Tales of the Present
As the warm droplets of the shower blend with the outlines of my skin, I loose myself in the music that’s playing on the speakers I keep on the sill of my bathroom window. It’s probably a song from the album, Santiago by Russ, and as I feel myself going deeper as the song goes on, my mind wanders off to the Cliffs of Dover in England. I whisper, “Just stay, here with me, in the present. Let’s get lost in the song for now.”
As I peel the vegetables on the counter of my kitchen, I loose myself in the mere rhythm of peeling & cutting. I stare at the ingredients as they ready themselves to contribute to an outcome of a collective dish that’s greater than the sum of all the parts. I smell the fragrant mixture of garlic & olive oil on my pan, and as I feel myself going deeper into the nature of the ingredients I cook, my mind wanders off to a project at work, perhaps a process I can change for a better outcome. I whisper to my mind, “Just stay, here with me, in the present. Let’s get lost in the garlic for now. We can take care of the project tomorrow.”
As Abhay & I slip into the bed, we loose ourselves in a conversation that can easily be themed under “hard conversation yielding learnings”. We both unabashedly share our unfiltered perspective on the situation at hand and give each other space to be heard, acknowledge & felt for. As we reach the point in the conversation which requires consensus or thoughtful disagreement, I feel myself tugging at the old manual of emotions that served me until my early twenties, but has been re-written completely since. I whisper to my mind, “Just stay, here with me, in the present. Let’s refer to a page from the new manual of emotions now, it’s time.”
As I flip another page from the book I’m reading, I loose myself in the story so deeply & wholly. I buy yet another cup of coffee to keep the camera of my mind fluttering to capture the scene of me reading while I sipped on this exquisite cup of coffee. I turn to yet another page & find yet another learning that I promise to apply in life. As I feel myself getting lost enough to feel the emotions of the writer as if it were me, my mind wanders off to adjust the internal camera to the rays of the sun that were falling upon the majestic cat outside. I started to think about Cersei, my cat and what she might be doing at home. I whisper to my mind, “Just stay, here with me, in the present. Let’s see what happens as you turn to the next page.”
