Mindfulness is not only a meditation technique. It is a deep noticing. It is new possibilities. It is being present.
A Mindful Experience
Today is a special day, both the summer solstice and a full moon on the same day. What a perfect day to talk about being present and noticing. Imagine if no one told you that it was the summer solstice. The only way you would know would be from noticing the time of sunset and sunrise every single day. And if no one told you it was a full moon. What would you have to notice to be sure the moon was full? Would a quick glance at the moon give you enough information? Or would you have to study it slower and more intently?
My mindful experience today was eating a piece of watermelon. I was so very hot and I was thirsty. I opened the fridge to find ice cold watermelon.
Deep Noticing
Whenever I practice mindfulness I try to notice new things I hadn’t noticed before. Go ahead and look at this photo. Try to find something new you haven’t noticed before about watermelon. Or just look at this image and try to find as many details as possible.
In mindfulness and in gratitude, noticing is key. We can’t be grateful for something that we don’t notice so the first step is always noticing.
New Possibilities
When we are mindful it works best to let go of our assumptions. I used to not like the texture of the white seeds. and I would spit them out. When we are practicing deep noticing we also open up new possibilities. What might we experience this time? The feel of the watermelon on our tongue, the sound of crunching with each bite, the white seeds sliding this way and that. It is all part of the experience. I kept smelling it, expecting that the sense of smell would be as strong as I remember. But it wasn’t. I don’t know if my sense of smell is weakened right now or if this particular watermelon is not as fragrant, or if maybe watermelon is never very fragrant. All of these are assumptions that I was bringing to the experience. So I let them all go and just smelled. Accepting this new possibility that there was not much to smell, nothing wrong with that and nothing right about that, it just is.
Being Present
As I was focusing all of my attention on the feel of it in my mouth and the increase in saliva and the delicious taste, out of nowhere I felt the juices start running down my arm. Normally I would reach for a towel but these trails of watermelon called me into the present moment so immediately that I decided to go with it and just keep feeling it on my arm. With deep noticing I realized it was sliding down my ring finger and pooling in my palm before finally spilling over. With new possibilities I realized that I didn’t have to wipe it off immediately. Actually, wiping it would have been pretty fruitless since it continued to drip. I also realized that it tickled which made me laugh. With being present I realized that I was no longer grumpy from being too hot and thirsty. I realized that the feel of watermelon in my mouth was as refreshing as the taste. I realized that taking a big bite was not any better than taking a small bite. It tasted just the same.
Mindful gratitude is a way to be fully immersed in the present moment, noticing deeply and being open to possibilities.
This is a simple practice that we can do again and again. Try it right now with something that is near you. Something that you have taken for granted. Something that you know all to well. What gratitude emerges for you?
It doesn’t have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don’t try to make them elaborate, this isn’t a contest but the doorway into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak.
~Mary Oliver
What is something new you are grateful to notice?
LEARNING: One day I decided before I wrote my gratitude that I wouldn’t share it on facebook that day, only here in our collective. But then after I wrote it I decided to share it after all. Sometimes it helps me to be free from the pressure of sharing to get past any gratitude writers block that emerges.
FORGOTTEN GRATITUDE: Last week I was also grateful for the stinger removed and vanilla in my Dr. Pepper.
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[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″ text_color=”#686767″ radius=”0″] My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it! A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide. My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can too. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336. [/su_note]