Toads and Mindfulness

 Sometimes being mindful sneaks up on you. I think if you’ve practiced meditating and being mindful enough, sometimes your brain just switches into mindful mode without even thinking about. That happened to me recently when I was out for a walk in the park.

On a beautifully warm Sunday recently, my husband and I took our elderly Basset Hound out for a stroll around his favorite green space, Pastorius Park in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. We let our pup sniff around and the entire time, we heard a sound unlike any we’d heard before at the park.

My husband was convinced that it was human made, likely some awful machinery to cut or blow grass. But I was convinced it was natural. Frogs, I thought.

As we got closer to the pond at the park, we noticed a lot of movement near the edge of the pond. The water level had been very low, and as we got closer, we noticed lots of hopping about.

I was able to get a closer look at the animals, and discovered that they were American Toads. Toads tend to spend less time near water than their amphibious counterparts, frogs. These toads head to the water for one reason: mating.

As we continued to observe, I found myself completely enthralled by the hum the toads were making, so much so, I didn’t want to leave. I couldn’t understand why at the time, but in hindsight I think it’s because I was so focused on the natural world. We city dwellers don’t get that kind of immersive natural experience often, and my mind wanted to stay and listen.

The toads reminded me why I love being mindful in nature – you just never know what you might discover. I’m so glad my brain kicked right into mindful mode to enjoy the moment. I did, however, pull out my phone for a few minutes to record the sound so I could share. Enjoy.

American Toads mating at Pastorius Park in Philadelphia.