"Mindfulness" is being fully aware of where you are and what you are doing at the time. It's being focused fully on the task at hand, and all that it encompasses.

That means we aren't multi-tasking!

I try to do it all the time, as it really is the best way to live for me. It creates safety, a sense of calm, and gives me a purposeful view of life.

How? Safety... I need to be aware of where I am walking, how I am walking etc or driving as the case may be... if I misstep I can really injure myself and go into a pain flare. I can trip on a shag carpet...and if I'm not mindful of my going, I can even trip on a step that isn't there. (neuropathy does this.) It keeps me from bumping into walls in my haste, or from "near misses" when driving. It kept me from running over a police officer getting into his car just last week. (He was in the right hand lane and was obscured by a truck as I was changing lanes.)

Sense of calm... I can be at peace in what I am doing. Keeping other concerns from my mind while I am performing a task not only is a good focus, but shows me that I can do this task, and can complete it. It allows me to dispense with any anxiety over having to do a task, or other worry about it. It keeps me from worrying about future tasks not yet done.

Purposeful view of life... when I am focused on the here and now, I am not dwelling in the past, nor concerned over the future I don't know yet. It gives me a sense of capability because I can do what I am doing right then, I can live...in fact I AM living right then, and doing just fine. When I am not dwelling on the past, or the what if's or what might have beens, nor worried about what else is coming my way, or what will be expected of me, then I can be at peace. My life "right now" is good. Even now as I type this, see? Being mindful that I am ok. I'm sitting and typing a reply to try and share the good things about being mindful. I have my pain managed. I only need to finish my answer right now, and all is good.



Let me know if you wish to chat more on this.. .might be a good topic for a chat, what do you think?