In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Singin’ in the Rain.”

My favorite time of the day is walking my dog in the afternoon, after all of the stresses of the day have passed.  Walking the dog, out in nature, just concentrating on the now around us.  The beauty of the seasons, the different colors of the leaves.

The funniest pumpkins I’ve ever seen!

I love walking around the neighborhood, taking pictures of nature or pumpkins these afternoons, feeling the nice warm air flow around us, pausing to comment to the neighbors outside their houses doing yard work.

Practicing mindfulness: Observing the landscape, feeling the wind on the back of your neck, appreciating the landscape around us.  I love smiling contentedly about absolutely nothing, especially when my cute little Chazzy has more energy and wants to go on a long walk in the other nearby neighborhoods.   We would walk through the multi-colored leaves, as I just notice the beautiful landscape, and what I am currently doing; enjoying the present moment.

That is my favorite time of day, allowing oneself the clarity of mind to pay attention to  what is going on around us.  I find this very helpful to reduce stress.  A counselor that I have previously seen while I was going through an extremely stressful time in my life, has helped me to learn about mindfulness, even suggesting a few books for me to read to further my knowledge on the subject.

Accidents or pressures at work/home can lead to much stress, (especially to those with a brain injury) but I have found mindfulness and other forms of meditation to do an excellent job in helping to ease those feelings.  Realizing where you are physically in the world, observing the sounds, and feelings around you bring your mind back to the present.  Sometimes all you have to do is observe nature in the world around you and breathe.

**My dog does not like to go out in the rain, much less sing about it.

#NaBloPoMo