Oliver's Train

Take a seat by the window. Oliver's Journey is a slow train ride through the British countryside. Late-afternoon autumn light, fields rolling by, and the soft chug of an old diesel under the floor. There's nothing to win. Take part in a gentle mindfulness exercise onboard the train. Ride for as long as you like, or for only a few minutes. THE STATIONS Now and then the train pulls into a station, and the station master may invite you to notice something along the next stretch: every cow, perhaps, or every church spire. Tap when you spot one. Each tap gets a small reply right where you touched. There's no right or wrong, no buzzer, and no score. When the stretch is done, the station master lets you know what you saw. ("Jolly well done. Nine cows.") ABOUT THE NOTICING The stations borrow a simple idea from environmental psychology called soft fascination. It's the easy, unforced attention…