The Final Four

I couldn’t care less that the Final Four is in town. Not that I have anything against college basketball, it’s just that outside of baseball, I’m not much of a sports guy.

Aside from it being too crowded, which I don’t like, what I like about the Final Four being in town is some of the people who are here for the festivities. When I go downtown every day it’s because I have to go downtown and as a result I’m rushing to make lights, and I’m angry at the traffic, and when I walk outside to where I’m going I’m walking fast and generally with my head down, and when I’m walking in the skyways it’s pretty much the same only my head isn’t down. My behavior is the complete opposite of being mindful.

The out-of-towners are different. They’re relaxed. They stroll. They notice the buildings. They look around themselves. They look into shop windows. They pay attention to what they’re seeing. They’re absorbed in being in downtown Minneapolis and they’re embracing everything the city – or at least the part of it they’re in – has to offer. The very definition of Mindfulness.

In my defense I’m going to work and they’re on vacation but who’s keeping score.

So thank you Final Four visitors for reminding me to not take every workday, both the stressful ones and the mundane ones, for granted. And for reminding me just how special going – and being – downtown every day can be. I hope whichever team you’re pulling for wins.

“If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.” – Thich Nhat Hanh