The art of mindfulness

The universe is telling an unfolding story and each one of us has a role to play in that. A really small role. We were not there at the beginning. We will not be there at the end. Each one of us is here for a moment in time. We take our place in this unfolding drama and contribute to God’s purpose for the world in our own way.

And how best can we do this? By making the most of the present.

Having confined us to a prison of time and circumstance, the Teacher opens a door of freedom to the present. (The Bible Guide – Andrew Knowles)

As humans, we are so bad generally at living fully in the present. Animals do it well, I think. Children, too. But we dwell on the past and worry about the future, until the present is robbed of its significance.

 What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure for ever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.  Ecclesiastes 3:9-14

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God.

Zen stones in water

This isn’t encouraging us to over-indulge.It isn’t about that at all. It’s not about greed and gluttony and laziness. It’s actually all about mindfulness. About being fully present when we eat. Fully present when we drink. Fully present when we work. This is where true happiness lies. In savouring and appreciating and being grateful for all that we have. In finding contentment and satisfaction in all that we have.

Which is hard when we have within us a constant awareness that there is so much more. Which is an integral part of the human condition.

He has also set eternity in the human heart.

I love this phrase. It explains a lot. It explains that sense that we have that there is more. So much more. A glimpse of the vastness of the universe. A flicker of understanding of the unimaginable expanse of time reaching back to the beginning and forward into eternity.

There is always so much more to do and see and experience. So many books to read, films to see, places to visit. So many new things to try and new people to meet. So many new challenges and opportunities. Even going to London for just one day makes me feel like my head is going to explode with all the new experiences advertised on the walls of the tube tunnels. I want to do it all, see it all, experience it all! I often feel crushed by how much there is to do and how little time I have. I can’t get my head round it at all.

And so I need to find a way to reach a place of mindfulness and contentment. Not a contentment that leads to complacency and stops me moving forward, but a contentment that teaches me to slow down, when all that is within me is screaming to go faster and fit more in. It’s all about quality of experience, not quantity. About depth, not breadth.

TO DO: Have a think about what being fully present would look like for you today. Believe me, that doesn’t come easily to anyone. It takes work and practice. It’s retraining your brain to think differently.

So….really taste what you are eating; really listen to your friend’s story; really focus on how your dog’s fur feels when you stroke him.

Let go of the the mistake you have just made and live the moment fully.

Let go of the to do list and live the moment fully.

Let go of your anxieties about the future and live the moment fully.

Think quality, not quantity.

Depth, not breadth.