My appointment was running late so I set out for 5 minutes of mindful walking. It’s a crisp and grey day. First I noticed the trees. Some are completely barren. Others still have leaves. Then I noticed the sound of different birds. They were singing from the woods. Then I noticed a tiny bird, must’ve been a sparrow. So I stopped for a moment to notice the sparrow. Actually, I only noticed the sparrow when I stopped to notice the singing. In noticing the sparrow, another bird caught my attention. Then another. Suddenly there were sparrows and other birds of all shapes and sizes. And a squirrel digging a hole or collecting pine needles. As I turned my attention to the birds, the squirrel sneaked away. Then, as if on cue, a chipmunk came and took its place. For a moment I wondered if the chipmunk was going to try and sneak up on the sparrow that was bathing in a little puddle left over from the morning rain. Then I got a text message letting me know that my appointment was running late. And then another text message letting me know that the appointment would have to be rescheduled. “Sorry for making you wait” said the text message. I explained that it was really my pleasure because I’d ended up meditating in the woods. Walking back, there was so much to notice.

I set out