A few days ago I was sitting on my soft, camel-colored chair in my usual morning trance, drinking coffee and absorbed in reading or playing a game on the iPad. Suddenly I was fully present; it was like a light came on or a window opened and I could see clearly (now!). I was at ease, so it was a very pleasant feeling.
One of the fruits of practicing meditation and mindfulness (including a willingness to be open to mindfulness of the unpleasant) is that I’ve learned how to soak myself in a pleasant Moments of Mindfulness such as this one, noticing all my senses, including the quality of mind, taking in the experience, until, like all things, it faded and passed away.
Each time we are able to be fully present to a positive or skillful experience, we deepen the neural networks that support this type of experience, making it more likely to happen again. And indeed, I’ve noticed that I’ve been a little more alert, a little more aware the last few mornings.
It was fun to come up with this acronym, seeing that each MOM is the parent to more such moments, and to find photos that illustrate what I’m writing about.
May you too give birth to many MOMs!