Mindfulness and Date Night

Have you ever been in a situation where two things, that happen in two different parts of your life, come together? Well that happened to me yesterday.

 I attended a great Research Grand Rounds on the health benefits of mindfulness. Mindfulness is paying attention and 'being in the present' as opposed to mentally being in the future or the past. It was a fascinating lecture that describes how the mind and body act enconcert both for the patient and for the patient-doctor relationship.

Now skip forward six hours. I am sitting with my wife, talking over a glass of wine at a restaurant while on our Friday night date night. Yes, that is right; my wife and I have a standing Friday night date (as long as I am not on travel nor when we have other obligations). It is great.

 She said something about enjoying Friday nights because it allows us to just be with each other and have each others undivided attention and all of a sudden it hit me. This is mindfulness. I was living in the moment and was fully there with her. My mind was not thinking about the difficult week I had or what we had to get done this weekend. I was just enjoying the moment.

 Thanks to Dr. Mary Ann Dutton, professor of psychiatry at Georgetown, for introducing me to the concept of mindfulness and allowing me to recognize the enjoyment of being in the present. You never know what you will learn at Grand Rounds or how the knowledge will be applied in your life! 

Multidisciplinary Research Grand Rounds occur the 3rd Friday of every month and I try to go whenever possible.  It is open to everyone and the vast majority of attendees are not physicians or PhD's.  Its a great place to meet others at MHRI over lunch (noon-12:30) before the lecture.  I attached the schedule so you too can enjoy a chance to learn about something new each month. (at this time, it is at MWHC but will soon be web-broadcasted live).

 Mindfulness - give it a few moments thought.




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