Mindfulness is one of the many mainstream wellbeing trends that I sincerely hope sticks with a lot of people who explore elements of it to incorporate into their everyday lives. Whether it's discovering a new favourite self-help book, getting into the habit of taking 10 minutes out of your day to feel 'present', or just wearing a simple band of silver to remind you of a meaningful message, make Mindfulness part of your life this year.
They say that the gifts you'll come to cherish and remember for years to come are those that have some kind of meaning to them, and they're also often the unexpected ones which bring about the biggest smiles. A stranger complimenting you on your commute or a random act of kindness when you're having a bad day, it's that sort of thing.
The other day as I picked up some parcels from the post depot, I found a small black jiffy bag amongst them with my name and address neatly written on the front. There were no sender details on the back and inside was this MantraBand carefully wrapped in delicate tissue paper. With no accompanying note to suggest who had sent it or where it had come from, I assumed it may have been a PR gift of some kind, so I happily took it out of its packaging and popped it onto my wrist. I loved the message 'Enjoy The Journey', but didn't think much else of it.
That same evening, I received an email from an old friend who I haven't spoken to in a few years. It was such a pleasant surprise to hear from her after all this time, and she had sent the MantraBand after seeing it in a shop with that age-old popular rhetoric, 'I saw this and immediately thought of you'. I'll be honest here, tears were streaming from my eyes by this point because the 'Enjoy The Journey' message immediately became so much more than three words engraved onto a band of silver. It reminded me of one of the last times that we'd met and had a night out in a pub, just laughing and chatting about those deep, philosophical musings which occur between like-minded souls. For her to remember this as well, so vividly, well it just warmed my heart.
'Enjoy The Journey' was one of those musings that we often had, and it's always been something that I said I would get tattooed at some point, but never did (I still haven't plucked up the courage to get a tattoo of any kind so this bracelet is a happy alternative).
We get so wrapped up in the craziness that is this fast-paced, never switched off, modern day living, with our obsessive fixations on the future and how amazing our lives will be, if only we had this and if only this would happen etc, that we often forget to be present in the here and now.
We get so wrapped up in the craziness that is this fast-paced, never switched off, modern day living, with our obsessive fixations on the future and how amazing our lives will be, if only we had this and if only this would happen etc, that we often forget to be present in the here and now.
To me, 'Enjoy The Journey' sums up what we should all be striving for. Yes, it's fun and exciting to have ambitions and plan goals for the future, but it should be equally fun and exciting to appreciate what we have right now, and really enjoy everything that happens which leads up to fulfilling that ambition and achieving that personal goal.
So enjoy the here and now and wear your mantra, literally, on your sleeve, as a daily reminder. Be more present, be mindful and enjoy life now with your family, friends and loved ones. Don't take anything for granted and don't wish your life away because it's not Instagram-perfect. Enjoy the journey, your journey, because you only get one journey to live.
I'd like to dedicate this blogpost to Josephine :)
You can find your own MantraBand to gift to a friend at naturisimo.com
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