Doing nothing for 30 minutes.

This is what I attempted to do. Its really, really hard. But my timing was right. The electric company is “upgrading” the electric system in the neighborhood and the power was shut off for several hours. Cellular still worked, but I managed to set aside my beloved pink Samsung.

Mindfulness . Its a big topic these days. The Dalai Lama is talking about it.This topic was recently featured on the TV show, 60 Minutes. It was entertaining to watch Anderson Cooper learn about it and also give it a try. He struggled, I related. It was especially cringing though to watch him eat dinner with others that were practicing it. Nobody was allowed to speak or interact. It made them chew very slowly. The camera lingered on the participants’ slow chewing motion. Supposedly, if we talk less and chew more slowly, we taste and appreciate our food more. I always thought food was supposed to be social and the best part about it was in the sharing of the moment others. Usually this entails a lot of talking.

Anyways, needless to say, I was supposed to be thinking about nothing and I was actually thinking about watching people on TV also trying to think about and say nothing.

Experts say we can boost our productivity if we take the time and allow ourselves this Mindful silence. Now, this is something to think about. As a person with multiple jobs, self-employed and in Harvard University Extension Graduate School, I think about my productivity all the time!

What I have actually learned is that in order to boost my productivity, I really need to stop thinking about it so much.

Another poignant thought poked out. I write about, work in and live for luxury. My version of luxury is defined as to how we can achieve it in everyday and real life. We all know that time is a luxury.

Mindfulness is my new life luxury.