Mindfulness Q&A with Laura Kelton

FOH: What is your name?

Laura: Laura Kelton

FOH: Your current job title and place of business?

Laura: Executive Director, Support Staff

FOH: How do you define mindfulness?

Laura: Being aware of the current moment and situation that you are in, and being considerate about how that impacts you and in turn how that impact causes you to interact with your immediate surroundings. Be it your partner, friends, colleagues, the room you enter or the nature that you are surrounded by, your presence and energy can and often will affect many other things.

FOH: How do you actively work to bring mindfulness to your community?

Laura: By acknowledging that mindfulness, much like mental health, is not "one size fits all." Mindfulness means so many different things to so many different people, and oftentimes I feel people need to know that just because their idea of mindfulness is different than someone else's, it doesn't mean it isn't valid. For me, this looks like being vulnerable on social media platforms, and reaching out to others when they too are being vulnerable. It seems like such a small thing, but something that I learned when I was behind the bar is that simple acknowledgement and lending an ear can really turn someones day/week/month around. It's what I miss most about the service industry and I've tried to implement that into this much less social life we are living via social media and the work we are doing with Support Staff.

FOH: How can we be more aware of how we impact the environment, and how can living mindfully help us take better care of our communities?

Laura: I think the trick to becoming more aware is that you just have to start with genuinely caring. Forming new habits can be incredibly difficult especially if it means breaking old ones! For me, I've drastically reduced and changed my spending habits on clothes when I realized how much clothing I wasn't able to donate and/or sell because fast fashion items aren't built to last. I stopped purchasing them all together and started exclusively purchasing second-hand, which allowed me to sell back my clothes, get a gift card for that same store and then spend it there again on something "new" to me. Or spend a weekday morning at the thrift store - one of my favorite places. Minimalism isn't for everyone but I think being mindful of not only where you spend your money but where that item will end up once you are done with it can make a big impact. That same theory can be applied to your community - shop small, give back where it matters. I got some really sound advice from some friends who recently started a grocery club to give back to their community and that is - figure out where you can be most impactful in your micro-community. It's not about hopping on the bandwagon with the super dope folks who just started something cool and new, it's about genuinely caring and putting that energy into the place that needs it most. Find out who needs hands/delivery drivers/social media advocates to help make a bigger impact. Community building is community driven, so you have to take yourself out of the equation if you want to make a difference.

FOH: Do you have any advice for someone who is struggling to find mindfulness in their lives?

Laura: You have to slow down. It's almost impossible to figure out how to be more mindful when you aren't taking the time to do so! It's not so different from seeking how to be more aware and again, that first and foremost requires genuinely caring. The great thing about mindfulness is that you are just being asked to care about yourself so that you can also better care for the impact that you make on those around you.