Living the present with Mindfulness

The Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says in today's Times of India that we need to live and do everything, in the present with mindfulness. Another quote of his is "I am made of so many non-me elements - my parents, the food I eat, the education I received, knowledge gained from others. Take away all the 'non-me', and there is no 'me' left." 

How do I live with mindfulness?

• While eating food, i am thinking about the next meeting or my to do list at office.
  
• While attending a meeting, I am simultaneously checking and clearing my email.
• I give a commitment to someone or agree to do something by some date, and don't jot it down in my diary and realise my folly, when I get a reminder.
• While driving, the eyes frequently start reading the big colorful hoardings, instead of watching the road ahead.
• Biscuits arrive in a meeting, and I do not even realise it, but one or more of them are inside the mouth.
• While talking on the phone, in the office, the voice suddenly goes high, without realising that others are also working and may get disturbed.

There are innumerable examples, almost every minute of the day I live. Is it really possible to live "Mindfully" in the present world, when the world inside and the world outside is screaming for attention and are fertile grounds for all kinds of distractions? 

The answer may lie in perhaps dedicating some event of the day, or some time of the day, when whatever I am doing, I would do with mindfulness. So my first such dedicated event is going to be having navratra lunch today, with my family at the Govinda restaurant in ISKCON temple in Delhi. I look forward to sharing this experience with you, today evening.

Till then..... happy Birthday to Mahatma Gandhi.