[su_quote cite=”Zen Humor”]Today I will live in the moment. Unless the moment is unpleasant, in which case I will eat a cookie.
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There’s a great story I heard today about a man who lived with eight monks for 15 days. During his time with the monks, one of his assignments was to wash dishes. Each night when he showed up in the kitchen after dinner, a pile of 500 dirty dishes awaited him. Upon seeing that pile for the first time, all he could think about was how long it was going to take him to get through the pile.
After hearing his dismay, one of the monks turned to him and said, “Don’t worry about the 500 dishes. Focus on the one that’s in your hand.”
Once he changed the way he looked at the situation, he was able to relax and actually enjoy the mono-tasking of washing one dish at a time. This kind of reframing the way we think about our lives can help us break through to a new level of inner peace to enjoy a greater sense of well-being.
Speaking of Well-being…
Summer is traditionally a season when longer days and warmer temps beckon us to the ocean and mountains and lakes where we either slow down or speed up (and eat more cookies). What I love most about these next few summer months is going outside to explore the world and focus on enjoying one adventure at a time.
I’d like to recommend five books for you to consider reading this summer as you venture out into the great beyond (all pair quite nicely with cookies, by the way). They include two fiction and three non-fiction:
The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling “I had come under the spell of a great novel….A big, ambitious, brilliant, profane, funny, deeply upsetting and magnificently eloquent novel of contemporary England, rich with literary intelligence….This is a deeply moving book by somebody who understands both human beings and novels very, very deeply.”―Lev Grossman, Time
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders “A luminous feat of generosity and humanism.”—Colson Whitehead, The New York Times Book Review
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero “I adore Jen’s realistic and funny take on all matters of living an awesome life. She has such a gift for writing in a very digestible way that will appeal to everyone. If you’re looking for purple unicorns and rainbows you won’t find them here. What you will find are practical and easy ways to connect with your inner badass and change your life.” —Madisyn Taylor, Co-Founder, DailyOM
Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection by Sharon Salzberg “Writing with compassion and keen insight Real Love opens the heart, helping everyone understand love as revolutionary spiritual practice.” ―bell hooks
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer “In the book The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer takes you step-by-step through the process of Gyana, the yoga of the Intellect, to the Source. Moreover, he does it with elegant simplicity. Read this book carefully, and you will get more than a glimpse of eternity.” —Deepak Chopra
I’ve read and enjoyed them all. Let me know if you read any or all of them and what you enjoyed most!
I hope you take some time this summer to acknowledge how hard you’ve been working this first half of 2018. Slow down long enough to focus on the one special thing you can hold in your hand, like a fantastic chocolate chip cookie from this recipe over at Buzzfeed. Sooooo yummy!
Marvel at its magnificence, enjoy its deliciousness — and then get back out there to wallow in these long, luxurious days of summer.
