Please don’t judge me for what I’m about to tell you, but this actually happened.  I was pouring a can of my beloved Diet Coke into a glass of ice and the light from the window behind it really highlighted the fizz dancing into the air from the top of the glass.  I let the fizz die down some and then poured the rest of the can in quickly which of course made the fizz dance even higher.  Something about the dancing fizz was whimsical and ever so slightly magical and I laughed out loud.  For those of you who might care about me, no, I’m not going over the deep end, I’m merely becoming more mindful.

I started reading the book on Mindfulness and it has made me much more aware of how many times I just go on automatic.  You know, when you just get in the car to go to work the same way you always do and you can’t remember how you actually got there?  There are some mornings when I think, did I even look to see if that light was red?  Scary, right?  But it’s so easy for us to do this and daydream our way through life.  Being purposeful and being aware of those little things around you make life more meaningful, make our spirits come alive.  Even silly things like paying attention to the fizz from my drink brings a tiny light of joy into my day.

My days can be ridiculously busy and it’s very easy for me to fall into a routine and just teach at my kids rather than engage with my kids, just out of habit, routine and mindlessness.  It’s those days however, when I am fully focused, paying attention to the little things the kids say and do where magic happens.  I catch a quiet student smiling during a particular activity or someone who struggles begin to show some confidence.  I catch those students who like to mess around looking to me for affirmation when they’re trying harder to do the right things.  It makes a huge difference for everyone involved when I can be more mindful.

On vacation this summer, sitting on the beach, I tried to sit and just experience all that my senses could perceive.  How did the air smell, how did the waves sound, what did the sun look like as it was setting and how did it effect the colors in the sky?  Watching a dog react to the incoming waves and it trying to figure out what was going on, hiding behind its owner.  Slowing down and tasting my food, with all of the taste buds picking up the subtleties of the herbs and spices, smelling the wine and anticipating the richness of its flavor.  Not focused on my phone, not staring out of a window while I ate, but mindfully experiencing my food.

I’m working hard not to concentrate so much on myself as I am others, for instance, spending time with a couple of good friends yesterday and paying more attention to them.  Not just listening to their conversations, but trying to discern their likes and dislikes, the differences in their personalities, and those things they have in common.  They have developed quite a bond, having traveled to several conferences together over the years.  Their friendship is easy and they enjoy doing things together and stretching each other.  It was fun hearing the stories of their adventures and listening to them laugh.  I really enjoyed myself more being in the moment and thinking less about myself.  And we created some memories.  Memories of that poor woman at the first winery who was definitely having a “Monday” to the last woman who helped us who was a little rough around the edges but soon began to warm up to us as we were laughing about the names of the wines.  Names like “Afternoon Delight” and “Red Stiletto”.  Especially when I was asked how I liked my Afternoon Delight.  I’ll leave it there for now.

I’m trying to look at my family in a more mindful way as well, noticing how the sun bounces off of the bright red hair of my new grandson in the pool or how my daughter-in-law’s face shines with pride watching him.  I watched my husband’s eyes sparkle with just a hint of tears as our grandson was adopted.  I see how hard my kids work, how it shows on their faces, taking on adult roles and dealing with life.  I look at myself with my husband, watching us grow older together but still feeling like kids ourselves.  The familiar face I’ve known now for 40 years, now highlighted by gray at the temples and wrinkles around the eyes.  The details that could mindlessly go unnoticed if I wasn’t trying to be more purposeful.

I sign off here tonight, mindful of my breathing and how I am surrounded by quiet. It just takes a minute to stop and really use your senses to experience life more fully.  And in the moment, you can feel grateful for so many of the little things in life that you might otherwise ignore mindlessly.  Even something as small as the dancing fizz from your Diet Coke.