MINDFULNESS
My mother always told me to wash my hands before I ate. It became such a habit that somehow the food never tasted any good till I had all the filth of the day washed away from my skin at the end of a long day. She kept telling me to not look for the bigger or juicier piece of chicken but to pick what was within my reach in front of me. She taught me to eat while keeping some part of my stomach empty. She also taught me to always ask and look at each others’ plate before taking the last piece. My mother kept reiterating to be grateful and not be picky with what I ate. That a meal is a meal, if made with love and care, and should be devoured as such.
I never thought till now that her subliminal and sometimes very clear teachings were guiding me on how to go about the rest of my life.
Now when I start my day or even when I end it, I wash my hands in reverence and with intentional care. I wash away the dirt, nuances, setbacks, and struggles that occurred. I give my hands a new start. I devour the food with complete mindfulness. I savour each scent and submerge in the texture while nourishing my body.
When I view the world and its resources, I see the world through a plentiful lens. I take what is in front of me without the fear that something, somewhere, that someone else has might be better. The satisfaction of owning what is in front of me is enough to satiate my heart’s appetite.
There’s no greed for more. Or the thought that if I don’t have it, if I don’t snatch it from someone else, I might have nothing for myself. Somehow, I have truly come to believe that whatever is mine will reach me. Whatever morsel is written for me will find its place on my plate and it will be plenty. Whatever labour I put into my day, the earnings I receive will be enough for me.
And now, I never try to feel “full”. I am satisfied with “enough”. I feel light as a feather when I know I have given enough to my body to go on and now I can do my tasks easily, without a burden or a sense of dissatisfaction. There’s no void to fill when you’ve been taught you will always be content with whatever you receive.
I have learnt to always let go, forego, forgive, and disengage. To not hold on to hunger like a vice. That last piece everyone is eyeing, let them have it. The right way is to ask if everyone has had their share. There’s no gain in stealthily trying to devour the last crumb without caring if everyone else has been fed. Nothing happens if you let go of the sense of entitlement. You always come out better, stronger, and refined if you learn the art of subduing your desires and whims, and culturing the etiquette of wholesomeness and mindfulness.
Now I know how important it is to be grateful. To be grateful for the clean meal I’m eating. To be grateful for the person who cooked it. To be able to taste it. Nourish myself with it. And to be able to share with others the joys of life. That albeit these lessons come at a price, they are what makes the taste all the more enriching. And to be most grateful to have this kind of present and conscious upbringing, to always be told that there is enough of everything – food, wealth, success, contentment – in the world, only if you chase it for the right reasons and with the purest intentions.
How lucky am I to have figured this out because of people who truly know the etiquette of living mindfully.