Years ago, when I was young and looking for answers to life’s big questions, I sat across the table from a friend in an Italian restaurant. We were both the same age, but he seemed to have lived a dozen lifetimes more than I.
I peppered him with questions about the Universe and why we’re all here. Then one at a time, he volleyed questions of his own back across the table.
“Did you taste that salad you just ate – really taste it?” he’d ask with mock exasperation. “How about that wine… did you swish it around your mouth and taste the pear and the cinnamon?” Sheepishly, I had to admit that I hadn’t.
“Did you feel the water splash your face in the shower this morning – really feel it?” The answer again, of course, was “no”.
That evening is almost 30 years ago now, but not a day goes by that I don’t think about the way he taught me to notice. I think of it while I’m in the shower feeling the water splash my face, and when I’m sitting down to dinner and really tasting the flavours of each bite.
Talk about a great tip for navigating this global pandemic of ours.
So many of us have been confined to our homes for the last six months, with so little social interaction. We all know what the downside can be: isolation and loneliness. But there’s an upside, too. We’ve been given the gift of time to actually slow down and notice the things that surround us in our lives each day. Small things. Simple things. Warm water in the shower. Good food.
And then there’s clean laundry. Before I stack each freshly folded towel on the bathroom shelf, I hold it up to my cheek and feel it… really feel it… soft and plush and comforting and warm. It’s such an unexpected kick.
What else could we notice? I don’t know… Everything sounds good to me. 😀
