Are You Awake?

March 26, 2003

Each day is a gift. The war in the Gulf reminds me of this. The gift has been bestowed on me today, and will be again tomorrow. But in Iraq many soldiers and civilians have been denied it today, and more will be tomorrow.

Precious though this gift is, I often take it for granted. Sometimes it seems that I sleep-walk through life. I catch myself on automatic pilot, pursuing success tomorrow but barely noticing what's special in my life right here and now. 

I'm more awake than I used to be, though. That's thanks to Jon Kabat-Zinn, who heads the Stress Reduction Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His book Wherever You Go, There You Are helps me be more mindful.

Mindfulness is a form of meditation. A decade ago, I thought meditation meant sitting cross-legged contemplating my navel. This I had no desire to do. Not that there's anything wrong with my navel; as navels go, it's right up there with Tom Cruise's. But as for sitting cross-legged .... gimme a break!

Being mindful doesn't require that I sit cross-legged, or study my navel. It requires simply that I notice what's going on inside me: in my body, in my thoughts, in my feelings, in my spirit. It can be done sitting, or walking, or  even washing the dishes. The point is just to be fully present in the moment, fully awake.

I'm still not much good at being mindful. But I'm getting better. It helps me see more clearly - see where I've come from, where I am, where I want to go.

This is why, when I run seminars on life direction, I like to fold in some mindfulness time. It quietens the incessant flow of thoughts that afflicts so many professionals. Participants thus have a better chance of hearing the deeper, wiser parts of their being - the parts that know what really matters.

It's also relaxing. I was greeted on the second morning of a seminar by a hard-bitten business owner. He had acquired overnight a bloodshot eye; a capillary had burst. This had happened once before, he said, when he was on holiday with his wife and feeling very relaxed. He hesitated, then went on. The previous instance had occurred a few minutes after they had made love. "Mindfulness," he proclaimed happily, "is as good as sex."

I'm not sure about that. But it does help keep me awake. And I need to be awake to appreciate today as a gift.