Mindfulness

To be mindful is to consider all possibilities, all perspectives; even that of the fly on the wall observing, absorbing the situation with no judgement. The driver that cut you off, do they have a loved one in distress? The person that is rude, are they treated poorly? The child that acts out, do they get little attention from their parents? The parent that is short tempered, were they abused as a child. The lover that is neglectful, is that all they know from past observation? The worker that is absentminded, are they burying their creativity to meet someone else’s expectations? 

Those that are unhappy, have they spent their life planning what will make them happy in the future? Realizing only when it’s too late that their plan has failed. The sudden awareness that planning happiness for the future keeps happiness just beyond grasp, perpetually in the future. Unless of course the way to happiness creates happiness, but this often isn’t the case. We are all souls searching for meaning, governed by our interpretations and feelings attached to experiences. 

Letting go of the past relieves stress, just be sure to learn from it. Planning but not holding attachment to outcome relieves anxiety, just be sure to have goals. Here and now is where happiness is found, in the journey. Each step, obstacle overcome, little accomplishment. Happiness is in and between every breath we take, but if and only if, we are mindful enough to allow ourselves to see it.