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How do we cultivate mindfulness in a distracted world?
MINDFULNESS - 101
We used to climb trees and draw maps in the dirt,
Now we just scroll 'til our eyeballs both hurt.
We tap and we swipe ‘til the day disappears—
Feeding the beast we created from fears.
We used to take walks, play games without rules,
Our brains are all numb from those digital tools.
It’s not that we’re lazy or lacking in drive—
The apps were designed to eat us alive!
They beep and they buzz with a million alerts,
Each click is a hook in our brain (and it hurts!)
They told me to focus, to schedule, to track,
To train my attention and claw my mind back!
No screens in the bathroom, the kitchen, or bed…
I did everything that my therapist said.
I tried every trick, every tool, every hack,
But still I was stuck in that vapid feedback.
Then came the great day when I simply stepped back.
I locked up my phone, my iPad, my Mac.
I walked through the door and I felt myself sigh,
Trading scroll for my soul, this I couldn't deny.
I breathed in the trees and the cool morning air,
And guess what? My worries were not even there.
No likes, no alerts, no clickbait to dread,
Just me, and no thoughts making noise in my head.
I sat very still looking up at the sky.
The birds weren’t mad when I didn’t reply.