Breeze, Bugs and Bliss!

I had a truly spiritual moment in the wetlands the other day. You may think this is totally weird, that I've lost my marbles, but these few moments were like a spiritual 'awakening', as much as any other I've experienced before. 

I was on my regular walk and stopped for a few minutes on the bridge that crosses a narrow river that opens out to a lake (you can see the lake in the pic above). Amazingly I found myself alone, in one of my favourite places, so decided to stop and take in the view. There in that moment it was as if time stood still and I became one with nature. 

It was the sound of the babbling water that first grabbed my attention. It was as if it spoke to me with a message of all that I was observing. It gave voice to the reeds, the mountain, the birds, the lake, the blue sky, the trees. It's sound was Peace. Calm. Bliss. 

As I was getting lost in the sound I noticed the breeze - ever so gentle - blowing on the side of my face and in that frozen moment I truly noticed the birds and even the smallest of insects. (I had to chuckle to myself at that moment and wondered if I had entered into some ninja-like state. Felt that if I'd had a pair of chop-sticks I could catch one of the flies with a flourish of my hand!). It was as if I had become like one of the trees, standing there totally welcomed as part of the serene landscape. 

In these precious moments my thoughts were on nothing but "being". Totally still (not even thinking about everything I had to do that day!). Totally at peace. Just soaking up the communion with all that was surrounding me. Even Spike, my dog, was standing super still beside me. It was as if he too could sense the intimacy of the moment.

It's the intentional, mindful moments that really do bring joy to our lives. I walked away from that experience with the biggest smile - both on my face and within - that lasted all day. Even the weirdness of the lock-down-supermarket-shop didn't wreck the sense of peace. 

Try to find intentional moments throughout your day. They don't need to be long, my moment probably only lasted 3 minutes, though it felt like 30! You just need to start. Once you do start to "notice" things around you, to really notice things, you'll discover that these moments are easier to find then you first thought and you'll start looking for these moments throughout your day because of the peace and joy they bring you. Think of it like making sure that you stop to smell the roses - I do actually do that too! - in the midst of your busyness. 

Your moments might be at your desk - tuning in to the sounds of the office, really listening without judging if something is 'good' or 'bad'. It might be during the course of your work as you stop to notice your own breathing, your own thoughts, as you quiet yourself despite what's happening around you. Or your moment might be as you play with your child - noticing, really noticing, the colour of their cheeks, the smell of their hair (yep, I actually do smell babies too, one of my "moment" things!). Or it might be as you listen to your favourite music, tuning in to the melody, the tempo, the way it makes you feel. Sometimes closing our eyes helps us to notice even more. Sometimes looking intently is what the moment asks. Whatever it is, however you do it, stop throughout your day and notice, it's a wonderful mindfulness practise!