Just a short post today on the subject of simplicity and the senses. I'd like to issue each of you with a challenge. A challenge for all five of your senses. To some this comes across as an exercise in mindfulness, and perhaps it is. But it's also about getting down to the pure essence and simplicity of the things that make up our daily lives, and in doing so we can release some of the stresses that bring us down. So not to sound like Maria von Trapp but:
1. Feast with your eyes. Enjoy watching something pure and simple like a bumble bee doing its job, look for a shooting star, watch a toddler who is new at walking gain momentum.
2. Really stop and smell the roses! But not just the roses. Lilac is blooming all over the UK right now. What about onions sizzling in a pan? The smell of your child's neck after a day of playing in the sand box. A handful of mint scrunched up between your fingers. The passing rainstorm.
3. Listen to the sound of birdsong, cicadas in the trees, the far away sound of a child singing Alouette, the dog snoring, Chet Baker on the stereo.
4. It's strawberry season in the UK - find the fattest, juiciest strawberry and eat it slowly, really savouring each and every bite, not caring if it dribbles down your chin. Enjoy the crunch of jicama or some water chestnuts. Remember popping candy? It's every bit as wonderful on the tongue now as it was when you were younger....just for kicks.
5. Notice the toothbrush and how the bristles feel as you move it all around your mouth. The warm reassuring coffee cup in your hands. The coolness of the tiled floor under your feet. Get crazy and find a patch of grass you can walk on barefoot today and really get grounded.
These simple, real things bring us back in touch with the beauty of daily life. I hope you will find joy in the simplicity of the aspects of life that touch your senses. Wishing you a wonderful day.
