Those Simple Joys of life

Each one of us is naturally endowed with mindfulness. Yet with our increasingly busy lives, interspersed with technology and multi-tasking, it is difficult to be mindful. This in turn, deprives us of the simple joys of life.

I rediscovered mindfulness for myself in washing spinach leaves! Yes, in spinach leaves J. I despise washing greens to the extent that I avoid buying them. Here’s how I did it:

After a hectic day at work, I reluctantly pulled out four bundles of spinach from the refrigerator. Reminding myself to be mindful, I looked at each of the bundles without getting irritated. These are some of the other things that I did not do:

• Did not ruminate on the possibility of a pesticide contamination.
• Did not get worked up over the tedium and monotony that sets in washing each individual leaflet.
• Did not fuss over the fact that these leaves should be soaked in salt water every time

In a calm Zen-like manner, I put the salt-soaked leaves into the kitchen sink and opened the tap with full awareness. While washing, I was consciously aware of the sound of running water, the added brightness to the leaves after washing, and the extraordinarily soothing effect the running water had on my hands and mind. During this experiment, whenever my mind tried to stray away in its quest for the next item in the “To-Do” list, I gently brought it back to the present moment. It was difficult at first, but I am happy I stuck with it.

I repeated mindfulness next day with my daily cup of ginger tea. I directed all my being into preparing tea. I have prepared tea in the past, but never like this. I was aware of every single step; right from the sound of opening the refrigerator door to taking out fresh, white milk to pouring the milk into our wide saucepan. Once the tea was ready, I gently poured the hot, steaming tea into my bright, orange cup. Then, I focused on how the cup felt in my hand. Next, I noticed the hot steam emanating from the cup. And finally, when I took the first sip from my cuppa, I was aware of the taste and aroma, both of which I hardly noticed these days.

I felt an enhanced sense of contentment after drinking tea. I followed this up with a long walk in our neighbouring park. Practicing mindfulness, I took a good, long look at the Duranta bushes bordering the park. The variegated leaves of Duranta glistened in the morning sun, and I realised Duranta leaves smell too, if one is mindful. I looked towards the sky and wondered when was the last time I looked up at the blue sky. May be when I went to watch the aero show with family three years back. It was a realization moment and wake up call for me. I realized how mechanical I had become in the past few years. Here was life unfolding before me in its true, vibrant colors and, all this while I was just rushing past to catch hold of some distant, elusive rainbow without realising that both the rain and rainbow were inside of me.

My experiment with mindfulness turned out to be meditation in motion for me. I realised I could sometimes practice meditation without a yoga mat and timer. I am enjoying this “on the go” mindfulness, and hope you enjoy it, too.