Yesterday’s invitation for kindness :
Notice the natural world all around you even if you are indoors. Really see the trees outside your window, look closely at the plants inside your house, the produce in your fridge. Be aware of the miracle of aliveness. Be aware of your own aliveness.
My husband and I finally used a gift certificate we were given a few years ago and went to the Scandinavian Spa in Collingwood yesterday. And once we were there it was lovely. There were opportunities everywhere to notice the natural world around us in the outdoor pools. It was an incredibly beautiful time of year to be there. Inside the eucalyptus steam room, I could hear my own breath and other people breathing but I couldn’t see them for all the steam. Then from there we would go into the cold water pool. All of it made me feel alive, alive, alive. So gorgeous. Go if you have the opportunity.
But I also want to back up a little and tell you about awareness on the way there.
We left for the spa after school drop off and it was softly snowing. The trees were so pretty…heavy with snow in the branches. Gradually the snow fall thickened. My windshield wipers started to freeze clearing away the windscreen above and below my line of vision. The wind picked up creating whiteouts. The drivers ahead and behind put on their hazard lights. We were all crawling. Then the road we were on closed. We turned around and went down an unplowed side road. There were A LOT of cars in the ditch or stuck. The way I started to ‘see’ really shifted. It narrowed. My body was tight. I didn’t feel my breath. I’m not really a nervous driver so it wasn’t an off the charts thing but I wasn’t just appreciating the beauty around me. I noticed the snow but I was more intensely focused on seeing through the windshield and keeping the truck in front of me in focus. I felt so much gratitude for the driver in front who was leading the way. I was also nervous about the guy behind me who kept wanting to pass. He hopped out agitated a couple of times when the car in front of me stopped because cars were stuck or in the ditch.
There is nothing dramatic in this retelling aside from what I think are the tangible benefits of practising presence. I was aware that I was aware of the tension in my body, I decided deeper breathes were necessary, I noticed my need to turn off the music, I realized I was open to have my husband make suggestions about driving which is not always the case 😉 . I was aware of the unfolding events (weather, cars in front etc.) without blocking out everything else. It isn’t a huge thing. More years of meditation and maybe I wouldn’t tense up at all. Many, many more years of meditation and my husbands driving advice might not ever ruffle me. But still I know this is different from a twenty year old me or thirty year old me.
