I am familiar with the popular advice that one should avoid going to sleep angry. I am mindful for that reason of what I do during my nighttime routine. I avoid exposure to media, social networking sites, and conversations which could leave me frustrated or upset. I focus instead on nourishing self care: curling up with a warm cup of herbal tea, a hot buckwheat wrap, and some light, positive reading and relaxing music. I keep the lighting low and electronic use to a minimum.
As I was enjoying my restful routine last night, I revisited a book called Meal By Meal: 365 Daily Meditations For Finding Balance Through Mindful Eating. I had originally looked at this book because I knew that mindless eating was not only affecting my physical health, but was taking away from my enjoyment and experience of food. I read the very first entry in the book, which tells the following story:
Two monks--one young and one elderly--gather food for their daily meal. On their way back to the monastery, a woman falls into the nearby river and struggles against the current. Without hesitation, the eldest monk carries her safely to the shore. The monks continue walking in silence until the young monk can no longer contain his ANGER.
"You carried that woman and broke your monk's vows."
"You carried that woman and broke your monk's vows."
"I left her on the bank," says the old monk, "but I am afraid you are still carrying her on your shoulders."
The idea specifically related to the story in this context was that one should be mindful of anger and other emotions when eating. I thought about how many activities throughout my day I do mindlessly and often completely ignorant of my emotional state. How many times am I doing one thing but thinking about something that happened earlier in the day or something I need to accomplish later? How often am I completely unaware that I am still clenching my jaw and tightening my shoulders at the frustration of having missed the bus or spilled my water bottle inside my purse three hours ago?
Similar to my former bedtime routine, I tend to eat my meals in front of the computer screen, TV screen, and/or cell phone screen. I am embarrassed to say that I often even use the internet on my cell phone when I am out alone at restaurants or cafes. Previously, I always just figured that since I am on my own at home, there is no reason to sit at a table and eat my meals. But why not? Why not set my table for myself as I would for a guest? Why not experience and enjoy my meal instead of just eating it?
And then I imagined what it would be like if this mindful awareness could go beyond eating a meal, or getting ready for bed. What if even in performing the most seemingly menial chores, like washing dishes, doing laundry or de-cluttering my apartment, I could enjoy the moment of the task at hand? And so, I'm off to turn on some of my favorite tunes, light some scented candles, and organize my home a bit. Today's goal: Have a kitchen table cleared off and set for the experience and enjoyment of tonight's dinner!
The idea specifically related to the story in this context was that one should be mindful of anger and other emotions when eating. I thought about how many activities throughout my day I do mindlessly and often completely ignorant of my emotional state. How many times am I doing one thing but thinking about something that happened earlier in the day or something I need to accomplish later? How often am I completely unaware that I am still clenching my jaw and tightening my shoulders at the frustration of having missed the bus or spilled my water bottle inside my purse three hours ago?
Similar to my former bedtime routine, I tend to eat my meals in front of the computer screen, TV screen, and/or cell phone screen. I am embarrassed to say that I often even use the internet on my cell phone when I am out alone at restaurants or cafes. Previously, I always just figured that since I am on my own at home, there is no reason to sit at a table and eat my meals. But why not? Why not set my table for myself as I would for a guest? Why not experience and enjoy my meal instead of just eating it?
And then I imagined what it would be like if this mindful awareness could go beyond eating a meal, or getting ready for bed. What if even in performing the most seemingly menial chores, like washing dishes, doing laundry or de-cluttering my apartment, I could enjoy the moment of the task at hand? And so, I'm off to turn on some of my favorite tunes, light some scented candles, and organize my home a bit. Today's goal: Have a kitchen table cleared off and set for the experience and enjoyment of tonight's dinner!
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