Good morning.
It's Saturday, November twenty-eighth.
The holiday rush has eased a little.
The house might still smell like pie.
Let's use six minutes to just notice.
No fixing anything.
Just paying attention.
Start with sound.
What can you hear right now?
The rain, maybe.
Tapping on the roof.
Maybe the furnace humming.
Or a neighbor's dog, a few yards over.
Just hear them.
No need to name them all.
Now notice the light.
Even with your eyes closed...
you can tell bright from dim.
Now your seat.
Feel where your body meets the chair.
Or the bed.
The weight of you.
Resting there.
Now let's follow one breath.
From the very start to the very end.
Wait for the next one to begin.
Don't force it.
There.
Feel the cool air at your nose.
Follow it down.
Your chest lifts.
Your belly rounds.
Notice the tiny pause at the top.
Now the out-breath.
Warmer than it came in.
Follow it all the way out.
Until there's nothing left to follow.
That was one full breath.
Maybe the first one you really noticed today.
Let's follow another.
In...
And out...
If you lost it halfway through...
that's normal.
Just start with the next one.
Now picture yourself on a front porch.
Looking out at a quiet street.
It's Rain early.
dripping off the gutter.
Every so often, a car goes by.
Slowly.
Headlights on in the gray.
Those cars are your thoughts.
Here comes one now.
Maybe it's the leftovers.
do What to with all that turkey.
Watch it drive by.
You don't have to flag it down.
You don't have in.
to get
There it goes.
Around the corner.
Here's another one.
Something about work on Monday.
Let it pass.
Wipers going, then gone.
Sometimes you'll notice...
you've already climbed in.
You're halfway across town.
Planning a whole conversation.
That happens to everyone.
It's okay.
When you notice...
just step back out.
Back onto the porch.
That moment of noticing...
that's mindfulness.
Right there.
Stay on the porch a while.
Watching cars come and go.
Some big and loud.
Some barely there.
You don't need to follow any of them.
Most of our day happens in those cars.
Driving around in our heads.
It's nice to know the porch is there.
It's always a few steps away.
Two lines to keep on the porch.
I can notice without getting pulled in.
This moment is enough to pay attention to.
Just rest in noticing now.
Rain.
Breath.
The street is mostly empty.
A car now and then.
You're just here.
Awake to it.
Nothing more is needed.
Step off the porch now.
Notice your seat again.
The rain, still falling.
Flex your hands.
Roll your ankles in slow circles.
One aware breath in...
And out.
Here's your one thing for today.
Wash the dishes with full attention.
Feel the warm water on your hands.
The slick of the soap.
Hear the plates clink in the rack.
No podcast.
No TV in the background.
When your mind drives off...
come back to the sink.
Open your eyes when you're ready.
Enjoy your Saturday.