Mindfulness

I was at work and it was supposed to be a quick trip to my car.

7:21am, Wednesday morning.

I walk outside and the scene makes me stop dead in my tracks. 41 degrees.

Everything was dimly lit. The type of lighting that everything looks crisp and clear for the first time in the day but with slate tinted glasses right before the sun rises.

I am staring at the Animas River in front of me, trying to pin down what is so beautiful about this particular moment. If it was one thing or if it was my whole view of vision, I start scanning.

One lone daffodil sprouts out of the soil to my left.

"Kind" is written in pink sidewalk chalk on the ground to my right.

Three runners pass by and say "Good morning", taking me out of my trance.

I'm delayed in my reply "Good morning" as I smile.

Tears fill my eyes and I realize it was mindfulness I was experiencing. Something that I am usually really good at practicing but that I haven't done in a while. I reflected and realized I have almost been afraid to do so. But why? For now that didn't matter, "I can reflect later" I thought to myself. It was important for me to be fully present in this moment, and try my best to start practicing mindfulness in moments like this again. It makes life more fruitful. 

There are outside factors of life that can disrupt practices such as mindfulness. For me it's been navigating post-partum hormones. Although it is fair and understandable that you aren't in your normal flow of things during challenging phases of life, trying to implement practices that you did while you were in those normal states I believe will help you through the process. It may not be as often, or feel the same. But putting in the effort to do so is beneficial and time worthy. I hope to update this writing in the future on how this realization has played out in my life. If anyone has any mindfulness tips, please don't hesitate to reach out.

All of my love,

Nicole