Sometimes one just needs to switch off and focus on just the immediate needs. Like a wound that takes all your attention. One needs to shut out the world to avoid all else which seems like background noise. That focus is mindfulness. It is at a similar level to meditation.
Recently while waiting at the hospital, I realized people somehow continue their activities there also at times. You visit someone and while there, you utilize that time for a few "urgent" calls, check new messages and drop a few mails. It's required to continue in the pace of life which we have created for ourselves. Otherwise we get left behind or fall off the pace. It's almost like a norm.
But this changes sometimes. Maybe when it affects you or family or someone close directly. Or it could be someother circumstances. Sometimes one just needs to get off the life's treadmill. Sometime's it's enough to just watch close ones sleep peacefully, just observe breathing, realizing nothing else matters as much. I experienced this recently. There were gaps when I could have technically done stuff probably but the mind froze. The heart didn't want to. For a while I did not want those disturbances or distractions. No new sources of information from the outside world. No questions. No tasks. Nothing more than the daily life at that stage. A kind of inner withdrawl. Away from the outer frenzy. Multitasking has its limits. It's not always about time or physical energy but also about peace of mind. The mind's capacity at a particular time. Crisis takes it's toll and requires more from the mind to just process it and go on. One looks at the outside world for support but all else disolves away like a small island on its own.
This time my mind could handle no more than the daily tasks. And while waiting at the hospital, I just heard breathing and observed the colors of the painting. The shades, the details. Just living in those moments while the mind also stayed still. It found no need to wander towards anything else. It worked towards recuperating itself. And that, I believe, is mindfulness. Sometimes it is sudden, sometimes forced but if added as a practice, it may prove to be beneficial. The pause can be good in the long run as the race continues.
