On Being Mindful
The first time that I heard the term “mindfulness” I also heard the word “bubbles.”
Mindfulness means having an intentional focus on the present moment. The person who was explaining mindfulness to me suggested that I could learn this practice by doing something as simple and mundane as standing at my kitchen sink and watching soap bubbles.
I remember trying it. I remember putting my hands in the warm water, and concentrating as tiny bubbles moved and shined and glistened below me. It seemed like such an easy thing to do, but it was difficult.
That was my first experience of purposely trying to stay in the present moment, and it didn’t come naturally to me. I’m good at looking at the past and contemplating, “if only.” If only I had done things differently . . . .
And I have an advanced degree in looking ahead and asking “what if?” What if this happens? What if that happens?
Being mindful really depends on trusting. Proverbs 3:56 encourages us to “trust in the Lord” with all of our hearts, and to not lean on our own understandings. If we do that, we are promised that He will direct our paths.
That means that He’s got our future in His capable hands.
A friend of mine is a wonderful gardener, and I think she has discovered mindfulness when she works in her flower beds. That’s when the past and the future slip away from her, and she is able to commune with Mother Nature — while time waits its turn.
When I look back at my life and remember when I really was living in the present, I can see how those times were so precious. I know that the world swirled around me when I held each of my newborn grandchildren.
It’s hard to be mindful when you are a parent. You are always worried about preparing the next meal, getting shoes that fit, doing the laundry, and driving children to their practices. It’s hard to bring a reflective Mary into a Martha-dominated life.
There are difficult things about aging, but letting go of all of the daily responsibilities of parenting probably isn’t one of them. As our physical systems slow down, it seems easier to be reflective and to practice mindfulness. It’s just easier to stay in the present and pay attention now.
I think mindfulness offers us a wonderful opportunity to use our five senses. I was taking a walk recently with my husband, Steve, and trying to practice mindfulness. I studied the bright blue sky, and I watched the Canadian geese as they soared overhead. Probably, most importantly, I listened to what my husband was saying.
One of my favorite times to practice mindfulness is during the celebration of the Mass at my parish. I find I can pay better attention to the readings now, and I can listen with greater awareness to the lyrics of the songs. It’s wonderful.
I’ve discovered that mindfulness helps me to be especially attentive during the Consecration. And when the priest and deacon lift the paten and the chalice, which contain the Body and Blood of Christ, while the congregation sings the “Great Amen,” it seems that time stands still — and then I am blissfully in the present.
