Last week, my brother, Reed, and I had a conversation about meditation and peace and finding those moments. Despite the time and distance, I keep floating back to his words. We were standing, facing the setting sun over an open field. There were mountains, a cool breeze, country air, and my arm was through his. I so love my brother.
“Sometimes I catch myself meditating, unexpectedly,” Reed said. “I find myself entranced by the dappled sunlight through the trees. Or the way water flows. And once I realize what’s happened, I’m back into my day. But those are the kinds of things that make me stop. Make me realize that I need a quiet moment.”
“And then do you file those moments away, like for later, so you can mine that feeling when you need it?”
“No. I haven’t thought about them that way, and maybe I should.”
Right now, today as I type, I’m mining this moment of sibling perfection. This feeling of sunshine, of contentment. The mountain-ed horizon that brings back every one of my childhood memories. And while I wasn’t in any kind of meditative trance or state or even trying to meditate right then, I realize that I was mindful. I was inside the moment with all of me and all of who I am. I was whole and comfortable then.
It’s that mindfulness that brings peace.
Maybe this has been on my mind I lot in these 30 Days, because I mentioned it yesterday. Or maybe it’s just that it’s such an important lesson to learn, and one that I need right now at the end of summer feels something like drowning. This mindfulness, this is what meditation allows for-a stillness that can be carried forward into our non-stop lives. Into the stress and bustle and crazy. Into the rat race and frenzy. But I can stop, remember that feeling and relive that moment all over again. And with my new calm, I face my day with a little more awareness to smooth and rocky bits. That is so valuable.
Thanks Reed.
When was the last time you felt truly mindful?
Leave a Reply