Countdown to Christmas: 12/14/23 — “Practice Mindful Waiting”

This year my Countdown to Christmas is a nontraditional Advent Calendar centering (pun intended) on mindfulness.

On the front of each card is neat little picture, and on the back are the instructions for the short meditation.

Today, the 14th Day of Advent … PRACTICE MINDFUL WAITING.

Here are today’s instructions:

It could be a queue of Christmas shoppers, it could be a traffic jam on the way into town, it could be something completely unexpected; but at some point in the festive period you will be made to wait. Instead of seeing these enforced pauses as frustrating inconveniences, let’s use them to our advantage and treat them as little opportunities to exercise mindfulness.

For example, when you find yourself in a queue, resist the temptation to take out your phone. Instead, stop and notice your breathing, look around at where you are and what is going on. What do you see, hear, feel, smell? Notice the other people around you, hear the various noises of the daily bustle. Consider any current physical sensations, any emotions you are experiencing.

Look out for other pauses in general daily life in which to do this – a boiling kettle, a computer loading screen, a wait at the bus stop, etc.

Try to be in that moment and enjoy it rather than impatiently waiting for the moment to end. There’s a lot you can notice in a few seconds. Appreciate the mini-breaks life provides you.

This one is definitely a bit of a challenge in our too-busy world. But SO rewarding when we actually practice it.