Conversation with My 17 Year Old Brother in the Backyard

        I had a conversation with my 17 year old brother in the backyard. I found it shockingly easy to be mindful of the things he had to say. Rarely do we ever have conversations like these, so I found myself opening up easily to what he had to share. I am used to seeing my brother as the jolly and always positive one. It isn’t usual to see him sit down and be so serious in something he is talking about. I was very mindful of what he shared with me. It took me by surprise as I begun to feel emotional mid conversation. I began to feel some of the emotions he was giving off while he spoke. While he told me of the struggles he chose not to portray, I felt overwhelmed with sadness. A big part of me wanted to be able to do more other than just be there to listen. My brother is the type of person that is very much to himself. He’s always positive and happy, but chooses to keep the sad parts to himself. During our conversation, it warmed my heart that he chose to share information with me that he doesn’t share easily. He shared what was on his mind and he tried not to let his emotions get the best of him. The things he kept to himself took me by surprise. I got this feeling that he kept too much inside and didn’t let them out as he should. I made a note to look closely at the things that we don’t notice on a daily basis. The effect that being mindfulness had on the both of us was surprisingly the same. We both surprised ourselves because of our capabilities to be open and mindful. It helped us move through the conversation easier than we expected. It made us open up more about the things we had wanted to share that we thought we couldn’t. Being mindfulness had a positive effect on us. I was able to really listen to what he had to say and also what he didn’t say. For instance, his facial expressions and posture told me more about the way he felt about the things he was telling me. One of the three things I learned in class that I found evident in the conversation was the components in module 1. As I’ve already mentioned, mindfulness, one of the components, was one of the things I learned in class that I found evident in our conversation. Ethics is another topic I found evident during this situation. Because my brother is used to keeping some things to himself, I felt somewhat of an obligation after hearing some of the things he had to say. I felt that I shouldn’t be the only person to know what he is going through or what’s happening in his life. I had to ask myself afterwards, whether or not it was okay for me to share it with someone else. I wondered if it was right or wrong. I am still pondering over what to do with the information I now know, or rather the secrets I now hold. Though they are not mine to tell, I feel overwhelmed with being the only person that knows. So ethics is something I found to be evident in this situation. I will be more mindful about the things that happen in life. For instance, instead of looking to the negatives right away, I will pay attention to the things happening now and just let things fall into place. I will get out more and take walks, and really pay attention to what I see. It will improve my relationships with others because I will be mindful when I am listening to what someone is saying to me, I can really look and see what we don’t really notice at first, and I will be able to understand.