buds

This month I am trying to get outside more than I have been. It’s been challenging for a long time to get out of the door, no matter where I am trying to head. I spoke with my therapist about how it feels easier to go out when I have a purpose – after all, I’ve managed to get to my writing group – but I don’t really feel any need to go out day-to-day.

I started to think about how I could give going outside a purpose for myself. My first thought was that I could gather some pebbles and walk to deposit one at the end of the road each day. I could see it working but I did think it would look a bit odd, and perhaps be hard to explain to neighbours.

Then my mind went to the magnolia tree that sits on the corner of my road. It has been growing its buds and I remember really enjoying its blooms during the Spring of 2020. I can recall going for a lovely walk on the Easter Sunday where we passed the tree and admired its glorious pinky-white blossoms. This memory inspired me. I knew that the tree was currently fairly bare but that there was more to look forward to.

So I set my goal: to walk down to the magnolia tree each day and just see how it was doing. It isn’t far to go and I don’t have to stay long, but just getting outside into the fresh air will benefit me and I will also enjoy watching the beautiful flowers open up.

I started that same day. I walked down the road to the tree in the sunshine. To start with I just looked at the tree, but I wanted to explore it even more. I walked up to it and most of the buds were covered in a sort of shell, hard and green. I touched the covers and they felt furry, almost like a peach. There were inner covers inside these which had less hair but were just as green. A small few flowers had parts of their covers peeling away and I let my fingers trace over them. The petals felt cold and fleshy. I turned around and walked back home.

I’ve created a chart where I can cross off if I’ve been to see the tree each day. I hope that that will help me to keep on track with doing this daily. I’m glad to have thought of this way of getting outside, and I am looking forward to seeing the flowers open up as spring moves on.

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Photos my own

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hello

Hi there! I’m Anna. It’s lovely to meet you.

I expect over the time I write this blog, you’ll come to know quite a bit about me, but I don’t want to start this off with who I am, or a history of my experiences of mindfulness, or a description of mindfulness itself.

Instead, I want to set myself a challenge. Hold me to this, please.

Every day for a month, I am going to practise mindfulness.

I’m not strict about how I do this. I can use something from a book – I’ve got several. I can listen to a podcast on my phone. I can listen to a practice from a mindfulness website or on Youtube. I can try some mindful movement, or mindful eating, or just approach tasks with a mindful attitude.

I’m not strict about where I do it. I can do it outside in nature, or on the bus, or in bed, or in the kitchen. I can do it in a very still place or surrounded by people and noise.

I’m not strict about when I do it. I can do it early on or late at night or in the middle of the day. I can plan it into my routine or slip it between things I already have going on.

The important thing is that I do it.

I might keep a record on here of how it goes, write something in-depth, or just note that I’ve completed my mindfulness practice for the day. I’m trying to approach this with a mindset of curiosity.

Who knows what I’ll discover works well for me?