Picture This
An on-the-go mindfulness exercise for the on-the-go mindful person.
Picture this:
It’s a warm, sunny day. Perched on the trees, small birds softly chirp at each other, breaking the monotony of the rustle of the leaves. The swaying trees sound like waves rolling on the shore, rhythmic and continuous.
The sky is blue, pure. Its air tastes almost pristine; you can’t wait to fill your lungs with it, so you breathe, slowly and with intention. With every exhale, the worries you carried inside bind to your breath and evaporate into the blue sky, floating up, up, up, then dissipating into the air.
White, fluffy clouds fly overhead, the kind that are so often compared to cotton. Some take on the shape of your favorite things; others form into your dreams and wishes. Look closely, and look without judgment. Up there, you’ll find answers to the questions that linger in your mind. These answers come from within you, for you alone are the one seeing those shapes and thoughts floating through the sky.
You could sit and watch those clouds all day; fortunately, the soft grass beneath your feet is the perfect place to do so. It is fresh, lush, and has the subtle, comforting scent of the outdoors. Here and there, vibrant flowers spring from the ground, blooming in your favorite colors. They are soft to the touch, and still live and sway even when plucked. They react to your presence, shifting the hue of their petals to best fit your mood. What color is your current state of mind?
As you reflect on it, you might notice that the color shifts and changes, making it hard to pinpoint. There is a very simple explanation for this phenomenon. You are not just influencing the flowers: the flowers, with their tranquility and their mirror of your feelings, are capable of influencing you, too. As you see and process your own color, you reassess it, and in turn ever so slightly adjust it to your liking, thus influencing your feelings in kind—biofeedback at its finest. Your thoughts continue to evolve through time, never ending, so the flowers continue to shift, and your perception of your state of mind continues to change. Engage in this back-and-forth with yourself long enough, and you will gain the ability to change your own color at will.
Change your color—change yourself—and this world in your mind’s eye will reply in kind. Take advantage, and play with it to your heart’s content. Add in a quaint jukebox with your favorite song, or beckon forth a dear pet. Sprout a tree the size of a building, or board a spaceship into the stars above. The time spent with yourself is yours to enjoy.
…
Ah, but soon enough the real world calls back to you. The birds, startled by reality’s call, cease their chirping and take sudden flight, pulling your attention away from your ephemeral world. The shifting flowers, the fluffy clouds, the blue sky… it all begins to fade into the nothingness of your consciousness, replaced by the sight of a screen with words before your eyes.
It’s time to get back to work. But remember: you can return to your world whenever you like. Now that you know the way, you can head there on your own—but if your mind’s eye needs a helping hand, you are always welcome to read this again.