Accidents – In recent weeks there were four incidents involving my dog. All of them happened because I was distracted. Three resulted in an injury. Of those, two necessitated a minor surgery, complete with rounds of antibiotics. Thankfully, all three injuries required only short periods of recovery.

Unfortunate things happen when we get distracted. Pulled muscles, unexpected dog attacks, leash entanglements. (Also, strained backs from not paying attention while lifting a heavy item. Fender benders and worse.) – It all happens in a split second.

Sometimes we get lucky, suffering just near accidents. Still, we should consider those to be warning signals, too – that something is wrong and we are in need of some behavior modification.

True mindfulness is not only focusing fully on ‘that one thing’, but at the same time being aware of the environment we’re in. When on the move we can’t slip up – be it in dog walks or business.

How do YOU simultaneously maintain focus AND awareness?