Mindfulness, which means being able to live in the moment, can be exhausting! Gurus of mindfulness insist that life can be richer and more meaningful if we pay conscious attention to what we are doing at all times, rather than surrendering to habit and routine.
I disagree. Heartily!
I believe that excessive mindfulness would make our lives come to a complete standstill. That it's more important to be selective about "being in the moment."
Habit and routine are essential to me, because I don't put much faith in my ability to remember things and to focus on tasks as special and new each day when they can otherwise be done by rote. For example, I set my clothes out the day before, put my employee ID badge in the same pocket of my briefcase every day, set my wallet on the same windowsill every night, keep my cell phone on the same counter all the time when I'm home, park in the same spot at the train station every day, make the same wide turn into my narrow driveway, eat essentially the same lunch every week day, follow the same motions when I clean the toilets at home, haul the trash to the curb along the same path, and delete email the same way every day.
Yes, that makes Carl a dull boy--but it also instills habits that prevent me from misplacing my wallet, cell phone, and keys while also preventing me from bumping into objects at the train station or clipping a bush in the corner of my driveway at the end of my commute. All because I don't have to think about--or be mindful of--what I am doing.
Also, I chop onions the same way and with the same motions every time, jack up the car and change oil the same way, peel carrots and potatoes using similar stroking actions, use the same potholders when handling hot bagel pans, and install windshield wiper blades the same way every time. All this to avoid the inevitable bruises and lacerations if I mindfully approached these mundane activities and tried to invent more creative and fulfilling ways to accomplish them. There would be no point, in my opinion.
Much of what we do every day is a repetition of what we did the day before. I would suggest that most of the most mundane tasks should be consigned to habit and reflex, because they are hardly enriching to the mind or body. The utility of habit can save us a lot of time and potential injury.
I would preserve "mindful" moments for when you're thinking big thoughts about the fate of mankind, when you're engaged in cross training to develop under-utilized muscles, when you're trying to move up several levels in a video game, when you're learning a new skill or honing an old one, mastering a musical instrument, watching a sunset or the gleam of adoration in your lover's eyes.
Save mindfulness for what really matters. Habits are for the dull but necessary chores of our lives.
