Mindfulness - and what it means to me.

When taking the bus regularly, it struck me as incongruous—the way so many people went to their seats and sealed themselves inside a protective bubble of headphones, perfumed shields, blinkered dark eyewear, and general disconnect.

I had done that in my early years in the country, mostly because I could not speak the language and had this innate fear of having to try to explain the same story over and over again. I became a prolific programmer and writer and produced some of my better work.

I have always been aware of what’s going on around me, and getting older has helped me nurture these skills even further—through want or necessity.

I was, and am, a practitioner of mindfulness, and it has served me well. I am a better driver, walker, and lover because of this. And yet, trying to explain what it is... is kinda hard. It is as subtle a skill to possess as it is to practice.

Of course, the heroes of my childhood included Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot—as well as many others—who were purported to be exceptional practitioners of both mindfulness and keen observation.

Being aware of being, of what is happening around you—allowing your senses to hear, feel, smell, touch, and sense what is there—having programmed your mind to understand the significance of each clue that is thrust before you through these senses so that sense can be made of this being.

Almost as confusing as the word: mindfulness.

But really, what it isn't is meditation—the belief that we need to clear our minds of everything. To the contrary, we are almost saturating our minds. Nor is it religious in nature—we do not need a cathedral to sing out the cherished hymns of mindfulness. There are no such hymns. And it certainly is not a superpower—we can sense miracles around us because we are more aware of these miracles of life, but we do not perform miracles as such.

When I tell my wife that I already knew something was going to happen, or could see what was happening even without looking, she is often astonished. The simple ability of being aware and pre-programmed to understand the significance of each input makes keeping calm and focused that much easier.

So where is my usual rant today? Maybe this is not the place or the time.

The objective must be to help you all reflect on how your lives may become more manageable if you can turn the blinkers off all your senses and let them provide the reassurance that knowledge of your surroundings offers. Then, stress and fear slowly dissipate, and peace becomes more frequent.

Cheers

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