Mindfulness is Paying Attention with Heart: A reflection on love, presence, and everyday awareness

Through this series with Townsend Draft Goods, Betsy shares simple, meaningful
ways to bring mindfulness and meditation into everyday life.

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The mind and the heart aren’t separate. In mindful awareness, they move together - connected, steady, and kind.

When most people hear the word mindfulness, they think of calmness, meditation,
or simply paying attention. But mindfulness is more than just noticing - it’s
noticing with intention. With presence. And most importantly, with love.

Mindfulness is paying attention with heart.

It’s not just a headspace - it’s a heart-space.

For me, mindfulness isn’t about trying to fix or control our thoughts. It’s about
learning to show up more fully for our lives with compassion, curiosity, and care.
When we bring heart into our awareness, something shifts. Our conversations
become more meaningful. Our routines feel more connected. Even our breath feels
a little more sacred.

I like to think of it this way: 

Mindfulness is healthfulness.

It nurtures how we think, feel, relate, and most importantly how we respond. It helps soften the edges and reminds us of what really matters.

Here’s a question I often return to:
Am I showing up with love and heart?

Not just in the big moments, but in the everyday ones:

• When you’re doing the dishes - are you rushing through it, or can you feel
  the warmth of the water, the rhythm of your hands?
• When you're in conversation - are you truly listening, or waiting for your
  turn to speak?
• When you’re eating - are you tasting your food, or scrolling through your
  phone?
• And most of all: when you're with yourself - are you being gentle? Are you
  honoring your effort, your body, your needs… with love and heart?
  

It’s in these ordinary, easily missed moments that mindfulness comes to life. Not as
something we “do,” but as a way of being.

The mind and the heart aren’t separate. In mindful awareness, they move together -
connected, steady, and kind. There’s a quiet harmony between noticing and feeling,
between observing and caring. That’s where something deeper opens up.

So, here’s a gentle invitation:

Let your mindfulness be guided by your heart. Let it lead you with love. Because when you show up with heart in your work, your relationships, your conversations, your quiet time, and your everyday routines - you’re not just present. You’re whole.

Reflective Questions:

What does “showing up with heart” mean to me?
What does it look like in action in my home, in my work, in how I care for myself
and others?

✨ About the Author

Betsy is a certified meditation teacher and career coach based in Southern
California. She’s been practicing meditation since 2018 and became certified
through the davidji Master of Wisdom & Meditation Teacher Training Academy in
2024. With over 20 years of experience in career development, she also serves as
an adjunct professor in the California State University system and is the co-founder
of a veteran service organization.