I’m trying to live a more intentional life. One component of this goal is to practice mindfulness and meditation. I used to think those two things were synonymous, but the more I’m learning the more I realize they are actually opposites (or at least, in the forms I tend to gain the most value from).
Let’s start with meditation.
I’ve tried apps like Waking Up, Calm, and Headspace. I’ve listened to many guided meditations that encourage guided mind exercises, but the most meaningful meditation sessions involve sitting in silence, or with solfeggio frequencies in my headphones (to mask outside noises). My primary goal is to empty the mind. To attempt “no thought”, but if a thought comes, I acknowledge it and try not to be associated with it (e.g. “I am drawn to think about what I will do later today, now I will return to my empty mind.”)
When I practice controlling my thoughts like this, it is just like physical exercise…my mind becomes better at controlling thoughts when I am not in the middle of a meditation. Put in another way, when I meditate regularly, I am less reactive to the ups and downs of life.
For that reason, I find silent meditation extremely valuable.
Now, what about mindfulness? How is that the opposite? When I think of mindfulness, I think of pouring my entire mind (or as much as is possible) into whatever I’m doing. The ultimate “Be Here, Now” in the present moment. To use every sense available to me to taste, see, smell, touch, and hear what it is I’m doing. To think of the wonders and history involved in putting me in that present moment.
So, this morning I was drinking a cup of coffee, and I took 5 minutes to be mindful with this cup of coffee. I thought it was worth a share. Every day I go through 2-4 cups of coffee throughout my workday, I enjoy them in the loosest sense, but rarely do I stop to be mindful of each sip (and of course, this is impractical for all of life but a worthwhile practice on occasion).
The Mindful Sip
As I hold this cup in my hand, I think about:
- The mountains of Columbia where the beans were grown.
- The farmer who picked the beans that would eventually be used for this batch, this cup.
- The breakfast the farmer might have had to fuel their day of working at the coffee plantation.
- The owner of the coffee plantation, perhaps a family, perhaps a white-collar businessman.
- The soil the beans were grown in, and the generations of plants grown on that land before this plant.
- The rain that came and went while the coffee plant grew.
- The sunshine that traveled 93 million miles through space to land on the chlorophyll in the leaves of the plant.
- The fertilizer given to the plant.
- The native Columbian insects that are needed to pollinate the flowers.
- The historical discovery of coffee, perhaps from goats in Ethiopia
- The stumbling upon the fact that coffee plants produce caffeine (even if they didn’t have a name for it at the time)
- The evolution of how coffee is enjoyed, leading to the drying, roasting, grinding, soaking, and filtering of beans to produce a drink.
- Back to modern times, in Columbia…someone made a burlap sack which is now being used to collect the dried beans and ship them somewhere to be roasted.
- The roasting of the beans. The decision of which level of roast is best for this type of bean.
- The various forms of transportation these beans had to make to be brought to Ohio, where I am enjoying them.
- The corporate employee at Northstar (the cafe I am at currently) that decided which coffee beans to feature in their restaurant.
- The workers here who ground the roasted beans this morning.
- The workers in a manufacturing plant someone that made the drip coffee maker used here.
- The manufacturing history of the paper filter that was used to keep the beans out of the cup.
- The amount of time that has passed since this particular cup was brewed, affecting it’s temperature and freshness.
- The sound of pouring the coffee into the cup from the carafe.
- The visual steam that can be seen dancing around the handle while I pour.
- The smell of that fresh, hot coffee wofting up from the cup into my nose.
- The warmth on the palms of my hands while I hold the mug with both hands.
- One more smell as I raise it to my mouth to take that first sip.
- The taste as the liquid hits my mouth, my tongue, my lips, the back of my throat.
- The feeling of swallowing it.
- The sound of my exhale after the swallow.
- The sound of setting down the cup.
- The tiny dopamine hit I just got from drinking something I find delicious.
- The knowledge that I have about 20 more sips to go in this cup before I go and refill it.
And I suppose that last one is why I can’t be mindful of every sip, it would take forever to drink one cup if I fully immersed myself in each sip.
I also should be asking, what’s the goal of being so mindful then? I mean, I can take 5 minutes to have a sip of coffee, but what did I gain or was it a waste of time?
- Mindful living increases our sense of awe at the world around us, the experiences we have, and I believe that increases the contentment we feel with daily life.
- Mindful living increases our happiness with what we have, and pauses the feeling of needing more and more.
- Mindful living connects us with the living, breathing world around us, that we are all one with, while we believe we are separate we are all connected and inter-dependant on the worlds we live in.
Overall, mindful living leads to less focus on my own issues and problems, my own ego and tendency to see everything dualistically, with myself as the center, and to see myself as merely a part of a larger narrative that is happening all around me. In that, overall, I experience more patience and a sense of belonging. Less suffering. Less pain. More contentment. More happiness. More peace.
That being said, after writing this my cup is now empty and I need to go refill it.
Ooh! I forgot to mention, the makers of the cup, the clay needed to make the cup, the designer that invented a handle for hot liquids, the glaze, the kiln, the packaging of the cups so they don’t break…so much went into even this empty mug.
So much goes into everything we experience, but often we just grab the mug, drink the coffee, and get on with our busy lives.
