I spent my time driving to and from Ma's place today listening to the On Being podcast episode about the "Science of Mindlessness and Mindfulness", which reiterated that actively noticing things can help keep one in the present and increase happiness.
I thought about how writing daily--or at least attempting to--as well as trying to spend more time observing my environment or finding new things to appreciate, has helped me feel happier. On my bike rides to work lately, I have tried to pay attention to houses I never really saw before, or enjoy the choral sounds of birds tweeting in the trees near where Boy lives, or compare which people I see one morning from the previous day or to the next. And although it takes an effort (it is much easier to get lost in a thought), those moments of really being in the present help ground me, and remind me to appreciate all the things that make up that experience.
Ellen Langer, who was interviewed in the aforementioned podcast because of her extensive and prescient research on the topic of mindfulness, asks listeners to go to a friend or partner and try to notice five new things about them.
It shows how uncurious and accepting I am that for all the years I have driven Argentina, I only just learned today that she has a button by the front door to open the trunk. All these years, I thought I had to turn the engine off to open it. Today, to avoid being stuck in an alley (since my car hasn't been reliably starting), I looked around and happened upon the magical button. I don't think anyone in my family knew about it either!
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