Mindfulness for the Time Being

    By living through this historic, unprecedented time, people around the world may be depending on stress management and coping mechanisms to strengthen their wellbeing.  With this comes the importance of mindfulness, which is the act of appreciating the very moment in which one is living, and appreciating one's groundedness in this moment, as well.  Kaye touches on the idea of mindfulness occasionally throughout the second half of Date & Time, which serves to address that time doesn't need to be expressed and perceived linearly.

    Mindfulness is often practiced through meditation, and the poem "The Appreciation Meditation" suggests the skill of mindfulness by expressing gratitude for the minute, momentary details of one's life.  For instance, Kaye admires a mosquito; although typically, people dread mosquitos for the discomfort of itchiness they cause, he calls this mosquito a "lover / leaving her kiss on my body for days to come" (68).  He views this event positively rather than dreadfully, and offering mindfulness in response to the mosquito.  In addition, when he thanks the earth for accepting him "if no one else / is waiting to hold [his] body again," he demonstrates groundedness in that he recognizes his place in time and space, in any particular moment on earth.  His feet always touch the earth, which connects him emotionally to his place in time, on earth, which he considers a relationship.

With mindfulness comes an appreciation for little moments and stories in time, which have an effect on one's relationship with time and one's comfort in space and time.  In "Summer / New York City," for example, Kaye makes note not only of his surroundings, but also of his place in these surroundings, as a time being and not as a passive subject.  Through mindfulness and his feeling of groundedness in the setting of New York City on that summer day, he finds his connection to the moment.  Specifically, he studies the moment of "5:46 a.m. on the Lower East Side" (86), and recalls that he was walking across Manhattan as the summer sun "lights [his] face & the empty street / bellows / I remember you" (87).  This feeling of warmth encourages a sense of comfort and presence in the moment.  Take, also, "The Routine"; at the end of this poem, he notes his visit to his sister.  He acknowledges the mundane experiences: "you'll load your baggage hurriedly in her car / sit in traffic / listen to old songs" (92).  However, with this he realizes the cherished moments he would miss by not cherishing mindfulness: "...and forget to grin / when you realize it is real?" (92).

Ultimately, mindfulness allows us to live in the moment, spatially and temporally--all stresses aside.  In "Song for the Dirt," Kaye hopes to "love like the dirt / to embrace, eyes closed" and "lay quiet for the season / feel the warmth upon my face / even in silence" (100), which promotes feeling over thinking, and mindfulness over the rush of time, the hustle-bustle we all can so easily be swallowed by.

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