Things To Do

I read an instagram post on Things More Important Than Having A Perfectly Clean House or Instagram Ready Life which included spending time in nature, even when there are 'things to do'. At that moment, the sun broke out from the clouds and the water in the bay looked incredible. That was my moment to drop everything that I was doing and get in that water.

Except I did n't. I went downstairs with the intension to go for a swim and before I knew it, I was hoovering. Then lunch was ready. Then it started really raining. Then my niece came up. And my window to swim had became lost in the 'things to do'.

Later, I talked myself out of going for that swim saying that it would be too cold now. I felt the familiar pull of regret, starting to ruminate on the days that I have n't dropped the 'things to do' while I am here and gone wild swimming. I can feel this pattern of thinking starting to creep out from today's timeline.I know this pattern and it will soon extend to cover my entire life, mistakes made, opportunities missed. Regret and self-loathing are very likely to have joined me.

Except that instead of falling into the pattern, I just observed. I saw images of the rather unfavourable mental journey that I was about to choose to embark on. And I stopped. I bloody well stopped. I reminded myself of a definition of mindfulness "knowing what's happening while it's happening without preference".

And I was back in this moment. I was gifted by the beautiful words by buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn coming into my head 'present moment, wonderful moment'. And the next morning, I was able to remember to drop the 'things to do' list and go for that swim. #presentmomentwonderfulmoment #mindfulnessisbadass #braveasfuck.