Showing up mindfully

Mindfulness meditation doesn’t change life. Life remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever. Meditation changes the heart’s capacity to accept life as it is.

~Sylvia Boorstein

Last week, as I waited for my husband in a parking lot, I witnessed a mother at work.

I heard a child wailing. Mom calmly stepped out of the vehicle and opened the trunk.

The child followed, crying hysterically about some injustice perpetrated upon her by a sibling.

Mom calmly and affectionately offered a sandwich she had pulled out of a cooler.

The child did not want it. Mom offered another food item. The child took it and immediately stopped crying, returning to her seat in the car.

Mom seemed oblivious to anyone who may have witnessed the chaos. She remained serene throughout the incident. The tone of her voice was kind and gentle.

It is natural for a child to express big feelings when tired or hungry. This mother understood.

Closing thoughts

Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.

How we show up in the gap between trigger and reaction has everything to do with our state of mind. Showing up mindfully takes practice.

It is never too late to start practicing mindfulness.