for over two decades. The invitation of this pandemic is to embrace mindfulness as though our lives depend upon it, which they do. The simple act of grocery shopping or getting the mail has slowed to a minutia of details beyond what I could’ve previrus imagined.
As many people are complaining, or feeling frustration, or simply ignoring the truths of the life force of this virus on plastics and papers, I’m focusing on the opportunities for greater awareness of my actions and being vibrantly present.
As always, every moment we have a choice in how we perceive that moment. Are we actually in the moment, that activity, or are we elsewhere? The mindless activities that fill many moments of our day are opportunities to practice living with our undivided attention. Most of us have more time now. What if you took this on like a Mindfulness practice - the being more present to your life - that you’ve thought about doing but haven’t quite ever done yet?
What if, instead of giving up on your meditation goals - like I know many of you have done over the years - you saw these new steps in daily life as an opportunity to at least begin, to take a step toward being more mindful? What if you infused your day with deep breaths and instead of being stressed over the activities embraced them with joy?
We talk about a need for systems change, on many levels, going forward. Now, we have simple daily opportunities to begin using our mindfulness in creating remarkable systems. Truly thinking through the simple, yet complex, task of sanitizing the groceries.
The fresh vegetables, the plastic bags the vegetables are in that the cashier has touched…or maybe he or she touched the actual vegetables, etc, etc, etc. What comes into your house and what stays out..and for how many days…. These daily tasks offer….
- a gift for our minds - as we create new thoughts and generate strategies
- a gift for our spirit with the extraordinary level of consciousness it brings, especially into our kitchen
- a gift for our bodies for this heightened awareness of unseen, silent, unhealthy energies that are no longer finding a resting place upon or within our bodies by all of us finally really washing our hands and not touching our faces…. like our mothers have asked for decades
Yes, life is different, though everyday we can find blessings even in the tasks…for we are alive and able to undertake what is needed to stay healthy…. and, be able to help others in our families and communities to do the same.
I wish you ever deepening trust, patience, presence and mindfulness.