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Bells of Mindfulness: Wisdom from Peace is Every Step

In his book, Thich Nhat Hanh writes: “In my tradition, we use the temple bells to remind
us to come back to the present moment. Every time we hear the bell, we stop talking,
stop our thinking, and return to ourselves, breathing in and out, and smiling. Whatever
we are doing, we pause for a moment and just enjoy our breathing. Sometimes we also
recite the verse:

Listen, listen.
This wonderful sound brings me
back to my true self.

You can use any sound to remind you to pause, breathe in and out, and enjoy the
present moment. Even non-sounds, such as the rays of the sunlight coming through
the window, are bells of mindfulness that can remind us to return to ourselves,
breathe, smile, and live fully in the present moment.”


~ Peace Is Every Step,
The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life,
by Thich Nhat Hanh.


I love this wisdom. And have also written about bells before.

Here’s one short poem about a little bell shared as It’s All Transcendental
—published last year at Hotel By Masticadores for your pleasure.

But if you’re busy already and don’t want to be led somewhere else to read,
just look up—the waning gibbous harvest moon in the sky still has an illumination
of 91%. Let that be your reminder to pause and return to yourself.

I’ll be looking up too.
Let’s pause and listen.

Thanks so much for reading.
Blessing you.

Selma Martin
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This Post Has 25 Comments

  1. rajkkhoja

    Beautiful words written in poem. Nice short poem.

    “Listen, listen.
    This wonderful sound brings me
    back to my true self.!

    1. Selma Martin

      Happy you liked, Raj 🤗
      “”Little bell, little bell
      In the middle of the day
      You made me pause for a moment
      Just to listen

      And in the pause I found my joy
      Fired me up—made me whole
      Showed me the miracle
      That in my day had been missing…”” 😜

      1. rajkkhoja

        Thanks Selma! Me too 😂. I appreciate your writing words. May be missing. You made my day 😊!

        1. Selma Martin

          Aww 🥰 happy you feel that way. Bless you always, my friend. 🤗

          1. rajkkhoja

            Thanks, Selma 🙂 bless you too. My dear friend 💗

  2. Sadje

    Thanks for sharing this beautiful reminder Selma. Love your poem too

      1. Sadje

        You’re welcome ☺️

  3. beth

    what a lovely reminder

    1. Selma Martin

      Happy you liked it, Beth.
      “Little bell, little bell
      In the middle of the day
      You made me pause for a moment
      Just to listen

      And in the pause I found my joy
      Fired me up—made me whole
      Showed me the miracle
      That in my day had been missing…”

  4. Susana Cabaço

    I resonate deeply with Thich Nhat Hanh wisdom. It’s simple yet profound. Easy to perceive and to put in practice. Thanks for sharing, Selma. Very welcome! Light and blessings to you*

    1. Selma Martin

      Light and blessings to you, my friend. 🤗 🤗

  5. Melissa Lemay

    Wonderful poetry all. Peace Is Every Step is an amazing book.

    1. Selma Martin

      Amazing little book. Yes. Thanks Melissa. “Little bell, little bell
      In the middle of the day
      You made me pause for a moment
      Just to listen

      And in the pause I found my joy
      Fired me up—made me whole
      Showed me the miracle
      That in my day had been missing
      …”

  6. Colleen Chesebro

    Fabulous! I use bells to clear the energy in my altar space. I always feel a sense of peace when I hear the bells. 🙏🏻

    1. Selma Martin

      Oh fantastic! Intentional. I love that. Thanks for sharing that my friend. Xo

  7. Kym Gordon Moore

    Listen-Peace-Mindfulness! 🙏🏼 Absolutely tranquil and beautifully delivered Selma! Thank you for sharing my friend. 🤗💖😍

    1. Selma Martin

      Oh girl, it’s my pleasure.
      “Little bell, little bell
      In the middle of the day
      You made me pause for a moment
      Just to listen

      And in the pause I found my joy
      Fired me up—made me whole
      Showed me the miracle
      That in my day had been missing
      …”

  8. Robbie Cheadle

    Hi Selma, I learned quite a bit from this post and its messages. Thank you

    1. Selma Martin

      Thank you, dear Robbie. Glad for this message. XoXo

  9. memadtwo

    That is indeed great wisdom Selma. (K)

    1. Selma Martin

      So happy you agree my friend. I love the wisdom too. 🤗

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