"If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future—and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
Who can't relate to that statement? It's so common for us to let our thinking take us away from living—into the future, or the past, or the present filtered through a story. Especially when we are occupied with some "mundane" moment, like doing the dishes or waiting in the checkout line.
Thich Nhat Hanh isn't blaming us for our habit of mind wandering. He's just giving us the stark wake-up call we need. If we keep ignoring this moment because we think a better one will come along, then ever being awake for our lives becomes very difficult.
Teacher Rodney Smith puts it this way: "Once we abandon the belief that there is a more spiritually useful moment than the one we are in, we have embraced our life and infused it with the energy for awakening."
So how do we actually do this—live this moment and abandon the belief there's a more useful one to be found?
You can start by noticing whether something in you resonated as you read Thich Nhat Hanh’s words. Maybe a little bit of a sense of regret—or longing. Yeah, I know this. That can be enough to interrupt the habit of always reaching for something else, somewhere else, or sometime else.
Get curious about resting in present moment awareness. Be willing for a few minutes to see what it's like when you stop trying to entertain yourself, or stop automatically working to avoid any discomfort.
There's no need to make a big effort to become calm, or move through your day highly focused on each sensory experience. For everyday practice, simply notice what's really happening now. Try a 'purposeful pause,' as teacher Janice Marturano calls it.
The chance to wake up and "live this one moment of life" happens more frequently if we've established a regular meditation practice. The point of regular practice isn't mainly the calm or well-being that might arise, however pleasant that might be—but to acquaint our minds with what it feels like to be present, not caught in the trance of thought.
Once we've become acquainted with being present in meditation, we more easily remember during the day to "abandon the belief" that there's a more useful moment than the one we are in. But we don't need to wait until we've become expert meditators to live this moment. We can do this right now.
