New York City on July 4th: New Yorkers have mostly abandoned the city to the tourists, and most everything of interest is closed. Except Central Park.
Aah, Central Park on a summer weekend; it’s a cornucopia of activity, full of walkers, cyclists, performers, families with strollers, dogs on leashes and all those beautiful trees. I decided to devote the morning to a mindfulness exercise, and was rewarded greatly.
Instead of thinking about me as I moved about, I looked, listened, smelled, felt and generally took in my surroundings. Rather than engage the usual mental processes inside my own head, I focused on everything around me. I observed all manner of people and noticed how many were speaking languages other than English. I listened to musicians playing the saxophone or violin and noticed the children and how carefully their parents watched them. I felt the heat of the day and the cool of the shadows.
At one point I sat on a bench next to a German couple across from a lively Dixieland band selling its CD’s between songs. Off to the right a man was making giant soap bubbles, four or five feet across, via a rope tied to a couple of sticks dipped in a bucket. To the left a bikini-clad figure skater on rollerblades glided and twirled. Between songs I could hear an alto sax just down the path playing “Satin Doll”.
It was fascinating paying attention to everything around me instead of myself. I had a great time.
Any time you feel miserable, chances are your attention is on yourself and your feelings. An easy break from that burden is to put your attention elsewhere, on someone else or your environment.
Why feel lousy when it doesn’t get you anywhere? Put your attention on what’s all around you. You’ll notice things you’ve never noticed before just by having your senses open. It’s so easy to do.
Mindfulness need not be an esoteric spiritual practice. And it can be so restful. Try it for ten minutes when you are out in a public place. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ve been missing.