Saturday, November 2, 2013
Day Two
Last week, during a small group meeting at WellSprings, I did something I’d never done before. I ate a tangerine in complete, unhurried, silence. I took the time to smell the inside of the peel, to feel for the seeds with my fingertips and work them out of the pulp, to taste the juice, and to hear the sounds of the tangerine breaking down into something new.
The tangerine practice was a reference to a story told by Thich Nhat Hanh about gratitude for the present moment. Sometimes our plans and our memories distract, worry, or excite us – so much that we forget what we are actually doing right now. In the story, Hanh’s friend becomes so immersed in talking about his imagined future, that “he was hardly aware he was eating a tangerine.” Distracted from the present, he was popping sections of the fruit into his mouth, completely cut off from the sensations of the moment – “it was as if he hadn’t been eating the tangerine at all.” Thich Nhat Hanh’s friend was missing his own life, just as it happened.
Today, allow yourself the time to do something very small, something you might do anyway in the course of your normal day – like eating a tangerine – consciously. Focus on nothing else but that one thing. Pay attention to one of your senses: taste, touch, smell, sound, or sight. Explore that one sensory experience of the one thing you’re doing. Let it happen. Be done with it when you’re done with it. Then think about where gratitude showed up for you in this experience. What did you discover or notice about yourself, and the world around you, that you can be grateful for?
- Lee
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(From Ken) This morning my sole focus activity was yoga, by myself, in a quiet room, phone and technology off and out of reach. What I was most grateful for was how in the repeated and successive poses, there was a little more ability to stretch and be at ease. I particularly noticed these sensations in parts of my body that had sustained past injury or are more likely to hurt: my lower back, my right knee and right ankle. Grateful that these parts of the body can still move, however imperfectly. I want to stay with this "one thing" attention throughout the day, and see what other sources of gratitude arise.
ReplyDeleteYoga - and the ability to stretch farther than we thought we could, with some patience and "staying" - is one of my favorite things. Reminding me I should make time for it. Thanks Ken!
DeleteThis morning's sole focus was on running... on the act of running itself. Not pace, not distance, not total time elapsed or time remaining. Just on running and all of the sensations that arise from that. Breathing that is easy at first, then ragged as fatigue starts to set in and finally settles, almost magically, into the rhythm that the arms and legs and rest of the body needs to provide enough oxygen. Thigh and calf muscles that, though getting sore, almost WANT to run... feeling more comfortable after an hour when in the motion of running than in the motion of walking. I'm especially grateful for the training method that I am using which allows me to forget about how fast I am going and instead pay more attention to how the body is feeling during the run. It is liberating and freeing - allowing the run to be more like a form of meditation (though I'm not totally there yet)... and yet somehow, I often end up running faster than I would have thought possible on a given day and for a given distance as well.
ReplyDeleteTed, this is amazing - attending to the pain and fatigue and how it passes. Thank you.
DeleteWhen I first read this, I was unsure about what my one thing would be. Then, as I turned on my computer, it came to me. About 45 minutes ago, I made the trek to SuperCuts to get a somewhat overdue haircut. The one thing that I paid attention to was my hair getting washed. The warmth of the water massaging my scalp, the hands that massaged the shampoo and conditioner into my scalp and hair (it felt SO good), the smell of the teatree shampoo which had an almost minty smell and tingle to it. It was a very strong smell but in a pleasant way. I so desparately needed that moment of relaxation. And then I kept my eyes closed the entire cut. I didn't stress out about making chit chat with the stranger cutting my hair. I just was present and it was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so wonderful. At most salons you can just go in and ask for a shampoo and blow out, in case you didn't know... maybe something to treat yourself in the future. :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful song, it was our wedding song.
ReplyDeleteI see skys of blue. And clouds of white. The bright blessed day. The dark sacred night. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
Today I will breathe in the sky, clouds, the entire day. I will notice my surroundings and how blessed I am to be in this wonderful world.
Hoping you breathe in heaps of gratitude for this day, Angie.
DeleteMore often than I would care to admit I have the experience of standing in the shower and being jolted back into the present moment with the question "Did I already wash my hair?" because
ReplyDeletemy mind is racing to so many other places that I truly can't remember. So, today my focus was on showering. It was wonderful to truly feel the water and to just close my eyes and allow it to relax my muscles. I noticed that the shower still smelled like the shampoo that my partner uses, as she showers at night. I paid attention to the feel of the soap, the shampoo, and the water....and the ritual involved. And I didn't have to ask myself if I had already washed my hair! :) Perhaps the best part of the experience came later, when I was leaving for work and I kissed Gayle good-bye. When we hugged, I noticed the smell of her shampoo again. A small, familiar comfort. And I'm grateful that I noticed.
Angie, I do the same thing! (Forgetting, that is.) Glad this could not only be a moment of gratitude for your senses but also a moment of connection for you and Gayle.
DeleteI am so grateful for the beauty and splendor of the Autumn season and for the fact that my Miniature Schnauzer, Little Eddie is still here giving me his total trust. He ate a hearty breakfast of Cornish game hen and coconut cake and initiated a wrestling match with his Sister, Lily the Rottweiler. It's been weeks since they've played. And I'm very grateful that Lily is such a gentle, sweet and silly soul!!
ReplyDeleteIrene - still picturing the mini schnauzer going after the Rottweiler. :) Glad that both of your little ones are giving you such joy, and that Eddie's got his second wind.
Delete(From Ken) PS to this morning. Just spent the last 1/2 hr as the sun was going down sitting on a bench outside a Starbucks in my neighborhood. At first pulled out my iphone, but then paused, thinking of today's practice. (Thanks Lee!) Kept the phone in my pocket, sipped my decaf, listened to the birds, watched the sky change colors, looked the people passing by, was aware of my breathing in and breathing out. Was suffused by a simple, happy gratitude that came from just being aware and alive. Glorious.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Definitely glorious.
DeleteOne of the things that I've just gotten interested in recently is macro-photography. I had a macro lens from 15 years ago BC (before children) when I actually had disposable income. I've been going outside and taking photos either around the yard or I go to a nearby park when life gets to be too much. Today I went to Evansburg State Park. Macro-photography requires you to get visually intimate with very small subject matter. I often think that photography helps me stay present in the moment, and learning to stay present in the moment helps the photography. I was taking time to notice everything around me on my walk, but this seemed to make me less mindful, because I wound up getting lost. I was depressed because I thought I had failed. I finally found my way back on the right path and barely caught sight of something out of the corner of my eye. I half distractedly reached to screw in my macro lens, and then before I knew it, I was enthralled with my subject matter, a very tiny white jumping spider. The photograph itself wasn't so great as it was slightly blurry, but spending some time looking into those beautiful shiny eyes (while people around me were walking their dogs and probably giving me the looks that they usually do when I'm on my belly while wearing a skirt in the middle of the forest) made my day go from depressing to pretty damn good. Sometimes it's all about seeing the right friendly face: http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/306/0/3/jumping_spider_by_giovedistorm_shade-d6sr34w.jpg Blurry or not, I couldn't have been more happy if I had discovered a fairy.
ReplyDeleteCaryn, glad you found some peace and presence (and a pleasant surprise) letting yourself be captured by this moment, and capturing it in return. :)
DeleteToday, I walked all the way home after seeing a movie with friends - about a 30-block walk through the city. I resisted pulling out my phone or thinking through my plans for the night (or week, or decade ;) like I usually would, and instead just watched and listened. The autumn air smell was incredible, as was the house I passed that was baking blueberry muffins. :) I heard so much music and laughter from passing cars and people walking. Watched a little boy speculate out loud as to his ability to climb every tree his family passed on a four-block stretch. I ran into a friend at one point and chatted with him on his way to the grocery store. More little mini-stories than I can tell. At the end my muscles and feet felt tired, but also well-used.
ReplyDeleteJust getting a few minutes to listen to Louis Armstrong singing this song...took me right back into how much one of our guys "loved" this song when he was a kid, being with him when it happened to come on the car radio, how much his dad enjoyed seeing him enjoy it. Very special Very lucky. Very peaceful. And It's still with us. So much love. I am so so grateful
ReplyDeleteBrenda, glad the song could bring you back to the experience of this powerful and pleasant moment for you.
DeleteMy first experience with Thich Nhat Hahn was when I walked thru the doors at Wellsprings. I was introduced to his book, "The Miracle of Mindfulness". It spoke to me, especially this one certain quote from the book:
ReplyDelete“To my mind, the idea that doing dishes is unpleasant can occur only when you aren’t doing them…I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to eat dessert sooner, the time of washing dishes will be unpleasant and not worth living. That would be a pity, for each minute, each second of life is a miracle.”
Upon waking and reading today's gratitude post I thought I would practice mindfulness as much as I could today. Today proved to be a good day for mindfulness. I started with thoroughly listening to Louis Armstrong's song. I have loved this song since I was a little girl, but for some reason I never truly looked at the lyrics. The lyrics spoke to me today. While I pondered the era in which he wrote this song I wondered what was he trying to convey, why he may have wrote this song and what it may have meant to him. I then took my dog for a walk, in which I paid attention to my steps, to my breath and to the life that resided around me as I walked. I was able to notice the woolly bear caterpillars crawling amongst the grass, as I actually gave my pup time enough to sniff and experience his own doggie mindfulness. The morning was warm yet the smell of Fall was in the air. When we returned home, I ate my breakfast. I thought of how my breakfast was packaged, who may have had their hands on it, how it got to be in my home. I wondered how far it may have traveled and how it was transported to where it landed up in my ownership. As I mowed my lawn today, instead of hurrying I took my time with each step thinking of the blades of grass that were passing by the blades. The growth that I was cutting in preparation for winter, and what life would be rejuvenated come Spring.
Over the duration of the day I found myself focusing on the lyrics of the song and truly being in the moment. I found that I accomplished much more than I usually do on a Saturday, and I felt less rushed and enjoyed each moment more.
Blessings to you and yours,
Tiffany
Tiffany, what a wonderful set of stories and moments from your day. I'm glad you were able to enter into and share some of that "doggie mindfulness" :) -- it really is remarkable how differently the time is experienced when you enter each moment this way, isn't it?
DeleteThe quote from Thich Nhat Hanh about doing the dishes was in my mind today as well, mostly because of a huge sink full of dishes. Earlier in the week, I injured my back and spent several days doing as little as possible, which resulted in a rather large number of unwashed dishes taunting me from the kitchen sink. Even though I don't usually mind doing the dishes, reaching the point of "there are so many dishes in the sink that I can't even do the dishes" leaves me stressed and frustrated, so it seemed like an excellent opportunity to try and get out of my head and into the moment. In addition to making the task much more pleasant, focusing on just what I needed to do in each moment rather than on the whole daunting task made it much easier. I was able to enjoy sound of the water, the warmth on my hands, the smell of the dish soap, and especially that final moment of standing in front of an empty sink. I was reminded of summers spent in a cabin with no running water, and of how fortunate I am to not have to fetch water in a bucket and boil it every time I need to wash dishes. I thought about how even the mess was a blessing, because I have plenty of food with which to make a disaster of my kitchen while cooking. Finally, I am so fortunate and grateful for having the people in my life who need to be fed.
ReplyDeleteSo much of this is about how we approach our lives - the daunting task becoming a cause for the recognition of great blessing. Incredible. Thank you, Deb.
DeleteMy son really loves to be next to me. And by that I mean, NEXT TO ME, more like almost on top of me. I love it, too. We are close and affectionate people. Sometimes, though, I am using the bathroom, cleaning the bathroom, lifting something heavy or dealing with a client call.... you get the picture.. doing things that naturally preclude having a 3 and a half foot person in my personal space! And then, if I am totally honest, there are times where he COULD be there, but I would rather just not have him there. Boundaries, right?
ReplyDeleteWell, today was a day where we had a schedule, but no real consequences to not keeping it... so when those not-so-great times for him to be close came (and he wanted to be close, he ALWAYS wants to be close!) up I simply stopped what I was doing and let him be as close as he wanted for a few moments. I smelled his hair, looked at his small fingernails, listened to him prattle on about his interests and observations... I DID NOT say "hold on", "In a minute" or "please go find something else to do" even ONE time. Needless to say, it was a glorious day.
Smiling just reading your story. Boundaries have their place, but so does this kind of attention and affection for those we love. Thank you for sharing this.
DeleteWhen I walk from one -place to another, my mind is somewhere but never conscious of putting one foot in front of the other - except for today..... Day before yesterday I bought new shoes with quite high heels because I am not only short but shrinking. This afternoon and again tonight when I went walking in them, I was conscious of how it was feeling to walk tall - and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteStiletto mindfulness! LOVE it!
DeleteDuring my yoga practice yesterday, I listened to my body and my instructor as we held a long warrior pose and he guided us to ground our practice in our legs. Recognized that indeed my legs were stronger than a few months ago and could provide the power to be still, to go with me and often to carry me when my monkey brain can't do it. Celebrating my legs and how they can take me as I expand my comfort zone will be part of gratitude practice this month.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, isn't it, how we are in our bodies all the time and yet can fail to remember and appreciate them? Thank you for sharing this - may that strength continue to help you stretch beyond the comfort zone!
DeleteReally good advice!!! Thank you for the valuable information on this tips. Gratitude
ReplyDelete