Perhaps it is even more difficult to act with mindfulness when there is nothing that HAS to be done. It seems almost a relief, now to have tasks that have to be done at or by a certain time: mow the grass before it rains, meet the student at 2:00 pm stack the wood before tomorrow.
Our minds can so easy be like puppies: cute but distracted, chasing from one thing to another. Sit, mind, Sit!
And mindfulness is not merely about "organizing" or "managing" your time, as in the incredible number of books written, or consultants paid to consult, on the the subject. Yes, it is about determining priorities, paying attention to what is important. Ah: what is truly important? I want to go much deeper, beyond what is to be done, or what I intend to do. How do I want to be?
Some Buddhist teachers use the term "recollection" in place of "mindfulness." "Reaching samadhi, or stillness of mind, is only possible with proper recollection." This sentence is from a chapter by Bhikku Mangalo in the book Entering the Stream. The discussion that follows is about the practice of recollection, an indispensable practice; and yes, it involves breathing exercises and letting go of distractions.
And what do you think of this line, which challenges a very big assumption for many in the Christian tradition of faith and belief: "Above all the mind must be starting to turn away from the old patterns, which is the true meaning 'repentence' - metanoia." (the original Greek term).
I digress.
Sit, mind, Sit. "Bring the mind home," in the words of another teacher, Sogyal Rinpoche.
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