Having a running commentary whilst driving

Somebody mentioned this and it reminded me of something we used to do in Gestalt, saying “At this moment I’m aware of…..” It was very useful in staying Present. I also remembered the research I did a long time ago with the British School of Motoring into the effect of stress and personality, correlated with passing or failing the driving test. It seemed that those people in my study who were introverted and predisposed to stress, and who were more careful and tended to try hard to get things right, were more likely to fail the test. I proposed that was because they became too stressed under examination and their performance in driving under test conditions was badly affected so they were failed. Whereas those who were extrovert and less prone to stress (usually young men) were more likely to pass the test because they just got on and performed. In conclusion I proposed that we should construct a different kind of driving test to enable the stressed people to perform more to their ability because the young men who were being passed were the ones who were having all the accidents soon after passing their test - they took greater risks and were more aggressive. In retrospect, I guess one thing I might have been saying, was that the introverts were Mindful, but in a self-conscious and self-protective way – so not properly Aware, and the others were Mindful just sufficiently for the self-promoting purpose of impressing the examiner and passing the test. Maybe this says that when we think about being Mindful for a ‘purpose’ we are not really being Mindful, or turning to face the reality of ‘What is’ – otherwise known as being ‘Choicelessly Aware”. The introverts were really focused on the fear of failing, in a self-protective way, and the extroverts were really focused on achieving success in a self-promoting way – both concerned primarily with the SELF. Anyway, to my way of thinking, safer driving equates to more Mindful driving, whatever the circumstances, and there are so many internal and external ways in which we can be distracted from really being present to what is actually happening as each moment unfolds when we drive. I like what Thich Nhat Hanh says we should do when getting into our car - Just sit there and before we even start up, breathe and say….”My car goes fast, I go fast!” A brilliant reminder!! And noticing all those missed and lost moments when we forget to be Mindful and then waking up to what has happened or could have happened, and the commentary and judging of the mind. Scary at times isn’t it? All this driving is a wonderful opportunity for remembering the Mindful Awareness which is available to all of us in everyday life.

Is People-Watching being Mindful?

I was recently asked the question:- ‘Is People-Watching’ being Mindful?' Well Yes, definitely it is, provided we’re watching the Mind as much as the people! Anything the mind is aware of is Mindfulness. So this people-watching would be an ideal opportunity to Notice and Remember to be Mindful of the Mind, partly because the mind can be so judgemental. As you know, we often make our minds up about someone based on first impressions of the way they look or sound. We can notice this tendency of the mind and anything that comes up such as changing feelings, thoughts and even physical reactions. There is plenty to notice when People–Mind–Watching!

Then there’s the other question:- ‘Frequent Mindful moments, or long periods of Mindfulness’ – which is ‘better’? When we think in terms of which is ‘better’ or ‘worse’, according to Mindfulness, we may not be accepting things just as they are. The fact to acknowledge is that you Notice you are constantly swept away by your thoughts. In Mindfulness, ‘nothing more to do here’ – just Noticing that the mind is swept away, is enough. Also, there’s the tendency we all have to want to be ‘soothed’. Wanting to hang on to a comforting thought is very natural. We can be Mindful of that too, as a thought to be aware and let go of. So in Mindfulness there’s always that letting go, and that sense of no effort. In this way, we don’t have to achieve anything, neither frequent moments of Mindfulness, nor long periods of Mindfulness. We learn that ‘What is, just is’. This is the Mindfulness of acceptance and being kind to self.

An everyday moment caught on camera

This is a moment of Everyday Mindfulness I caught today when walking back from town. I would never have seen it had my wife not spotted the leaf and pointed it out to me. How many other events in life do we walk right past without noticing? I wrote this poem about it, and you can see the video here. Mindful Leaf 

Caught on Camera Saved in Memory

Invisible filament

Suspending time for a moment

Small autumn leaf right there

Butterfly spinning dancing

Two metres from earth

Reaching to settle

Debating seasons gravity

Just hanging waiting showing

Caught on camera

Cars go by

People go by

Oblivious to the display

This one-off

Never to be repeated

Performance

Flying in the face of awareness

Just a leaf

For a moment caught on camera

Following your every move

Breath held

Blackbird calls to attention

Plays the tune

You flutter falter

Sliding out of shot

Easing loose

Gently falling

Joining friends on the ground

Uploaded preserved uplifting

Registered

Remembered

Replayed

Replanted

Never far from tree

Now I see

Thanks for showing me

Saved in memory

Colin Eveleigh