Chili and Being in the Moment

Day 67 of 100

One morning recently, while cutting up chicken to put in the crock pot for chili, I had a realization. I have a difficult time “being in the moment” when it comes to routine tasks such as this. All the while cutting the chicken, I had to stop myself from leaving this task half fished. I wanted to get the canned beans and salsa out of the pantry and open them. It wouldn't have sped up my process any; in fact, it may have slowed it down, as the counter was full already. Why do I do this? I thought about how not completing the task at hand fully, before moving onto the next, creates clutter.

I have read many books on mindfulness, taken meditation classes and practice this regularly. One thing they teach is not just mindfulness in your mediation practice but throughout the day. I try really hard in my interactions with others to be fully present and in the moment and not let the clutter of my insensate thoughts get in the way of the relationship. However, during, what I consider mundane, repetitive tasks: laundry, cooking, dusting, making beds etc, I let my mind slide into that dangerous abyss. The lists, chores, conversations I need to have, calls I need to make, etc., occupy my mind, taking me away from the present moment.

I decided that I really need to work on doing one thing at a time, rather than constantly multi-tasking. Why do we try and crunch so much into each day? Should we be more realistic in what actually can be done, while maintaining our home and having healthy relationships with our family and friends? Does all this not add to the clutter in our lives?

You'll be proud to know, I made my chili one step at a time, focusing on the task at hand, rather than moving forward, at warp speed on auto pilot, oblivious to what I was doing. I realized that this made it much more enjoyable. I am going to really work hard on trying to find pleasure, or at least awareness in the simplest of tasks and be conscious and in the moment, no matter what I am doing.

Do you ever get so caught up in all that you need to do, that you don't realize where you are? You could be missing a great moment in your life! Let go of the clutter in your mind and enjoy the present!