My sweetie plays the organ at church, and last Sunday he brought home an Ester lily. We've enjoyed its blooms all week, but the greatest pleasure is walking into the house at night. The deep fragrance of Easter lily hits our nostrils. It smells like heaven.
As we well know, the sense of smell very quickly acclimates, and, after a minute or two, we no longer smell the wonderful scent.
Our other physical senses--taste, touch, seeing, and hearing--also acclimate. We fill up on one taste, and think we are full, but we then mysteriously have room for dessert :) (A different flavor.) People who live near busy streets or airports or railroad tracks don't even hear the noise anymore.
We tune out 95 percent of our experience, so we can pay attention to whatever is changing. Our sixth sense--the mind--stays extremely busy, leading us from one train of thought to another. Our mind is always "changing," and that's where our attention goes. Some of us "live" in our mind.
One definition of mindfulness is "keeping mind together with body." Let's practice mindfulness today. Now.
Bring the mind to the body sitting. Notice what your hands are doing. Pay attention to your feet. Notice reading and the movement of the eyes.
Notice life.
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