Day 6 - Able was I ere I saw Adlestrop

When I am stressed, my wife tells me to “take a chill pill". This is not a request, option, or choice. It is a clear signal that I need to stop what I am doing, take a break and assess the situation impartially. By impartial, I mean as a detached observer who gathers all they can see, hear, and feel. I also need to note my reactions.

This is the essence of mindfulness. You live in the present and take note of what is happening by using all your senses from a non-judgemental perspective. I often use the triplet: mind, body, and surrounding to help me. Then, you can move on to interpret what is happening, how it impacts you and how you should or need to react. This process can take several cycles, but it usually results in a more even-handed and beneficial outcome.

In addition, I feel less stressed. Obviously, there will be times when you need to relax and “switch off” by shutting out external stimuli. But this too is living in the present by realising you have too many sensory inputs and you need to relax. This technique might seem alien to you, and you might think you need to be born with this ability. Not so, because as Mind UK states, “Mindfulness is a technique you can learn.”

The Poem Adlestrop, written by Edward Thomas, provides a helpful example of mindfulness. The poem is based on a real event on 24th June 1914 when Edward was travelling on an express train which stopped at the now closed station in the village of Adlestrop, which is on the border of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. The poem records a brief snapshot of time highlighting the beauty, tranquillity, and stillness of this rural setting. It paints a picture with words. The wording also demonstrates a strong emotional connection and love for the countryside. This poem contrasts with the impending war, which will start on 28th July. And this poem of tranquilly also brings a tragic irony, as the author will die “in action” during what Charles Corbett describes as, “The mechanised human slaughterhouse.”

So, I encourage all of you to live in the present, having learned from the past in preparation for the present and future. As Jesus advises us in Matthew 6:34 (NIV), “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Adlestrop by Edward Thomas

Yes. I remember Adlestrop —

The name, because one afternoon

Of heat the express train drew up there

Unwontedly. It was late June.

The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat.

No one left and no one came

On the bare platform. What I saw

Was Adlestrop — only the name

And willows, willowherb, and grass,

And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,

No whit less still and lonely fair

Than the high cloudlets in the sky.

And for that minute a blackbird sang

Close by, and round him, mistier,

Farther and farther, all the birds

Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.

Prayer

Father, help me to relax when I feel stressed.

Open my eyes to the reality of what is happening and help me to do your will in response.

I do not know what lies ahead for me, but I trust in you and know that you have prepared a way.

Thank you for your Holy Spirit who helps and guides me. Amen

Michael Rolton