mindful actions

this post is written in all lowercase letters. this is done on purpose and not as an act of laziness. it is an act in mindfulness.

how many times have you performed an action without paying attention to it? did you do it well? did you finish what you started? were you present throughout?

buddhists have a saying: "when you wash dishes, wash dishes." it means, be present in what you are doing. work on not getting lost in thoughts such as "i don't like doing dishes," "i wish i was doing something else," etc. just do the dishes!

btw, i cannot tell you how many times i have had to go back and change capitalized words to just lowercase words; my fingers naturally gravitate to pressing the shift key whenever a capital letter is supposed to be typed. doing this post in lowercase text is forcing me to be mindful of the exercise i am involved in, mindful of the activity, mindful of the muscle memory i have developed over the years, mindful of bad habits i may have acquired.

some bloggers refuse to use capitalization. it is their way to push back against norms, against what is expected. more power to them. i think we need more disruptors in life.

and we can apply this mindfulness exercise to other areas of life. my yoga teacher, juliett, once challenged the class to try brushing their teeth with their non-dominant hand. this, she said, would help us become more mindful of the things we do, of how we do them, and what would happen if we had to change.

can you brush your teeth with your weaker hand? can you write legibly with your non-dominant hand?

are you mindful in other aspects of life, such as eating and breathing? do you chew each bite carefully and enjoy each flavor from your food, or do you rush through the meal just to get to the next task on your list?

do you pay attention to your breath? is it shallow or deep? slow or fast? into the belly or into the chest? do you inhale as much as you exhale?

do you ever pay attention to your heart as it beats in your chest?

are you fully mindful and aware when you walk? when you talk with someone? when you read a book, magazine, or web page? when you listen to a song, a podcast, a news report?

do you go out in nature? do you listen to the birds? do you hear the sound of your steps? do you feel the wind blow?

one of the benefits of contra dancing is that it helps each dancer become more aware of each movement. and when you get to the end of the line, sequences are repeated almost in a mirrored way as you come back. contra dancing is one of the most mindful forms of action i know of. not only do you need to be in the here and now so that you can be on time to the moves, you also gain a pleasurable sense of your body movement and space, and you get to sense the energy of all those you dance with. it is a miracle in mindfulness.

my page is now screaming with little red squiggly lines indicating my words are not properly capitalized. i am smiling at all the "red ink" knowing that the writing and typing was done mindfully that way.

may you always be aware.