One would not think that a mundane task such as gathering cow dung could turn into a zen moment.
How often have you been somewhere and never really been there? Many of us allow our days to often pass us by while our minds are elsewhere.
To be living in the moment — is to be full of the mind of NOW. To exercise the NOW is to be aware of your actions and thoughts, and what your senses bring in, in your every day routine.
Lose yourself in what ever task you have ahead of you and soon the world will disappear. You become the world.
and in that state of zen is how my story begins today.
I rolled my little blue wheel barrow out onto the pasture, the warm spring breeze whispered through my hair and the cows grazed about peacefully.
I could feel the heat inside my rubber boots and the noon sun overhead, I praised the peace in my soul and blessed the task before me. Preparing for the future by living in the now, how amazing is that? The beautiful cow manure will soon be life giving fertilizer for the fruit trees, flowers and vegetables in my garden.
As engrossed as I was in my task, I caught a movement in the grass. With my wheelbarrow almost full, I stopped to explore the movement and as busy as I was shoveling cow poop into my wheelbarrow two little dung beetles were busy rolling there little cow poop ball across the pasture.
In that moment I realized the dung beetle and I had a lot in common: we were out in nature, we were working with cow poop, our work was our life, life is our play.
Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we simply stay lost in the wanderings of our minds.
Mindfulness is like a mirror that simply reflects whatever comes before it. It serves us in the humblest ways, keeping us connected to the present moment.
I have found that it is not easy to practice this ‘being in the moment thing’, yet what I have discovered is that mindfulness allows us to see clearly what is happening in the moment, and wisdom can direct our choices and actions which allows us to experience life at a deeper level.
I’ve had a wonderful time with my dung beetle friends. Being in the moment in this space and time.
Dung beetle Facts: These insects play very important role in the nature because they recycle waste material and accelerate circulation of the nutrients in the food chains. Other than that, they prevent spreading of the diseases by eliminating feces which attracts different types of pests. Finally, they improve spreading of the seed and thus play vital role in the reforestation of the Earth. Average lifespan of dung beetles is 3 to 5 years, depending on the species.
