Ever thought a blaring siren could be your ticket to mindfulness? Yeah, it does sound a bit out there, but let’s dive in together. My first lesson in using a siren from a passing emergency vehicle as a mindfulness tool came from one of my great mentors, Dr. Fletcher Harding, over forty-years ago. As he was presenting his lesson to our class, an ambulance passed by the building with lights flashing and siren wailing. Fletch paused mid-sentence, drew a deep breath and said, “Ah … another opportunity to ‘emerge-n-see’ that, there too, is God in action, moving to render aid unto Itself—and all is well.” His statement of oneness was quite staggering.
We all know the sudden jolt in our day when a siren passes by. Instead of just reacting or feeling agitated by the invasive noise, what if we used it, as Fletcher did, as a cue to ground ourselves in the present moment and invoke an awareness of the presence of Infinite Intelligence? Imagine this: as the siren wails, we choose to take a deep breath, feel our feet on the ground, and bring our attention to the now. Rumi once beautifully said, “Only let the moving waters calm down, and the sun and moon will be reflected on the surface of your being.”
By pausing and tuning into our breath, we allow the turbulence of our mind to settle as the awareness of our oneness with the All sets in.
Think of the siren as an unexpected guest knocking on the door of our awareness. Instead of getting annoyed or anxious, we can turn it into a mindfulness bell. Each time we hear it, we can take a moment to check in with our body, noticing any tension, and then release it with a long exhale. This practice can be a powerful reminder to “stop, look, and listen,” much like Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition of mindfulness as “Paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment non-judgmentally.”
Incorporating mindfulness into everyday sounds, even disruptive ones like sirens, transforms our environment into a continuous reminder to stay present and connected to the moment. It’s like having a portable portal to inner peace, no matter the surrounding chaos. So, next time a siren blares, consider using it to find a slice of stillness amidst the noise. Ready to turn those sirens into a symphony of mindfulness?
Peace, Dennis Merritt Jones
