Mindfulness: An Introduction
I hear the term mindfulness tossed around a lot. Whenever I go to read about it, I don't get a clear definition, it's always some lengthy response that involves some story about living in the present or meditation or being one with the universe.
It wasn't until recently that I really truly understood what this mindfulness business was about: remembering to tell your brain, "hey, sit right here and live in the present moment. Take it all in."
As you know from my last post, Chris and I went into the city for our anniversary. Saturday morning, we wanted to explore a cute cafe and stumbled upon Beanstalk Cafe.
The place was packed. We had a table outside, but I really wanted to sit inside so I could get some good shots. Well, the second we hinted at getting up, our table got swiped and we migrated inside to the only two chairs left; two stools next to the bathroom.
Chris got his food and began chowing down until a table opened up which happened to be a rather large community table.
The introvert in me got a little nervous about sitting as such a large table, but we were super crammed by the bathroom so we moseyed over and settled in. The sunlight was pouring in, and the crowds were starting to calm down so I was able to get some really great shots of the place.
A couple, and another lady parked herself at the table and we got to talking to the woman. Her name is Virginia, and she had such a wonderful story about how she moved to the city over a decade ago from Socal. Before we knew it, we'd been chatting for over an hour. We talked about life, swapped recommendations etc. It was seriously cool.
Maybe it was the coffee, but the rest of the day I had an extra pep in my step. Meeting new people exhilarates me as much as it exhausts me. Had I not been open to living in that very moment, I would have missed out on meeting a really wonderful person. I would have missed out on super cool recommendations, and regardless of all of that, I would have missed something.
Mindfulness, at least to me, is not only living in the present, but it's remembering to pull yourself back when you start to get too far. Mindfulness is sitting at a community table, in a new place, full of new people, and being present enough to take in whatever happens; it could be nothing, or you could really brighten your day with a fun new experience.
I'll be writing more on mindfulness because I think there's a lot to it, but for now, that's all I've got. Have a great weekend everyone! xx
j
