Today I drank my cappuccino in silence. I’m not talking just about the no-sound kind of silence, but also silence from the flood of information passing through my news feed; I unplugged for a sweet 15 minutes of mindful cappuccino-making and subsequent drinking.
This past week has been a whirlwind: between the time change and the world unrest, panic, and frenzy about COVID-19, I, and I’m sure all of you, have been exhausted. I’m constantly reading news, analyzing whether or not it’s accurate, who is writing it, and deciding if it’s information I need to have. I’m seeing opinions ranging between utter panic and complete arrogance, both of which I find frustrating. It’s hard not to have an emotional reaction to all this information.
Enter mindfulness.
It’s the purposeful unplugging of external information and stimuli; it’s going within. It’s allowing ourselves to be, just as we are, without seeking more. It’s not distracting from the truth, it’s simply being.
Add a coffee to the mix, and it can be extremely pleasurable, a multi-sensory experience. So I began by grinding the coffee beans, enjoying the smell of the freshly ground beans. I fetched the milk for the frother jug and put a little maple syrup in the bottom of my favourite cappuccino mug. I tamped the espresso grinds down into the filter basket of the portafilter, and locked it in place in the machine. I watched as the espresso streamed out of the portafilter into the mug, creating a thick and beautiful crema. I then frothed the milk, listening to the sound of the steam wand whirling around in the milk and creating bubbles. I combined the frothed milk, espresso and maple syrup into my mug.
I sat down in my spot on the couch, held my warm mug, smelled the freshly brewed cappuccino and watched the steam leaving the mug, noticing all the bubbles in the foam. I drank, slowly, noticing the temperature, texture and taste of the drink as it entered my mouth and went down my esophagus. My mind wandered a million times, and I kept bringing it back to the present moment: nothing to worry about, it’s just me and my mug.
I had to resist the urge to jump up as soon as it was over and move on to the next thing, check my phone for updates, think about all the thoughts coming into my head. I mindfully noticed the urge, and sat.
While it might not seem like much, it was a blissful and healing moment for me during this bleak time we are experiencing. I feel the mindful moments are what helps me be clear on my needs, tune into my body, turn down the noise, and just be.
If you’d like some help with learning to practice mindfulness in your day to day life, please contact me to see how we can work together.
Because together, we rise.
And so it is.