I packed up my youngest boy into the car to get him to school this morning. He had been scurrying around trying to find his shoes in a panic not to be late.
Finally he jumped in the car. “Where were they?” I asked. He smiled sheepishly. “Where they always are. I just didn’t see them.”
Boom. These things land on me hard and heavy. We look but we don’t really see. We see through our eyes of conditioning, the past, labels and judgements. We see through the filter of what we already know, the past, rather than what is actually there. Also, because we are often in a state of a busy, hyper-aroused nervous system/brain, we cannot see through the eyes of an open state of acceptance of what is truly there. In other words, the truth is right here but we cloud it with thought.
How many times has your loved one slipped by you, or you had a conversation without seeing them?
How many times have you jumped to conclusions about people, rather than actually seeing them? We say “they are like that.” No-one is always that. They are more than that.
We predict, judge and make assumptions based on our own opinions. Our own opinions are based on our own experience.
Have you noticed the sky today without judging the weather? Have you noticed the food on your plate, the textures and colours without labeling it as ‘rice, meat, peas’?
It seems so simple, but this simple shift in perspective is life-changing. When we see what and whom is actually there.
Have you ever been judged by someone as being a certain way, as in “you are like this.” How did that feel, knowing you are like this sometimes, some days, but often are also like that and also that.
We have to auto-pilot in order to survive. I need to drive and tie my shoes automatically or I’ll never get to work. But we can easily slip into dullness and boredom.
Mindfulness is a practice of seeing clearly. Seeing through the illusion of our labels and judgements, because we can see our labels and judgements.
Here are some things to try:
In a conversation, be aware of yourself and your judgements. Be aware of the human being in front of you, who is there beyond your thoughts and assumptions?
Go outside and look without labeling. It’s only us humans that created the categories of trees and flowers. What was there before that?
In the grocery store, have you noticed the vast array of cereals, vegetables, products? What have you never noticed before?
It’s all a practice. The more we practice, the more we start to live from a place of awe. Each moment becomes fresh, full and absolutely beautiful.
And we see our shoes. The truth is out there, and right here.
If you want to practice, there are 1-2 spots left in the upcoming class starting next Tuesday,
Lots of love,
Madeleine
