JULY 2013 ~ Cultivating Mindfulness – Part 2

In May I wrote about my son’s reaction to the sunset shining through petals and reflecting off of the lake. I also mentioned on Facebook that month about my mindful experience peeling an orange and realizing that I was present for the first moment the orange was exposed to direct light and air flow. The first time I visited Key West I longed to live in a place that celebrated the sunset every single day.

How many extraordinary and sacred moments do we miss because we are living mindlessly? I once asked someone what she was grateful for and she answered, “Nothing. I don’t have anything to be grateful for.” I reminded her that she was walking around on her own two legs and that she would have a roof over her head that night and food on her table.”

“Well, yeah, that stuff, I guess,” she shrugged.

I was reminded of this when someone told me about a bumper sticker that read, “GET RICH QUICK. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!”

Because the human brain has a negative bias (the negative centers in the brain being more active than the positive), it’s important to be aware of our potential positive experiences. This strengthens the positive centers and thus sharpens our lens to see the positive and to see where we’re connected and safe. It’s difficult to enjoy life or to be a blessing to others if we can’t cultivate these practices.

Mindfulness practices help us to see these moments and events in the here and now. We don’t have to wait until we can afford a luxury vacation or a massage. We can find it in our offices peeling an orange.

For our Mindful Exploration this month, let’s try bringing mindfulness to our present moments and finding the wonder that awaits us. If you’d like to play with this idea with the support of our on-line mindfulness community, post about your moments of wonder on the Center for Mindful Exploration Facebook page.

Remember that on Facebook there is no such thing as confidentiality, so post with mindfulness!

Namaste.