{"id":1447,"date":"2012-11-22T15:40:15","date_gmt":"2012-11-22T23:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mixhart.ca\/blog\/?p=1447"},"modified":"2012-11-22T15:51:23","modified_gmt":"2012-11-22T23:51:23","slug":"every-now-and-then-a-little-laughter-must-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mixhart.ca\/index.php\/every-now-and-then-a-little-laughter-must-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Now and Then, A Little Laughter Must Fall…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>MIndfulness can sneak up on you and surprise you, just when you think your mind is a total mind-mess.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This morning, on my early morning run ( I run on a path through wilderness, on the mountain behind my home, with my dogs),\u00a0I suddenly found my chest bursting with hope and beauty<\/strong>. The sun rise, peaking over the mountain ahead of me, lit the sky in tangerine, turquoise, rose and Chartreuse streaks. It was the most beautiful site. Had I not stopped my mind, paused and breathed, I’d have run right home, having missed the thrill of hope that filled my being for a fleeting moment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Often, mindfulness saves me for completely different reasons.<\/strong> I volunteer at an art gallery. My tour partner and I guide school children through the exhibits and teach an art activity at the end of the tour. On a recent tour, we had the class of children sitting on the floor, discussing sculpture. Particularly, how some sculptures tell a story. “Does anyone remember when they’ve been told a story by someone? Perhaps a grandparent<\/em>?” The children were asked. There were a few shy nods and then quiet. It was a class of quiet, very well-behaved children.<\/strong> \u00a0And then, suddenly, one special needs child, about aged 12, put up a hand. The student wanted to share a story. In all earnestness, the child, quite seriously, said: “When I was a baby, I had to go to the hospital because I had poop stuck in my bum.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Well, that did it. It was, so simply, not what anyone expected to hear in the quiet, serious art gallery setting.<\/strong> And me? It struck me as so funny, I had to bite my lip and look at the floor. That wasn’t enough though, I was on the verge of full on giddiness<\/strong>. What to do with a class of children, parents, teachers and gallery workers surrounding me? I cleared my mind, instantly, using meditation techniques I’ve practiced for years. I \u00a0swept all thought from my mind and allowed none into it until well after the children’s faces no longer held residual smiles. Saved by mindfulness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MIndfulness can sneak up on you and surprise you, just when you think your mind is a total mind-mess. This morning, on my early morning run ( I run on a path through wilderness, on the mountain behind my home, … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"kt_blocks_editor_width":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[121,1],"tags":[1373,163,3114,3110],"class_list":["post-1447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mindfulness","category-uncategorized","tag-funny-things-kids-say","tag-mindful-practices","tag-mindfulness","tag-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t