Mindfulness Leads to More Time

Mindfulness / By Trisha Goodall

The other day I went to my favorite coffee shop. I hadn’t been in quite some time, but I ordered my coffee and the house special waffle. I sat and starting working. Cut to nearly three hours later, and I glanced to my left - stunned.

I was arrested by the beauty of a weaving that hung on the wall across the room. No name - a price, but how inadequate.

I remembered the wall of watercolor flowers that previously donned the back wall. I looked behind me - new art there as well.

A lack of mindfulness had blocked me

I was struck by how oblivious I’d been for the past 3 hours. It took me so long to recognize the beauty.

I wrote previously that I’ve been enjoying poetry, but I’ve also been experimenting with writing my own. Through Mary Oliver’s encouragement via her interview with Krista Tippet, I have been practicing “showing up for poetry”. On a regular occasion (not daily since I don’t put such unreasonable expectations on myself), I sit to write.

This day, I’d sat to write and had nothing. That is when I glanced around me and was startled. And then I wrote:

Noticing

Arresting.

And yet, I didn’t notice for hours.

Beauty. Blends and inspires.

But we can’t be inspired if we never look.

Notice. Innocuous.

The patterns, vibrant. Veiled.

As we walk along, invisible. Or so we pretend.

We move as if the world is invisible rather;

veiled behind our own thoughts.

Slow. Savor.

Joy comes and we may say yes.

Even if last time we said no.

Thank you. To the yes.

And so I share this with you - not because I’m a brilliant poet (I am under no such illusions), but simply to remind you to notice. To pause. To savor.

Time is so hard to come by - our truly limited resource. There can always be more money and more opportunity. Everything changes. But the constant is that time does not return to us.