Start with parking lots you are familiar with. Try the parking lots at the grocery store, mall, doctor’s office, or your favorite taco place. Add a parking lot bird-watching session to the beginning or end of an errand. It can be a restorative pause and reset to sit mindfully for 15 minutes before marketing or after a doctor’s appointment. Avoid checking your phone. Just sit and look.
If you are at a familiar spot, you will feel comfortable and at ease, so sitting there for a few extra minutes won’t be awkward. There is the added benefit of rediscovering a place you might think you already know well. After uncovering the mysteries and beauty of a mundane and frequently visited spot, you can apply that approach and wonder to any place you visit.
Going to a parking lot you are familiar with can help you stay safe because you will know what is normal behavior and what is sketchy. If there are certain times when the parking lot is eerily deserted or busy with nonlocal traffic, you should avoid sitting in your car too long. Also, it is important to take a temperature check when you arrive. Look around, notice who else is there walking around, loitering, or in their car, and always trust your gut. Awareness of your beautiful surroundings (the birds, the sky, the energy) and the potentially dangerous is the key to your safety.
Think ahead and attend to your needs. Do you have to go to the bathroom? Do you have a water bottle or a small snack? Is there another person with you? If so, how can you encourage them to participate? Do you have a small notebook or way to jot down anything interesting you see or think? Is your car off so you do not drain the battery? Is your phone charged in case of an emergency? Do you have a jacket if it is cold?
When you arrive, turn off the car and take a deep breath. Tell yourself:
“This is a gift I am giving myself. I will sit in stillness and be quiet. I am open to any messages or thoughts the universe sends my way. I appreciate all the life and activity in this place and, like Walt Whitman, believe that ‘In all people I see myself, none more and not one a barelycorn less, And the good or bad I say of myself I say of them.’”
Watch the birds, the sky, the people, the cars, the carts, the trash blowing about, the trees and bushes and flowers in the planted sections, the emergency vehicles, the lines painted or faded on the ground, the lights, the shops, and more.
See through the lens of equanimity.
Here is a fun worksheet to record what you see (and maybe turn it into a creative writing piece). This is especially useful if you have a child with you or a distracted mind that wants to look at a phone.