I know an angel. A real one. Someone that has done amazing things in her life. She puts tiny bits in the ground and produces pounds of onions and garlics. She’s an artist creating original masterpieces, of which I own four. Once, long ago, she produced an entire human being. In her earlier life, she’s spent time protecting our country. She appeared on a sad day a few years back when I prayed to God for friends. Because of those things, some time ago, I chose her blog name to be Angel of the Aluminum Cloud. That will become important a little later in this story.
I’m lucky enough that she trusts me as a good wingman (or wing-person, if you must) for important trips to the Biggest Little City to the West. With a 30 minute drive, coming and going, Angel and I have shared our views on a variety of topics. Each time, our bond strengthens.
Last week, she invited me to visit another type of angel who was to share information about mindfulness. Please look at the picture above depicting the difference between a full mind and mindfulness. The visual explains a lot. When mindful, one takes time to get lost in the present moment. I’d taken my i-Pad and planned to wait until the appointment was over, but instead, was invited to come along for the ride. What a lovely experience it was.
For one hour, in the presence of two angels, I listened, while quietly reflecting, on how many ways mindfulness is a lovely place to rest. While listening, my mind floated back to 1972, when I was 16 and a junior in high school. My lovely teacher, Mrs. Rene Durbahn, knew how I detested PE. She was always trying new ways to help me find enjoyment.
Through her kindness, she led me through the best eight weeks of my year in her PE class. Yoga, Guided Imagery, Stress Release, and Mindfulness. In a tiny little country high school in the central valley of California, this beautiful teacher shared strategies that’ve helped me throughout my life. In present time, these angels were discussing the very topics that’ve helped me survive and thrive through grief. All this while beautiful Zen music played softly in the background.
I must admit, I was enjoying my own present moment when I was startled back to the present by new information. It turns out Angel of the Aluminum Cloud shared something I hadn’t known when I chose her name early on in this very blog. I had chosen her name because one of her amazing skills involved working on military aircraft. I searched for nick-names for such people and “Angel of the Aluminum Cloud” came up. It seemed to fit, so I chose it.
As it turns out, a portion of her training involved metallurgy focused on aluminum. That certainly got my attention. Out of the blue, I chose a name that was more appropriate than I could’ve known at the time.
Once, she did ask me how I came to that name.
Just a happy accident!
Mindfulness just might be something you’d enjoy. Here are some tips to try it.
Smile and feel the cause in your soul.
Pay attention to your breathing for five full minutes.
Spend time in the garden.
Enjoy a nature walk, unplugged.
Practice laziness (one of my personal favorites — in PJ’s)
Feed your soul with positive thoughts.
Walk barefoot to the mailbox while its snowing.
Turn your mind off and….
Just be.
Repeat, repeat, repeat.
That day was an unexpected joy on many levels. Although perhaps not so mindful to zoom back to gym class 1972, the memories reinforced practices that help me today to stay grounded in the present.
Whatever you choose to do today, take a moment to be in the moment. Think of three positive things in your life. Don’t take “No” for an answer, even if your brain is insisting there isn’t one positive thing, let alone three. (And, we all have those days). Give yourself a hug and practice some laziness while your at it.
Mindfulness. A great place to spend a little time.
More tomorrow.