Little Things
How often do you wake up with a smile? Looking forward to what the day has in store for you. When was the last time you did something with complete awareness? Fully immersed in only that. Where you were not checking an email while on a call with a friend giving him advice. Where you felt completely aware of yourself and your surroundings. Where you were not consumed with the million things that surround you - people, thoughts, society, chores, work, relationships.
When was the last time you inhaled the present moment and something inside you shifted? Bringing your awareness back to you, back to how it used to be. Before the days where we chose to do one task at a time, fully, completely immersed only in that. Where, time stood still. Where people were not in a hurry to be somewhere.
Don’t you miss those days? Where you felt completely and wholly alive. Where you weren’t second-guessing yourself each step of the way. Where you were free of worldly desires and concerns. When was the last time you felt that way?
There is beauty to be found around you, all you have to do is merely look. Start small to become aware. Be it when you wake up and take a few minutes to just be, without checking your phone. Or make yourself a cup of tea. This time is only yours. Be completely aware every step of the way.
Open your tea cabinet and choose which tea you feel like having depending on your mood. Open the tin, and inhale the aroma of the leaves to help you decide. While you allow the tea to brew, fill yourself with the aroma that surrounds you. Once the tea is strained and ready, allow it to sit still for a few seconds so you don’t burn your tongue. Smell the tea and then take your first sip. Wallow in it completely. Sit back and relax. Slowly take the second sip. Feel the tea in every sip.
Thich nhat hanh says, “If we’re not mindful, it’s not tea that we’re drinking but our own illusions and afflictions. If the tea becomes real, we become real. When we are able to truly meet the tea, at that very moment we are truly alive.”
Allow yourself this experience, to become aware, to become fully present in the moment you are. Start your day becoming aware and ensure you keep up with that pattern throughout the day. The shift will gradually take place inside you and you will live a more fulfilled life.