I bought a fountain pen a couple of weeks ago. It is a little thing AND yet it brings such joy. It is messier than a ballpoint pen. It takes longer to write because I consciously shake it when I begin to start the ink flowing and wait with the ink until it flows. I pause to enjoy each letter as it forms on the tip of the pen.
AND the ink selection is so wonderful. Of course I couldn’t choose blue or black. I bought teal and violet. AND the joy of writing comes alive as I slow down to meet the pen where it works best. In short, I am more present with the act of writing. I appreciate writing as an aesthetically pleasing, creative and quiet act, very peaceful. AND I watch what I write, whether for pleasure or work.
I am noticing that eating a lobster is not much different. When I order a boiled lobster, I slow down to watch where I crack the shell and empty the contents, lest a morsel of meat escape with the parts to be discarded. The process is slower because I engage in a kind of search and rescue mission with the captured scavenger to extract each last piece of delicious meat. AND eating a lobster can be quite messy if I am not fully present and engaged in the art of pulling each piece meat whole from the shell.
The process of simple acts that invite attention and consciousness is by nature slower, more deliberate. It is also potentially messier that the alternative forms of the same acts. In choosing to be present with where we invest our energy, we are invited to look closely at what is natural, of nature, instead of what is so cleansed, prepared, and streamlined for us that we need not really be present. If something can be done without thinking, we look past it and often miss the opportunity to appreciate whatever gift it offers.
Sometimes the sources of delight and joy in life come from consciously choosing and then engaging some small adjustment in how we “normally” do something. The small changes thoughtfully done can open a world of simple pleasures and smiles AND remind us to be present for all the ways we choose to engage our energy. AND sometimes, thinking small can produce changes that are really big. Enjoy.
