Live Like the Cup is Completely Full.

Today at work we had an all-day symposium focused on environmental sustainability, with guest speakers, workshops, and other festivities. Very inspiring and educational, and I rushed from session to session, trying to glean as much knowledge as I could from the time that I had. During a lull in the programming the organizers put out a coffee service, with drinks and snacks to keep us going. Free coffee? Yes, please! I grabbed a cup and decided to head back to my office, but the cups were not designed for transport – no travel covers. So I found myself walking back to my office while trying not to spill a full cup of hot coffee. And then an amazing thing happened. My walking pace slowed down. I paid attention to where I was walking, making sure that there were no sticks or other obstacles in my path that might cause me to trip and spill my drink. I became aware of my body’s balance as I let my arm relax. My breathing slowed. Because I was forced to slow down, I was also able to notice the warm sun on the sidewalk, the early autumn breeze, the leaves that were starting to turn, and the activity of the humans and non-humans in my path. I was no longer just getting from point A to point B, I was experiencing myself and my surroundings. I suddenly realized how infrequently I do this, as a person trying to juggle work and home life, care for a young child, improve my community and my environment. It is easy to get sucked into not just the day-to-day but the second-to-second without actually noticing the seconds. A simple cup of uncovered coffee was all it took for me to slow down and realize who and where I was, and it was magnificent. What if we took time each day to walk somewhere with a full cup, balancing our physical and mental selves in the process? How many different ways can we envision living with a “cup is completely full” mentality, one of abundance instead of scarcity? How does that change our end goals and our daily priorities? Many people would argue that coffee is not really food, but today a simple cup of joe was plenty food for body, mind and spirit.