Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Awake in the Present


It's windy, grey and stormy here today, surrounded by bits of sunshine and blue sky. A dramatic day in which I get lost in the skies and see my life unfold in a moment. Here's a poem that seems to fit today, and all days.

~by Thich Nhat Hanh
You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea.

Only in the awareness of the present,can your hands feel the pleasant warmth of the cup.
Only in the present, can you savor the aroma,taste the sweetness,appreciate the delicacy.

If you are ruminating about the past,or worrying about the future,you will completely miss the experience of enjoying the cup of tea.

You will look down at the cup,and the tea will be gone.

Life is like that.

If you are not fully present,you will look around and it will be gone.

You will have missed the feel,the aroma,the delicacy and beauty of life.

It will seem to be speeding past you.

The past is finished. Learn from it and let it go.

The future is not even here yet.Plan for it,but do not waste your time worrying about it.

Worrying is worthless.

When you stop ruminating about what has already happened,when you stop worrying about what might never happen,then you will be in the present moment.

Then you will begin to experience joy in life.
*Photo from corbis.com

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:56 AM

    "Worrying is worthless." I definitely live my life with this in mind. It's amazing how simple life can be if you can realize that.

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  2. Whow, that is deep & so true. I will share this with my Honey who is by far the biggest worrier I know.
    I hope you are truly "tasting the tea" today.

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  3. Wow, this goes right along with what my Bible study group talked about yesterday, how worrying about the future eats up so much of our TODAYS. Thanks for sharing this, as it applies to tea and so much more!

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  4. What a great quote, Steph! How very true that is. I think that savoring a cup of tea is a perfect experience for bringing us into the present moment. I love Thich Nhat Hanh's wisdom.

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  5. Beautiful!!! And just what I needed to read only days before an interstate move. :) Time for a cup of tea!

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  6. Anonymous5:41 PM

    was wondering if you could tell me where you found the thich nhat hahn poem.....i have several of his books, but he is so prolific, it is hard to trace where it is from.....saw him speak years ago....amazing man

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  7. @ d hess - You can find the poem online if you "google" the first line. I'm uncertain where I first found this. It's been among my archives for a long time. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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  8. Great post! More please....

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