13 December – Mindful Calendar: Taking a Moment to Marvel

Marvel at something today — a tree, an aeroplane in the sky. Does time slow down and put daily concerns into perspective?

Today’s mindful prompt invited us to pause and truly notice something around us. And London, in December, certainly did not disappoint.

The Chickpea Hub family headed into the city to take in the Christmas bustle, and our first mindful moment arrived sooner than expected. A huge Stranger Things Christmas tree at Waterloo stopped us in our tracks — bold, unexpected, and impossible to rush past.

From there, the city unfolded beautifully. Covent Garden was dressed to impress with magnificent oversized bells and bows — warm, bright and sparkly, and somehow even more magical as evening approached. The Christmas lights on Regent Street and Sloane Street were truly magical under the night sky, creating moments where time genuinely seemed to slow down.

Earlier in the month, one of our mindful exercises had been to watch a film — something I didn’t do particularly well. This time, instead of a movie, we swapped the sofa for the theatre and went to see The Mousetrap. I was completely transfixed by the action on stage and enjoyed every moment with full attention before stepping back out into the busy streets of London.

And busy they were. I don’t remember another time when I’ve seen the streets quite so full. We moved at a snail’s pace, occasionally hitting complete bottlenecks. One of the loveliest was outside Fortnum & Mason, its windows transformed into a glowing Christmas calendar of shimmering lights.

It had been a full-on Saturday. The morning started early with swimming and a football match. I had managed to prepare overnight oats, though I didn’t feel hungry to eat them until after swimming (I was thankfully just the taxi and spectator today, not the parent freezing on the side of the pitch). Before catching a train around 1pm, everyone grabbed a sourdough bagel — a late-morning pick-me-up before heading into the city.

Dinner was enjoyed at one of London’s wonderful Italian restaurants. I chose mushroom risotto with spinach, preceded by a selection of shared starters — calamari, tuna tartare, burrata, and tomato parmigiana. We’d been good all day and saved room for dessert, which we shared. And really, who can resist a tiramisu prepared at the table?

It was the perfect finish to a busy day — full of festive energy, good food, and moments where we truly paused, noticed, and marvelled.

Mindfulness doesn’t always arrive in stillness — sometimes it’s found in movement, shared meals, and taking the time to truly savour what nourishes us.