75 degrees is the high today in Denver, but it will change to cold and snow overnight. I’ve pulled in all the green tomatoes, green beans, and basil, and covered hardier plants with frost cloth. Gardeners constantly have their eyes on the weather and know that it can be unpredictable, with quick and dramatic changes. But for some reason, it feels like a surprise when the rest of life acts the same way. At least, that is true for me.
There are lots of quotes about change floating around the internet, but many are about sweeping changes. How do we adjust to big changes, or how do we change ourselves and the world? But focusing on the big changes misses the essence of change, that it is happening incrementally every second. We often don’t pay attention until there is a huge shift; a death, a birth, a tragedy, a success, or weather changing from 75 degrees to 25 in a few hours.
The plants and organisms in my garden are not the same as they were yesterday, even if they appear that way. And I am not either. None of us are. Everything about us is in constant flux; emotions, cells, hormones, thoughts, experiences, attitudes. What is the quirk in our brains that allows us to conveniently ignore the constant flow of our being?
The mindfulness focus word this week is change. The idea is to tune into the small changes in and around us, cultivating an awareness of the flow. It is easy to fall into thinking we know exactly what is going to happen next, whether it is in our garden or the people and situations in our lives. But that is all based on the past. Every moment is new. Each time we are in the garden, the plants are different. Each time we are with others, Each one of us is constant flow different. The task this week is to nurture that awareness.
For more information on my weekly mindfulness focus words experiment click here.
