I’ve focused on mindfulness as though it were a thing of the mind, and it is nothing like that at all. It really is an affair of the heart.
The mind has a role, and that is to get out of the way as fast as possible. Clear thinking means clear out all thoughts. Open-mindedfulness might be closer to what is needed. Get rid of all the mental constructs so that the senses / perception can take over, really “see” what is there. The seeing is not just with open eyes, though that can sometime help. Instead, I try to see with an open heart.
The heart is the true organ of mindfulness, of deep perception. Acting mindfully is not a way of thinking but a way of loving, of yielding to love.