Can a cup of coffee
be a meditation?
Can I be so present
with the warmth of the cup
or the roasted smell of beans
that I let my self go?
let my Self be in this moment?
Living off the mat,
off that formal time of
emptying, noticing,
observing.
Can I stay present?
Can I welcome
what comes
through me?
Be awake enough to notice,
see, hear, feel it?
Would such a simple life
drag me into a cave?
Or would I burst out
into the world ablaze
with love?
For the past year, I’ve been asking the question: “Who am I now?” Now, without my husband and without my daughter (both of whom passed recently). Who am I without the roles, the relationships, and the love I’d known.
Recently it came to me: I’m asking the wrong question!
I’ve been seeking another story about who I am in the world, one I can slip-into and live comfortably in. One that would define me and pull me in from floating in space.
But a friend suggested the question was not necessarily about a new story. That the meaning would shift if I focused on the “now” part. Who am I now?
She was right. “Now” it changes with each second of time. It is not a constant but a flow. It’s not about coming up with a new a story about me but an awakening to what is.
So I’m playing with new questions, What am I experiencing now?, What do I want to express now? What am I led to do now?
For one who taught strategic planning, this is a bit different. But it feels right…at least for now.
Wonderful insight I will apply to myself! And, yes, a cup of coffee can be a meditation!
yes, we don’t need to wait for or prepare for or practice for enlightenment
it is now
I Am is who is now. I like your question about meditation. I do it with coffee or my dogs. I see NOW as a gateway, like a portal into infinity. The O is the opening. Getting into the flow experience releases my spirit to fly. I’ve been painting watercolors, hiking, cooking with music and “building bridges to Brett” in Texas with my creativity. He gets married in October! I am really glad to read your beautiful writing today. It is just right for me NOW.
Different question, different life. I love it. Thank you.
Love this, (and you) Barbara!
Your insights are magnificently expressed. You questions are philosophical and insightful. But why try to label or define all that you were, are or will become. You are a special blessing to so many of us on so many levels. Who needs to know anymore about you?