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The Importance of Being Mindful
In a world that is constantly moving and changing, it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle and forget what is truly important. That is why it is so important to be mindful—to be aware of your thoughts, your feelings, and your surroundings. When you are mindful, you are able to appreciate the world around you and the people in it. You are also better able to make decisions, both big and small.
To help illustrate the importance of being mindful, I want to share with you a poem by Mary Oliver called “Mindful.” This poem is about a woman who spends her days rushing around and never takes the time to truly appreciate her life. But one day, she decides to slow down and take a walk in the woods. As she walks, she begins to notice all of the small details that she had been missing before. The poem ends with the woman realizing that she has been given the gift of life—and that it is up to her to make the most of it.
“Mindful” by Mary Oliver
One day I decided I would walk out into the world
and see what was there for me to see.
So I put on my coat and my hat
and I went out the door into the cold bright day.
I walked for miles, until I came to the edge of a wood,
and there I sat down on a log
and looked out at the field before me covered in snow.
And as I sat there looking,
I began to notice all of the things I had never seen before—
the way the sun shone through the trees,
the way the snow sparkled in the light,
the way a bird flew overhead.
I sat there for a long time, until finally I realized
that this was the gift of life—
to be able to see all of these things
that I had been too busy to notice before.
And from then on, I made sure to take time each day
to slow down and be mindful of all the beauty around me.
The moral of this story is that it is so important to slow down and appreciate all that life has to offer—both big and small moments alike. If we do not take time to be mindful, we will miss out on so much of what makes life beautiful. So take a walk outside today and really pay attention to everything around you. You might just be surprised by what you discover. Thanks for reading!
What is the poem mindful by Mary Oliver about? Mindful is one of Mary Oliver’s most popular modern poems and focuses on the wonder of everyday natural things. The reader is invited in to share the delight the speaker finds simply by being alive and perceptive.
What is the best Mary Oliver poem? “The Journey,” a free-verse poem, is one of Oliver’s best-known ones.
How do you write a mindfulness poem?
What type of poetry is Mary Oliver? Known for its clear and poignant observations and evocative use of the natural world, Oliver’s poetry is firmly rooted in place and the Romantic nature tradition. Her work received early critical attention; American Primitive (1983), her fifth book, won the Pulitzer Prize.