The roosters announced the arrival of the first rays of sunlight. The sun, still hiding behind the hills waited for the earth to turn, and experience daylight.
Petals dripping in dew greeted onlookers a spirited day ahead.
Bright and early, I got out of the dormitory and savoured the sunrise.
I looked around to find out if my friends had woken up or not.
Some friends were practising Yoga, some sitting by the garden, enjoying the moment in stillness. It seemed like a deeply immersive start to the gift of new day.

As I walked around, I found my friend Alice brushing her hair, transitioning slowly to wakefulness.
I walked on and went to the kitchen to help cook breakfast. Soon, Alice walked down the stone stairway into the open kitchen.
She looked at me briefly and said
‘Good morning!’
I nodded smilingly and continued with my work.
She washed her face under a tap to freshen up.

Soon I heard her voice again from nearby.

‘I don’t think that was the most mindful good morning I could offer Sreenath.
I wish you a very good morning’ she shared as she looked into my eyes with an open heart.

That gesture made me bloom like a flower in springtime.

As she was walking away I called her out,

‘Alice!’
‘It’s wonderful to be mindful of your own un-mindfulness.
And even better so to improve upon your un-mindfulness so quickly.
Thanks for your mindful behavior!’
‘You made my morning !’
I shared lovingly.

She walked off with a smile, and we continued on with our day’s work with the pursuit of being mindful in all our actions.

This interaction made me wonder about how we are used to giving ourself an unending grace period to correct our mistakes. It even needn’t be a mistake, it could just be an action that could be done better, in a more mindful way.

For instance, a person might not have been the kindest to a friend. He keeps thinking that he would acknowledge his mistake and apologize soon but that never happens. And with time it becomes easier to forget, harder to confront.
It doesn’t help the relationship in any way.

It can be something even simpler than this. We have all experienced that interaction where we forget the name of the person we’re talking to but we still navigate our way out of the conversation without simply asking them their name once more. Wouldn’t it be a more meaningful conversation if we accepted our un-mindfulness and asked for their name again?

In all our daily interactions, there is always scope to be more mindful. If we acknowledge this and resolve to better ourselves the moment we find an opportunity, we will definitely create a more loving and mindful energy around us.

On that note,
In sincere hope
I wish you a series of mindfully led moments,
As they culminate into days,
And eventually
Into a mindfully led lifetime.