My Latest Wake-Up Call and Its Consequences — An Unexpected Mess

I thought I was a mindful soul — apparently not.

Photo by OSPAN ALI on Unsplash

I was being a “good wife” and pouring a soda into my husband’s 24-ounce glass when in my haste, I knocked it over. To make matters worse, I hurriedly tried to grab the drink in an attempt to avoid a mess and hit the one-liter plastic bottle of sticky icky soda, and it too tumbled over! That’s a heck of a lot of soda.

I now had a mess on my already full hands. The flood spread like a tsunami over the countertop, gushing over the stovetop and cascading down the side of the island onto my somewhat clean floor.

After I tended to this sloppy muck, I questioned why and how did this happen? 

The answer was immediate — my mind was not on the action I was taking. My mind was barely involved at all — it was wondering what I would write about next.

The spillage gave me something to write about, but the main point is — I was not present in the action of pouring the soda.

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I usually pride myself on my morning meditation. And my walks in nature with my dog — usually noticing my beautiful surroundings and attempting to stay mindful of each moment.

Wake-up call. I certainly needed one. 

I already know that mindfulness is the act of being aware in every moment of what I’m doing and feeling. I wasn’t mindful of what I was doing, or the mishap wouldn’t have occurred.

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The Mayo Clinic advises practicing these four mindfulness exercises:

• Pay attention. 
• Make the familiar new again.
• Focus on your breathing.
• Awaken your senses.

These exercises will help reduce stress and anxiety. Our mood will improve. And most importantly, for me, less negative thinking and distraction.

What about you? Do you find yourself doing one thing yet thinking about something entirely unrelated to the action at hand? Be careful — or you may have a mess on your hands, too.

Distraction was present while pouring the soda and thinking of my next article. If I had given my full attention to the act of filling my husband’s glass, I wouldn’t have had the mess to clean up.

Then again, I wouldn’t be writing this article and learning the value of “short-form” writing.