Hitting Baseballs, Finding Mindfulness

This weekend I had the opportunity to watch my husband and father-in-law catch up and play a little baseball together.  Obviously with only two people, they couldn’t play a real game, but playing catch, throwing for one another as the other hit baseballs provided them both with a fun, productive, and mindful way to spend time together. 


For these two, baseball is a way to connect, the something they always have in common, and an avenue for spending much-needed family time together, without the hassle of sitting around and talking.  (I say that primarily because my family and I love the sit around and talk model to family time.)  As they are both extremely active, this has never really been an option for either of them.

Alternating turns at bat, together they rounded the outskirts of the field to retrieve the hit balls.  This exercise, provided them with a few short bursts of talking time amongst the active ball time.  I could see how delighted the practice made them both and I picked up on how in tune they were with one another.  How many days/ evenings/ afternoons had they spent practicing/ playing/ going over drills together while Danny grew up?  The word is, they even had a batting cage that filled up much of their suburban backyard, instead of a pool, which had been the other option.
One thing was clear: They've loved baseball.  They've shared baseball.  And, as I saw that day, even years after Danny’s exit from organized baseball, they both still love it. 

Witnessing this mindful practice remind me of the ease of mindfulness in everyday life, once we open our minds and hearts to it.  If you have an activity you love, mindfulness is a common natural occurrence.  Just like that quote, “If you have a job you love, you never work a day in your life,” likewise, if you begin noticing how present you feel during activities you love, you’ll be able to recreate that feeling in other, less enjoyable activities. 
For example, you might be in your element gardening/ hiking/ reading/ cooking/ running, but once you get a hold of how your mind and body feel—losing track of time and existing in the present moment throughout—you can translate that into every other facet of your life.
Soon, your commute/ meeting/ cleaning the house/ doing laundry—whatever might not have made your “love” list—can become a mindful activity.  If you simply open yourself up to the idea, you can teach your mind to be present throughout your day and squeeze more joy and presence out of your time and each day.

In which activities do you lost yourself in mindfulness?

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