Hello and welcome.
Are you being distracted?
Then I'll begin.
I wanted to use the phrase are you paying attention and I'll begin but notice this was more apt.
More often than not we wait for stillness before we start,
For everything to settle,
For noises to abate,
For the mind to clear.
But this is the best time to begin when we are right in the middle of it all because we are distracted most of the time these days.
The phone pings,
The thoughts arise,
We worry and ruminate and before we know it we are swept away.
We didn't even notice where our mind went.
So instead of wrestling with distractions we can learn from them.
When the mind drifts as it will it's not a sign of failure,
That's a moment of realisation,
That's awareness.
I was gone,
Now I'm back.
So when you notice yourself daydreaming or grabbing your phone or worrying over things you can't control,
Don't beat yourself up,
Smile.
The noticing is the practice,
That's where mindfulness starts.
Are you being distracted?
Then I'll begin.
Because that's all we can do,
Begin again and again and again.
Presence isn't about having a still mind,
It's about remembering however many times your mind wanders you can come back to this moment,
No matter how many times you leave.
So the next time life pulls you away,
When the world screams at you and your mind spins,
Hear these words quietly in your heart.
Are you being distracted?
Then I'll begin.
And let that be your cue to return to the present moment,
To this breath,
To the here and now.
Because this right here is where the magic is.
