100 Days of Gladness: Day 39
I slow down a little, check left and right, and if it looks okay, I go.
I’ve done this all my life.
There’s no time to come to a complete stop at stop signs.
(Unless you’re qualifying for a driver’s license.)
Enter Mindfulness.
Psh. Not while I’m trying to get somewhere important!
Not if I want to be responsible and show up on time.
Okay.
But when you get more serious about mindfulness, your practice begins to deepen, and you notice it everywhere. Suddenly, how you fling your coat on the couch, or drop your keys into the bowl, how you flip through the mail, or scroll through your phone — everything becomes an opportunity to observe your actions.
Then you start noticing your conversations.
Once I vowed to practice Right Speech for just one day. (In the Buddhist world, Right Speech is defined as abstaining from lying, divisive speech, abusive speech, idle chatter, gossip, swear words, and cynical or hostile tone of voice.)
The bad news is, I didn’t make it out of bed before breaking the vow.
The good news is, I noticed.
