The Rope Swing

Mindfulness and Human Flourishing

My daughter is swinging on a rope swing. Giggles fill the air. She stops for a second and yells: “ I just saw a butterfly!” A few moments later, she falls from the swing, stands up, and yells: “ I am OK!” She is giving me a thumbs up. I wish I were more like her, just enjoying the simplicity of a rope swing, climbing up trees, and scraping her knees. She finds joy in the simple things, a popsicle, a stick she found in the yard, a pinecone she picked up while on a walk.

Photo by Ben Grayland on Unsplash

I, on the other hand, have an existential crisis every night before I go to bed. It feels like the brain only has the capacity to worry about the future or entering to a downwards spiral remembering the past. Perhaps, this is what happens when we grow old. Our existence gets pressed between the past and the future, making it difficult to enjoy the present moment. I wonder: have humans ever had the capacity to stay rooted in the here and now?

The question of mindfulness, of being fully present, seems important. It is recurring theme that I’ve heard from different people over the last few weeks. People want to be present. They want to experience the freedom of being in the here and now. I have no data to back this up, but it seems as if one of the ways in which the current system dehumanizes us is by keeping our brains and souls away from the present moment. There is a constant search for what is next, the next step in the corporate ladder, the next phone, the next reel, whatever it takes our minds from today.

I’ve recently started to practice mindfulness, to be fully present where I am at any given time. It is hard. I am constantly wanting to know what is next. My body feels uneasy with the uncertainty of the future. Yet moments like the one I mentioned above take some of that anxiety away. Sitting outside, watching my daughter swing and giggle relaxes my heart. It grounds me.

This is, of course, my struggle within the privileged life I experience these days. I am well fed—maybe a little bit too much. My family has a roof over their heads. We have a community that supports us, a strong safety net. And we are able to move through life with with just enough freedom and tranquility.

Now, I wonder if the rope swing is a metaphor for what it means to flourish. My daughter’s existence is not pressed by the past nor the future. It is just her on the swing. Her brain is not in survival mode. She knows that her dad is close by, and that allows her to explore the world, take some risks, and make her own choices as a four-year-old. Perhaps, human flourishing is to be able to give our mind, body, and soul enough rest to remember the past without resentment and to not be pressed by the anxiety and uncertainty of the future.

Have you had a rope swing experience lately, a moment where you didn’t feel pressed, constricted between the past and the present? If so, just like me, you may have had the privilege of experiencing a glimpse of what flourishing is.