I’ve lived in Livingston Parish for the most of my life. Until recently, I deviated from your stereotypical Livingstonian resident in one major way- my aversion to the great outdoors. But last year, at the prompting of my family, I agreed to a fishing outing.
I decided to try my hand at fishing after having learned that some local park ponds had been stocked with rainbow trout. We headed to the park. It had been an unusually cold and rainy week in December. Our shoes squelched in the mud as we entered. Cold, mud, murky water- no thank you. The aversion levels were high but, for the sake of my family, I immersed myself fully into the experience. I even volunteered to bait my own hook! (The worm and I BOTH squirmed.)
It took a couple of tries but I was able to successfully cast into the water. My husband had warned me that fishing is a patience game…that it was very possible that we would leave the park empty-handed. I reminded myself of this as I stared at the cork intently…staring and waiting….staring and waiting…staring and BAM!!! I felt an abrupt pull on my fishing pole, my cork was submerged and it was ON! I reeled the fish in, delighted at my success. I had felt the thrill of the catch and I was hungry for more. For the next couple of hours, I continued the ritual. Cast, stare, wait. Cast, stare, catch. It was not long before I had reached the daily limit for trout and had to call it a day. I begged my husband to bring me back the next day.
As I reflected on my fishing adventure, I noticed something pretty remarkable. When I was fishing, not once did I think about the pile of laundry waiting for me at home, the unwashed dishes or the Christmas presents yet to be wrapped. I was fully in-tune with my senses- the sight of the cork and the feel of the rod. This, my friends, is called mindfulness.
Our minds have the unfortunate tendency to drift from the present moment. Sometimes this means we get caught up in the past, asking ourselves why? Or what might have been? Other times our minds race forward into the future, obsessing over potential outcomes and contingencies
Mindfulness is the opposite of this. Its giving special attention to what is happening in this very moment. What are you touching? Tasting? Smelling? Seeing? What are the thoughts that ping against the walls of your mind? What are the sensations that arise with each emotion?
Mindfulness is an incredible and powerful tool. When it comes to mindfulness, a little goes a long way. Honing the skills of mindfulness allows us to capture potentially upsetting thoughts, tweak them or even send them on their way. It can prompt us to notice encouraging and joyful thoughts and to learn to grasp them tightly. It can help us to recognize when the sensations of our emotions are forming while they are still small and manageable. Pretty amazing, right?
For this reason and more, fishing is still my jam. I still haven’t ventured further than worms as bait, and I primarily use a junior-sized fishing pole. But I’m on the bandwagon, guys!
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