Mindfulness

My dog died on October 13.  I've had a lot of time to think this week about what she meant to me--and why she made us so happy.  I think I've figured it out, to a point.  Lucy lived in the moment, and took us there with her. She helped to teach me about mindfulness.  Odd that an animal who is supposedly "dumb" can be so smart.  According to Uwe Herwig, "Meditation techniques that enhance mindfulness--purposeful, attentive and nonjudgmental awareness of the moment...[can help to] buffer emotional responses [and keep us calm]." The key word for me is "nonjudgmental." To live in the moment is to accept it for what it is, just as it is.  I tend to overthink EVERYTHING.  I think many of us want to be happy, as if happiness is something we can possess like a material object.  It doesn't happen that way, at least for me.  One day this summer, I was out hanging out the laundry and it just hit me--I'm happy! Why would I be happy hanging out laundry, for goodness sakes.  What made me happy was the very thing that Herwig speaks of--I was just in the moment, or as I've also heard it described--in the flow.  The same thing has happened when I am writing music, or playing my guitar, or watching my dog play in the snow.  Mindfulness is not encouraged in our culture because we are constantly bombarded with media--we hardly ever have a minute to ourselves, just to BE.  If, as Herwig and her experts say, that "self-image is a product of our brain," being mindful and calm in each moment can give us a more "realistic" view of ourselves and contribute to our overall sense of happiness.