I've been reflecting this week on the rich learning small children can offer us. They live their lives 100% invested in what they are doing in any particular moment, and seem to have a talent for switching from one thing to another very simply and easily. Whatever it is that catches their attention, they are there, complete, with all of their focus on it. When something else captivates them they wholeheartedly move on, leaving nothing behind. They are somehow complete, and whole, nothing divides them.
As we grow up, it seems that there are many demands on our attention and time, and it is easy to become divided, to be doing one thing while thinking about another, or to do several things at once. When this happens, the quality of our attention becomes diluted, we remember less, and we feel less. It's as if we are not really there somehow.
Mindfulness calls us to do one thing at once, to be wholehearted in our attention, and to give ourselves to what is in front of us. When we do this, there is so much more to sense, and a richer, more complete experience can unfold. I find that when I operate like this I not only feel better, but I am also more productive and a whole lot nicer to be around too.
Next time you notice yourself becoming conflicted or sense your attention dividing, bring all the curiosity and wonder of the child that you used to be to whatever needs your attention most in that moment. Wherever you go, there you are, if you can just be still long enough to notice yourself.
