ABSTRACT
Being fully present to anything, whether it’s people, art, music, mathematics, or oneself, requires stopping first. Once Ann, an experienced Sidwell teacher, and I were leaving a first meeting for new teachers where I’d cautioned them to monitor the number of extra duty assignments they took on. From my experience, I’d told them, the first year of teaching at Sidwell Friends had a steep learning curve. Ann remarked to me that even without taking on any extra responsibilities, life at school was already too full. I agreed and made a suggestion which I hoped might be helpful to both of us. “Every time we see each other this year, no matter where we are and what we’re doing, let’s stop, smile to each other, and breathe slowly in and out three times.” Ann was not a meditator and wasn’t familiar with mindfulness practice. Still, this idea appealed to her. We honored our agreement for the entire year. Stopping and smiling helped us both be more present to the sacred work of teaching. Eventually Ann became curious about how the idea of doing this practice had come to me. I told her about my mindfulness experience and about using bells of mindfulness as invitations to stop and come back to the present moment during retreats—any kinds of bells, including telephone bells and clock chimes. “We’re human bells of mindfulness for each other,” I told her. Ann connected with this. She began to explore, attending days of mindfulness and mindfulness retreats by herself and with family members.
