Sitting in the doctor´s waiting room, I reach in my bag for my phone. There are a few people in front of me and I expect I´ll be here for some time. I delve further and begin to worry, as my phone is not there. I remember that I had left it charging before leaving home. How am I going to fill my time, I wonder? What if someone needs to reach me or I get a like on Instagram? I should be checking it and not wasting my time just sitting here!
This was about a year ago, until I discovered Mindfulness. It is quite a buzzword these days and a lot has been written about it on Steemit already. However, for those who are not familiar with the term, it can be defined as: “the practice of maintaining a non-judgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis (Meriam-Webster Dictionary).” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mindfulness
I however like to think of it as being present and enjoying each moment for what it is.
In quest to find out more, I started reading Thich Nhat Hanh´s “The Art of Mindfulness”, a wonderfully rich and beautifully written book. I´d like to call it a page-turner, but perhaps that would be ironic, as it deserves to be pondered over and read slowly.
With this in mind, I began to notice how much of our time is spent rushing around mentally checking things off a never-ending to do list and just how impatient I had become. I don’t of course blame my phone for this, but purposely leaving it at home has not been detrimental to my social media status and I no longer panic when I have nothing to do.
I hugely recommend an article by Steve John Powell for the BBC entitled “The Japanese Skill Copied by the World”, which explains the historical background of Mindfulness and shows how simple mindful practices can be beneficial.
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170504-the-japanese-skill-copied-by-the-world
The image is from Paul Day´s sculpture at St. Pancras Station, London. Is this a sign of the times?
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AThe_meeting_place_-Paul-Day-_d%C3%A9tail_du_bas_relief.jpg
