Mindfulness Meditation Instructor Achieves Perfect Present-Moment Awareness, Forgets to Pick Up Children

Certified mindfulness instructor Lotus Grounding achieved what she describes as 'the deepest state of present-moment awareness I have ever experienced' Wednesday afternoon, a breakthrough that coincided with her complete failure to collect her two children from elementary school at the scheduled 3:15 PM pickup time. 'I was fully here,' said Grounding, who was discovered at 5:00 PM on her meditation cushion by her husband, who had received four calls from the school office. 'My mind was not in the past. My mind was not in the future. My mind was right here, in this room, on this mat, in this breath. Which is exactly the problem, because my children were at a school three miles away, in the present moment, waiting.' Grounding's children, ages 7 and 9, were supervised by school staff until their father arrived. The school's office manager, Brenda Protocol, noted it was 'the first time a parent has cited spiritual enlightenment as the reason for a late pickup.' 'She called to apologize and said she had been so present that she lost track of time,' Protocol said. 'I told her that tracking time is a form of presence. She thanked me and said that was a beautiful observation. I said it was a criticism.' Grounding teaches a popular community class called 'Being Here Now,' which emphasizes releasing attachment to schedules, obligations, and what she calls 'the tyranny of clock-based living.' She acknowledges that this philosophy 'may require some modification for people responsible for small humans.' Her husband has installed three additional alarms on her phone, each labeled with a different mindfulness-compatible reminder: 'Be Present At School,' 'The Children Are Part of The Present,' and 'CHILDREN. NOW. GO.' Grounding says the experience has deepened her practice. 'True mindfulness includes remembering your responsibilities. I have integrated this lesson.' She paused. 'What day is it?'