“How We Spend Our Days is of course how we spend our lives” Annie Dillard
The more days we live, the shorter they seem to be. Time compresses and passes. And yet it doesn’t have to be that way. We can stop gliding through our hours. We can stop taking the everyday for granted.
No task is too mundane to bring clear attention to.
And when you bring attention to your routines you will find clarity and a compelling sense of beginning/freshness that was always there to be uncovered.
Try this:
Think of one activity that you do on a daily basis and commit to really experiencing this activity with open curiosity.
Let’s use washing your hands as an example.
Can you note the decision to wash your hands? When does the thought arise? Note your physical actions as you reach to turn on the water. Feel the smooth/cool of the faucet handle (or whatever the sensation is). Note your thoughts and emotions as you set the temperature for the water. As you go through the whole process of washing pay attention to your physical/emotional/thinking self.
If you can bring this fresh beginner’s mind again and again to your activity — what can you note? do you experience the depth and beauty of even the simplest act?
Feel how the mundane becomes sublime.
