The trail was quiet today. We encountered a few deer and a couple of herons, but otherwise, we didn’t see much activity. So, I decided to practice a mindfulness technique. It’s a fun game to play that grounds you in the moment and results in a nice poem of sorts. The idea is to observe five things you see, four things you feel, three things you hear, two things you smell, one thing you taste. Here is the result of my exercise today.
I see: sunlight dancing on the water, Chuck’s tail bouncing ahead of me, green-green plants, yellow wildflowers, the occasional red leaf spiraling slowly down from a tree.
I feel: gravel beneath my shoes, the weight of the camera strap on my neck, warm sun on my back, a soft breeze.
I hear: an unfamiliar bird song far away in the woods, the river gurgling pleasantly, “good morning” from a passerby.
I smell: dry leaves and earth that make me think of fall.
I taste: morning coffee that lingers on my tongue.
You can try this technique anywhere. If you give it a go, will you share your observations with me? Does it make you feel calm? I know it helps me appreciate the moment and frees me from a million tangled ponderings that usually tie up my mind and distract me from granting my full attention to the now.
