Yesterday, the wind was roaring into San Francisco Bay as the tide was ripping out to the Pacific Ocean, putting a capsized and already exhausted windsurfer in the midst of powerful forces. He tried to right the sail, but managed to stand up for only ten seconds before tripping again on the rushing water. Clinging to his board, he rested in the numbingly cold water for another half-minute before attempting to stand up on the board and bring up the sail again. Three more times he tried, but he was fighting a losing battle against the tide that swiftly carried him out toward the setting sun. He probably knew that, just last month, a windsurfer died as he was swept out to sea on the very same course. He probably found it hard to believe he had gotten into this situation.
Meanwhile, just above him, hundreds of people were driving across the Golden Gate Bridge, oblivious to the situation. The dwindling crowd of pedestrians were on the Bay side of the bridge, unable to see him. My wife Dorine and I were riding on the bikes-only west side of the bridge, rounding out our day celebrating our first wedding anniversary. I decided to pull over at the apex of the bridge for the view, and saw what was unfolding below. As I called 911, I watched the windsurfer become a barely-visible dot far out in the midst of the sea shimmering with the setting sun. He had stopped trying to right his sail for awhile, but made one more failed attempt to catch the wind back in. Soon, a Coast Guard vessel was heading for the windsurfer. I saw a flash of the windsurfer’s sail on the aft deck and knew that we could go home feeling that the windsurfer was in good hands.
For me, his experience drives home the importance of being attuned to what is unfolding now around us. I believe there are many opportunities in each moment, and often we stumble upon these opportunities as life unfolds. How we respond to opportunities can be dictated by all sorts of forces that can work against us. It’s scary to know that I could have easily found myself in too much of a rush to stop. Even after stopping, I could have made the assumption that someone else would take care of the situation, a phenomenon that social psychologists call “diffusion of responsibility.”
Although attending to what’s unfolding around us doesn’t usually involve anything as exciting as calling 911 (we hope), this experience was a reminder that mindfulness can have concrete positive effects. I encourage you to ask yourself, as you set out into your week, “How can I be more mindful today?” and see what you discover and what good you can do.
Unfolding Now 