"As Blake inhales a full breath of air, she takes in the scene for the last time."
Mindfulness is not something we practice on vacation, in church, or when we want to feel renewed. Mindfulness is the fuel in your engine that keeps you running, a time when you can stop the clock on your busy day, the compulsory breath of air that revives your beating heart. Just as we live, we come to mindfulness each day with aspirations for acute observation of our environment and self, a resilient fortress of non-reactivity, a present focus on our actions, the connectedness to feel and explain ourselves, and a respectful agency for not judging others. You have done so much and have such a pure heart; I implore you to be compassionate towards yourself. You have shown great empathy for the people of this city; you need to show the same empathy need to yourself. Let me help you with a practice!”
Mahant asks Blake to tell him each of her frustrations and feelings individually. When Blake reveals that she feels that she hasn’t done enough to help solve the water-quality problem, Mahant replies, “inadequacy.” When Blake tells him that she is worried about going to the next city and making the same mistake, Mahant labels it “trepidation and fear.” When Blake tells Mahant about the woman by the river and how she feels that she misrepresented researchers and wishes she could go back in time, Mahant summarizes, “pride and regret.” They go on for a while longer, identifying feelings of excitement for adventure, homesickness, lack of confidence, and appreciation for her gracious new friends, until Blake begins labeling her own emotions as they come up. Mahant explains that naming ambiguous feelings can help Blake move past them. After a while, Mahant leaves Blake with a hug, allowing her to say her final goodbyes to the Ganges.
As Blake inhales a full breath of air, she takes in the scene for the last time. She sees the same children playing in the river, a man bathing, and several women filling up water jugs. She notices her reflection in the water, seemingly different from the reflection that stared back at her three months ago. Sitting down to meditate, Blake runs her mind over her memories of Haridwar: walking in the market with Yamini, talking with locals at cricket games, attending church with Mahant, and planting reeds along the river with jovial volunteers. She considers her impact and how she was able to befriend and relate to the people, the success they had in raising awareness about contaminants in the water. Blake thinks about who she was at the start of the project, and how much she has learned in a short time. She’s proud of how often she kept up with meditation, how she adapted to obstacles, and how her mindfulness practice has grown.
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