Dear Buddha,

You’ve never been more popular. There’s even a book, Why Buddhism is True, that touts your wisdom, such as the emphasis on living in the moment.

I’m creeping toward your 80, finding it easier to slow down and smell the roses.

But before flowers bloom in late spring, while I’m out walking, I take your advice and pay close attention to one thing, with no distraction. The little sticks in my ears, each with a foam rubber end, block out everything but the speaker’s words.

Allowing me to listen, as I’m sure your followers did, to the talker with a single-minded attention to the moment.

Mindfulness is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

With objects of focus that help clear one’s mind of all the intrusive chatter that clutters one’s thinking, making life harder than it needs to be.

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