1 December — A Five-Minute Mindful Pause by the Window

Last year, I introduced a mindfulness Christmas calendar at work — a simple daily prompt to help us slow down during the busiest month of the year. Ironically, I was so busy that I didn’t even have time to read the cards, let alone complete the mindful activities myself.

So this year, I’m giving it a proper go. No pressure, no striving — just small pockets of presence. And I’ll share as many reflections as I can throughout December.

Today’s prompt was a gentle one: take five minutes to look out of the window and simply notice.

My eyes first landed on the crab apple tree and the Acer. Their leaves were trembling lightly in the breeze, almost as if they were shivering from the cold… or perhaps with the last remnants of autumn energy they were still holding onto. There was something soft and almost vulnerable in that movement — a quiet reminder of seasonal transition.

Then I noticed my Viola Cornuta, one of my favourite edible plants. It looked a little tired, with only five bright yellow blossoms still hanging on. Those tiny flowers have brought me so much pleasure this year — especially scattered over my fish tortillas, which ended up on my website as one of my favourite dishes. They’re full of colour, flavour and texture, and packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients… and the violas were always the perfect joyful finishing touch.

And then something less poetic caught my attention: the watering can was still blocking the hedgehog hole. I’d put it there months ago to stop one of the smaller dogs I was looking after from squeezing through and escaping — and somehow, it stayed. A small but gentle nudge that mindfulness also means noticing what needs adjusting in our everyday surroundings.

Even on 1 December, when the garden looks tired and half-asleep, there is still so much to see. Five quiet minutes reminded me that nature — and life — never stops offering something worth noticing.