Last fall, I slipped down some steps and ended up injuring my left foot. Again.

Why am I telling you this? Because at the time of my accident, I  was walking without mindfulness, trying to get a number of errands done efficiently before I then went home to get a number of household tasks done before my work week started. Instead of being efficient as I had hoped, my day was derailed by having to attend to a very painful injury. And not only was my day derailed, but the following eight weeks were compromised by the need for crutches and a boot, then just a boot, then slowly walking while wearing sneakers, then being able to transition back into regular shoes–still walking slowly.

I injured the same foot (although in a different way) three years ago, again due to not paying attention to what I was doing. It has been a painful and expensive lesson to re-learn. It is so easy to let my thoughts zip ahead to the next few things to do, ignoring where and what I’m doing in the moment. Mindfulness is not just an abstract concept, it is a profoundly useful lens through which we can view our worlds. And for me, it has been a reminder to SLOW DOWN.

Here’s to the power of mindfulness.