Time is passing too fast. Even though time is something manmade I feel the tug of it on my psyche. So, as I do on a regular basis, I am practicing mindfulness today as I am forever making the decision to practice mindfulness. Notice the word practicing. I'm not very good at it. But I am getting better and I'm much further along than when I first learned this technique. All because I keep practicing. The psychological definition of mindfulness is "a non-elaborative, nonjudgmental, present-centered awareness in which each thought, feeling, or sensation that arises is acknowledged and accepted as it is."
To better explain mindfulness I will describe my breakfast this morning. I made gluten-free, sugar free pancakes. I know for some of you this sounds horrible, but it is quite tasty and since wheat and sugar create nasty bodily functions in me it is the best way I've found to enjoy my occasional pancake craving. Once the breakfast was cooked I sat down at the table and concentrated all my awareness on eating the pancakes. I watched my right hand grab the fork and slice into the food. I noticed the brown of the cooked flour, the red of the fresh strawberries, the juiciness of the syrup. I moved the fork to my mouth and bit into the morsel. Wow, the taste buds jumped for joy at the sweet, soft grains as they danced across my tongue and melted in my mouth. Then I focused on my chewing. I chewed several times before I swallowed. Then I started the whole process again. After several bites I turned my focus away from the food and glanced out the window, noticing a boat floating by in the bay and the sun shining off its chrome as it created a wake behind it. Then I turned my attention back to my pancakes and repeated the eating process. I continued to stay in the moments as I ate more and more of the wondrous morsels. The phone rang. I set my fork down, pushed the answer button on the phone and listened to the woman on the other end. I heard what she said, word by word, answered her questions, said goodbye and pressed the "off" button. Back to my pancakes. I noticed the syrup was gone, absorb into the flour. So I stood up, walked to the counter, felt the plastic bottle in my fingers as I grabbed it, and walked back to the table and sat down. I turned the bottle over and poured more syrup on the cakes, watching it glide slowly from the hole in the lid, through the air and onto the plate below. I set the bottle down, picked up my fork and slowly took another bite, savoring the taste of the food, one chew, one lowering and lifting of the fork, one bite at a time, until the pancakes were gone.
Glorious is all I can say to describe how it feels to place my awareness in each moment. The act of living is a wondrous thing and I spend way too much time ignoring it, in pursuit of the next moment. Instead today, I'll let the next moment come when it may and just savor the one I'm in. Happy Moment!
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