Learned Mindfulness

Today, in the scorching D.C. heat, I sat outside at Nationals game for three hours. And they lost! But it was still a fun time, the seats were great on the first row of the first base line. And even though I am not a huge baseball fan, I always am entranced by the cheering of a stadium crowd. As I watched the star athletes hit, catch, pitch, and run, a thought ran through my head: They are acting mindfully. As I saw an outfielder manage a grounder, I saw him pause a second. He was debating whether to go for the more difficult out at second base--thus, eliminating someone closer to scoring position--or the easier out at first. He chose the easy out, because in this case, it wasn't worth the risk of getting the out at second base. But I saw that even in a game where a runner can get to a base in a matter of seconds, the player took his time. No doubt he wasn't born with an innate ability to think for a second before deciding which play to make. Professional athletes spend years and years training, and probably within that time they learn to take a moment before making plays. They learn to scan the field, see the whole picture, weigh risks, and then make decisions. From my understanding, that's mindfulness. And it's learned. Not overnight. But over years. I don't have years to plan my wedding, but I do have 11 months to learn to plan it mindfully. And years later to have a mindful marriage and life