Nine months ago I began a journey of practicing mindfulness every day and we've reached day 293. Yesterday, I talked about the progress of time and life. Today is a new day.
I live on a busy street with relatively thin walls. I can always hear cars driving down the street and all of the electricity running through the building. Although somewhat quiet, it's never completely silent where I live, so getting complete silence is like me really enjoying a new Star Wars film. It doesn't happen too often anymore.
I started thinking about how often I multitask when doing anything despite knowing how having multiple things to focus on uses up various cognitive resources (making it more difficult to focus on one thing). I felt very focused and in-tune with what was going on in the kitchen that I didn't really take notice of time. I was just cooking in a trance-like focus. It was calming and I didn't really have to think too much. I just did and the breakfast came out nicely.
Whatever it is, cutting out distractions like background music, television, etc. help keep us focused on what we're doing and actually keep us present in the moment. If it's cooking, just cook. Studying? Just study. When in the moment you are aware of everything that's going on around you. It's like waking up from a dream and seeing what you're missing out on. It's like exploring new lands and learning that you still have so much to learn. It brings focus on ourselves in relation to the world around us. The contrast is where we find understanding.
Peace
"When there are thoughts, it is distraction; when there are no thoughts, it is meditation." - Ramana MaharshiI woke up really early today and made some breakfast for my dad since he had to go to work. I usually like to listen to music while cooking, but my parents live in an apartment so I ended up cooking in silence. Just the sound of the food and the silence of a nice brisk morning. It was peaceful and I found myself very focused. In the same way that I enjoy meditating in silence to focus my thoughts and attention, I think silence plays a necessary role in our lives that helps to give us a break from this noisy world.
I live on a busy street with relatively thin walls. I can always hear cars driving down the street and all of the electricity running through the building. Although somewhat quiet, it's never completely silent where I live, so getting complete silence is like me really enjoying a new Star Wars film. It doesn't happen too often anymore.
I started thinking about how often I multitask when doing anything despite knowing how having multiple things to focus on uses up various cognitive resources (making it more difficult to focus on one thing). I felt very focused and in-tune with what was going on in the kitchen that I didn't really take notice of time. I was just cooking in a trance-like focus. It was calming and I didn't really have to think too much. I just did and the breakfast came out nicely.
Whatever it is, cutting out distractions like background music, television, etc. help keep us focused on what we're doing and actually keep us present in the moment. If it's cooking, just cook. Studying? Just study. When in the moment you are aware of everything that's going on around you. It's like waking up from a dream and seeing what you're missing out on. It's like exploring new lands and learning that you still have so much to learn. It brings focus on ourselves in relation to the world around us. The contrast is where we find understanding.
Peace
 |
| The bigger picture is seen when we learn to filter out the distractions and focus on what's important. |
If you have any thoughts, stories, or experiences, leave a comment below!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day~