Have you ever made an ice wreath before? They are pretty darn cute and a great way to practice mindfulness. If you’ve never heard of them before, they are exactly what you think they are. Cute little wreaths made out of ice.
Lately I’ve been looking for ways to live a more mindful life. To me mindfulness means being present in the moment. Experiencing it all and soaking it all in. It means a life that is more meaningful with more focus on what’s going on directly in front of me. I tend to be a person who is always way up in the clouds trying to look ahead and predict what’s going to happen next. It’s stressful living that way 100% of the time, so I’m looking to change that.
Setting time to allow myself to be fully present has made all the difference. It has allowed me to prioritize more joy and validated that I can do things simply because I enjoy doing them. Sometimes that guilt feeling in the pit of my stomach creeps back up when I’m being mindful. That same on I get when I’m resting, but I’m working through it. It’s a process and it requires practice and commitment just like anything else in life that is worthy.
With this ice wreath I couldn’t help but to be mindful. I used things I found in the fridge and freezer and let my creativity flow. I threw in cranberries, thyme and sage. All ingredients that are bird and squirrel safe (just in case).
I added my ingredients to a silicone bundt mold, covered with water and froze it all overnight. The waiting was the hardest part. As soon as I woke up, the first thing I did was walk to the freezer to check on it. Talk about mindfulness.
I tied a piece of embroidery string through the middle and hung it on a tree branch. My favorite thing about the ice wreath was the process in making it. I had no expectations about what it should look like and it allowed me to enjoy the process. It was a great way to practice mindfulness, especially since there’s really only a very limited time I can use it. Once the weather warms up there’ll be no more ice wreaths until next year. And that’s perfectly fine.
