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Category Archives: Mindfulness

2020 Vision Statement: “Now”

01 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by Loree2e in Mindfulness

≈ 2 Comments

 

IMG_1478 (1).jpg

One of my favorite takeaways from my time working at Facebook is the habit of writing an annual vision statement for what I’d like to be able to have accomplished by the end of the following year. Documenting my goals on this blog helps keep them top of mind for me. Sharing my goals with friends and family helps keep me accountable and more likely to finish.

In the past, I’ve been very achievement-oriented in my vision statements. That is not likely to change; I am a to-do list maker and box-checker-offer and I love setting and achieving goals.

But this year, I started creating my vision statement by thinking about what’s important to me. What are my values? Brene Brown has a great list of 100 values (scroll down the page, it’s on the lower right) to refer to and choose from, for deciding what is most important to honor in your life.

I narrowed mine down to 5: Family, Service, Freedom, Community and Joy. The goals I have in my vision statement this year reflect these values. They represent how I want to live my life and spend my time.

I don’t usually choose a “word of the year.” I did once, in 2018: “Fearless” and I liked it well enough. But one word has been coming to mind recently, and that is “Now.” I like it as a theme for 2020 for several reasons:
1 – It’s a reminder to stay present and in the moment. One of my Strengths is Futuristic, and while it’s great for envisioning the future and what could be, I sometimes feel anxious about what might happen. Similarly, I often rerun events of the past in my head to think about what I might have done differently, even though there’s no way to change what’s happened, and therefore, it’s mostly a waste of my time. Remembering the mantra “Now” keeps things in the moment and cues me to practice mindfulness.
2 – It’s a command for me: Do it now. I don’t want to wait any longer to start pursuing work that is meaningful for me. I left Facebook this past year, after writing my obituary as part of my yoga teacher training and realizing that I need to feel fulfilled in the work I do in order to be happy. Joy is important to me.
3 – It’s a reminder to be grateful for where I am now. My eldest departs the nest this year. He’s graduating from high school and enlisting in the Marine Corps. I couldn’t be prouder of him. I can’t believe the year 2020 is finally here and he is leaving to live his life as an adult. “Now” is a word to remind me that I should cherish every moment with him and his sister, as the time for us all living together is slipping away quickly.

I have a feeling 2020 will be a year of transformation for me. I am building my own business and reconnecting with my artistic roots. I’m mostly thrilled but slightly terrified; however, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be awesome.

 

For my 2020 Vision Statement, I am changing things up a little bit and taking advantage of the number of the year.

20 things I want to accomplish in 2020:

  1. Cook meals from scratch for my family at least once a week.
  2. Visit with my parents and brothers (and their families) at least twice this year.
  3. Take the kids on a vacation.
  4. Make my first book available as an eBook and print-on-demand.
  5. Write a business book.
  6. Launch a consulting business.
  7. Sell 1,000 books.
  8. Obtain my CPCC (Certified Professional Co-Active Coach) certification and build up my coaching business to 10 clients.
  9. Get paid for public speaking.
  10. Become conversant in Spanish.
  11. Perform a one-woman show.
  12. Be able to play a song on piano while singing the lyrics.
  13. Increase my flexibility enough to do the splits.
  14. Go on one date/month (a 4X increase over 2019, ha!).
  15. Host a dinner party for friends.
  16. Hike once a week.
  17. Practice yoga daily.
  18. Meditate daily.
  19. Teach yoga classes for a) veterans at the VA and b) for girls through The Art of Yoga.
  20. Travel to someplace I’ve never been before.

This might be the last year I do a big list. While I like the values-driven approach to the goals, I feel like it might be time to take one year and simplify…to focus on like, 3-5 things. Or maybe even one, like, “Choose joy.” I’m going to see how 2020 goes and consider whether 2021 might be a revisioning of my vision statement process.

How do you approach New Year’s resolutions and vision statements? I’m curious to hear about other methods.

Wishing all of you a joyful and fulfilling 2020.

Just keep paddling…

25 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by Loree2e in Divorce, Mindfulness, Parenting, Relationships

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Tags

divorce, Parenting

Yesterday was one of those days that makes me appreciate the wonderful, happy days even more.

Because yesterday sucked.

I should back up and preface the suckage by talking about a couple of things that happened earlier this week.

Three days ago, right before I was about to leave for my first of 3 networking meetings of the day, my nanny stopped by….and gave me her letter of resignation. Fuck. She was distraught….literally on her knees begging me to forgive her (I’m not sure if that’s a Filipino thing or a Catholic thing). I was shocked by the resignation, as we have a great relationship, but my kids are getting older and we could only give her afternoons since the kids are in school for the first half of the day. I completely understood why she took another offer that was full-time.

The thought of telling my kids that she was leaving was almost too much for me to bear. Two years ago, it was “your dad and I are getting a divorce” last year it was “we’re selling the house (the only one you’ve ever lived in)” and now we’re kicking off 2013 with “your beloved nanny of 6 years needs to go to another family because they can offer her full-time work which she needs because her rent is being raised by her landlords (who, btw, are Google millionaires living in a 6-bedroom house next door).” The kids’ dad and I told them, along with our nanny, who sobbed just as hard as my daughter did. But that night, my daughter called me to let me know she was ok. Such a sensitive heart, that one. My kids’ resilience continues to amaze me.

Part of me is elated…maybe now I can be the one always picking up my kids and helping them with homework and doing fun projects, etc. etc. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since my kids were younger – stay home part-time and take care of them (one of the contributing factors to the breakup of my marriage: he didn’t want to give up the salary I could command). Then the brain steps back in and reminds me that I am divorced and no one is going to pay my rent for me while I’m busy being super Stay-at-Home Mom.

In a strange way, I guess I finally did get what I always wanted…I suppose I could pick up the kids everyday and be with them in the afternoons if I could find a job that only went until 2:30pm every day. So, maybe the universe is delivering…but asking me to meet it halfway.

The other thing that sent my heart to the dumps is that I had to end a relationship with someone I cared about deeply. This person was someone I’d consider a soulmate, except for the constant promises and failure to keep them. I can’t deal with dishonesty in my life. I’m a very open and honest person and when someone continuously tells me they’re going to do something but then finds excuses for not delivering on their promises…it just wore my heart down and I realized I could no longer trust this person. It was (and is) extremely painful to think of the emotional investment I had in this relationship and what the end result was. I feel like I was taken advantage of.

So, back to yesterday. After 5-months of a sabbatical, I still don’t know what I want to do with my life. My brain is telling me to find a job in a big company so I can have some financial stability but my heart is telling me no no no but I don’t know what I should do to start generating income. The proceeds from a house sale (even in overly-priced Silicon Valley) can only last so long. I’m afraid of settling for something I don’t really want just for the sake of stability. I made the mistake of doing that in my marriage and in going to business school, and I’ve been trying to evolve from both of those over the past two years. It’s scary to be in this position and yesterday was one of those rare days when I take a step backwards and start beating myself up. Lots of tears and teeth gnashing, wondering how I could have screwed things up so badly. Fortunately, night eventually falls and I can go to sleep and start another day.

This morning as I made my daily walk to my local coffee shop, I passed by middle school students riding their bikes to school and I wanted to stop them and scream, “DON’T SETTLE! Do what you love! The rest will figure itself out. STOP SUCCUMBING TO FEAR or what your parents think you should do!”

As much as I want to impart this wisdom to these young adults, they would probably start calling me the crazy lady of Starbucks, and I’m pretty sure that position already has a waiting list.

8 things I noticed this morning before 8am

07 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Loree2e in Art, Mindfulness, Writing

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Tags

writing

1. Upon waking, the amazing way the morning light in the corners of my bedroom casts itself in different shades of beige and gold and begs to be painted.

2. How quiet my house is in contrast to the school mornings when my kids are with me.

3. On my walk to get my morning coffee, how the sky and clouds look like they were painted in watercolors.

4. The sparse berries left on the trees by the train station signal that we are definitely in the middle of winter, even though the few berries that are left are bright pink.

5. I don’t notice the train noise anymore.

6. I wanted to pick up a penny I spotted in a crosswalk, but there was a big truck coming and  even though he had the stop sign, I didn’t think tempting fate for a penny was worth it.

7. I had a 3-minute internal debate while in line about what coffee I should order this morning. The Vanilla Spice sounds really good but I need to lose the five pounds I gained over the holidays (thanks, Mom!). I should probably get a tall nonfat latté but I feel like kicking off my year with a little something extra. What to get, what to get…

8. I am excited for 2013. I am looking forward to the adventures that await me this year. I know they will make me stronger, just as last year’s did.

I love that this morning I felt the urge to write and I have the time to do so.

I ended up ordering a grandé peppermint latté. And I am savoring it.

A Day in the Life

26 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by Loree2e in Inspiration, Mindfulness, Music

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I love music.

I listen to it throughout the day, sing it in the shower, dance to it while cooking in the kitchen. I love when a favorite song comes on the radio that I haven’t heard in a while and I get to relish whatever it is about that particular song that pleases me…the bass line, the rhythm, the harmonies, cowbell, etc.

Tonight, I arrived home after my Zumba class (dancing somehow doesn’t feel like a workout to me, but my drenched shirt tells otherwise) and just as I pulled into the driveway of my home, “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles began on the radio. I put the car in park, turned off the engine and sat in the dark, listening to it. It brings back memories of when I was in grade school, listening to the Beatles and the Moody Blues and the Rolling Stones because my mom liked those bands. I loved the album covers of the Beatles Red 1962-1966 and Blue 1967-1970 albums. It was so cool to me how they had changed in their photos in that short time span (probably why I am enamored with Dear Photograph and Shawn Clover’s 1906 Mashup Photos).

I put aside nostalgia and really listened to the music…the insistent piano, the mounting, chaotic strings, the simple lyrics that convey the violence and ordinariness of our daily lives, and of course, when John Lennon went into his dream, I sang along with him on the best part: ahhhhhhhh, ah, ah, ahhhhh… ahhh ah ahhhhh….ahhh ah ahhhhhhh….

Right before I had pulled into the driveway, I was thinking about what I’d make for dinner, and which bath bomb from Lush I was going to plop into my bath tonight, but when that song came on, I completely surrendered myself to that moment of singing in the car, in the dark, by myself… a lovely moment of serendipity.

I am a surfer

12 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by Loree2e in Inspiration, Mindfulness, Travel

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Tags

Sayulita, surfing

As part of my sabbatical, I decided to learn how to surf. A practical person would have signed up for lessons in Santa Cruz (about an hour from where I live), donned a wetsuit and taken lessons over a weekend.

I don’t like cold water.

Instead, I signed up for a 6-day, all-women surf “safari” in Sayulita, Mexico (about 40 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta). I was delighted to leave 55 degree weather in San Francisco and step off the plane in Mexico into welcoming sunshine and highs in the upper 80s.

Here is the view from the awesome villa that I’m sharing with a long-time friend and two new friends:

So, today…we started with a nice relaxing yoga class for an hour…mostly stretching and loosening up. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast at our villa and then walked about 10 minutes to the surf safari’s casita in town, where we learned surfing safety and some basics. We lathered on water-resistant sunscreen, pulled on our rash guards, chose a surfboard and carried it out to the beach. I felt very cool carrying an 11′ board on my head, even though it was really the only way I could cart it out, as my arms aren’t long enough to carry it under an arm.

At the edge of the water, we attached our leashes to our rear ankles (I’m “goofy-footed,”so that means the leash went on my left ankle) and strode out to the waves, two at a time. From the shore, the waves looked big, but in the water, they looked HUGE, even though they apparently were only “waist-high.” I got pummeled by the incoming surf as I tried to paddle out to the “deep water,” beyond where the waves were breaking. It was almost like I was facing an initiation by the ocean … “How badly do you want to go surfing today?” Wave after wave knocked me over and I tumbled a lot. The slight cold I was battling was quickly remedied by the 1000psi neti pot that the waves were inflicting on my sinuses.

By the time I joined the others, my lat muscles and triceps were burning and I was breathing heavily. We practiced braking and the sit and spin. We did a lot more paddling, as the current was pulling us to the left. Finally, it was time to ride a wave in.

I was excited to ride my first wave, and managed to pop up to my feet but then I lost my balance and fell over to the right almost immediately. Hmmm…pretty cool, but that didn’t quite count! I rode another wave in through the whitewash on my knees. I was feeling tired but still enthusiastic as our instructors showed us how to surf only the white wash (go in with the tail of the surfboard first, so it’s easier to hop on and catch a wave). I finally caught my first wave and got my legs straightened past 90 degrees for a few seconds, reveling in the energy underneath me….and then I tried to exit successfully…into about 6 inches of water. More water up the nose.

I rode a few more waves and took a break for lunch. When I came back for “free surf time” the instructors were in the water, offering advice and encouragement. With a little rest under my belt, I was able to stand up several times and on one wave, I felt it drop out a little underneath me…omg, I was surfing! I let out a scream of delight and continued in the whitewash until the energy of the wave had bled off and I could step off onto the sand. I had a several really nice rides but after about an hour, my lower back started to bug me so I decided to call it a day.

Learnings from today:
1 – Embrace the wipeout. A wise surfer friend told me that one of the keys to learning how to surf is to not avoid wipeouts, but rather, to embrace them. Well, let me tell you, I made passionate love to the wipeout. It even sent me flowers.
2 – There’s always another wave, so don’t feel rushed. A few times, I saw a really nice wave forming, but I was too close to it and I would rush to align myself, and curl my toes onto the sweet spot, but I’d be rushing and not quite aligned and then the wave would rush up and catch me and most times, I’d get tumbled in the surf. I realized, I need to set myself up for success…those were my best waves.
3 – Rinse all the sand out of my bikini bottom before using the restroom…I’ll just leave it at that.

 

The Sabbatical Plan

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by Loree2e in Art, Mindfulness, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

I decided to take a sabbatical. Now what? How best to use this gift of time?

I am kicking off the sabbatical with two important tasks this week. First, I started working with a career coach (on Monday morning no less! How’s that for wasting no time?) so I could have some professional guidance with thinking about what is important to me and how I will use that knowledge to help me find more satisfying work when I start my next job. Second, I am beginning to clean out the house today so I can feel more organized and get rid of clutter. I feel a driving need to get rid of useless stuff and I’m happy I finally have time to do it right.

But after this week? What next?

Being the planner that I am, I’ve felt the need to organize my goals for this break from work. I am trying to not schedule every day, but rather to have a menu of things to choose from so I can feel somewhat spontaneous.

I am organizing my activities of choice into 4 categories: Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual. I was inspired from reading James Altucher’s blog and books. He describes doing a “Daily Practice” of four things every day: Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual (he even created a website to help people track their daily practice). I liked the well-roundedness of that approach.

On a daily basis, I will:
Practice yoga (physical)
Keep a gratitude journal (emotional)
Write 500 words (mental)
Meditate for 20 minutes (spiritual)

Over the course of the next 4-6 months, I will also participate in the following:

Physical
Learn to surf
Dance
Get a 200 hour yoga teaching certificate?

Emotional
Volunteer at the kids’ school
Volunteer at the VA
Open my heart to the possibility of dating
Travel

Mental
Write: Work on a novel
Learn to Code
Build an App/Website
Paint

Spiritual
Read more about Buddhism

I am out of time for now…and only up to 324 words; crap! I will have to come back to this later and finish my thoughts.

 

Serendipity

03 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by Loree2e in Divorce, Mindfulness

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When we separated, my husband refused to move out of the house, so I rented a small, 2-bedroom apartment about 5 minutes away. It was a huge relief to have my own place. We had initially decided on a 6-month separation, but as the months passed and neither of us reached out to the other to make amends it became clear that we would not be repairing our marriage. My six-month lease was coming to an end and I received a note from my landlord, notifying me that if I wanted to stay in the apartment, my rent was being increased from $1995/month to $2695/month if I signed a year-lease, or $2995/month if I went month to month (I live in Palo Alto, CA, where landlords can apparently get away with insane increases in rent like that).

I couldn’t stay in that 900 square foot apartment any longer…not so much because of the size, but because my son and daughter had to share a room, and the walls were so thin we could hear the television of our next-door neighbor. I was convinced that the people living directly over us were sprightly 300-pound college students; they often woke me up when stomping around at 2am.

It was time to move. I had anticipated the rent increase, (although not 50%…holy cow) and had been looking for our next home for a month or so. My needs were pretty simple; the  “Must-have” criteria were 3 BR, 1BA, in Palo Alto, a year lease for ~$3500/month or less. I had a longer list of “preferred” criteria: in the North part of Palo Alto (where my children’s school is located), within walking distance to downtown, hardwood floors, garage, 2BA, modern kitchen (in my price range, many of the houses I saw were older and not all had “modern” amenities like dishwashers).

I sent emails to friends, letting them know I was searching for a place to rent. I wrote out my list of must-have and preferred criteria and offered it up to the universe.  Every day, I searched Craigslist, sometimes several times a day, looking for candidates that fit my basic criteria. I viewed a lot of properties. Sometimes, in a moment of hopelessness, I would consider a 2BR if the rooms were really big, figuring I could share a room with my daughter and have it for myself during the weeks she wasn’t with me. After about 3 months of looking (and 2 months of paying $2995/month for my apartment) I was starting to worry, but I reminded myself to be calm and to trust that things would work out. I believed that the universe had my back.

Finally, the Craigslist listing I had been waiting for arrived, but I was on the other side of the planet and unable to attend the open house. It was a 3BR, 2BA house near downtown! The rent was a little higher than I had hoped ($3800) but it was close enough. I had started seeing other property lease rates inch up and I realized I had to reset my expectations of what my dollar could buy, or, er, rent. I called the landlord to explain to her that I was very interested in the house but that I could not attend the open house that weekend because I was in the UK. She very kindly let me know that I could view the house on Monday when I returned…if it was still available. Ugh. I knew my chances were slim that it would not be gone by the time I returned, but again, I said a little prayer and then let it go, avoiding obsessing over whether or not it would still be available. There really wasn’t anything else I could do at that point, so why stress out over it?

I was delighted that by the time I returned home on Monday, I had not received a phone call from her, telling me the house had been rented. I called her to confirm that she could still show me the house and she met me that evening.

The frontage of the house was not impressive; it looked like behind the door one would find a 200 square foot studio, plus it was a block away from the train tracks. I sighed, assuming this would be another over-priced dud of a house. May, the landlord pulled up in her Lexus, sized me up as she got out of her car and showed me to the door. I was on my best behavior…I really wanted to get out of the apartment. I was pleasantly surprised when we walked in to hardwood floors and a long hallway that extended to the master bedroom in the back of the house. There was a sunlight-filled playroom on the right, with a door that led to the back yard. The kitchen was small but had a large refrigerator and a dishwasher, plus a gas stovetop (I hate electric). There was a one-car garage with rafters for storage. I walked toward the back of the house and found two bedrooms and a bathroom for the kids, and a huge master bedroom in the back, with a large closet and a two-sink bathroom. I was relieved. Then I was on a mission to get the house.

We walked into the back yard onto the patio. Behind the house was the driveway for a pediatrician’s office, so I noted that those neighbors would be fairly quiet during the hours I was home. There were lemon and apple trees in the yard, and May encouraged me to pick a few to bring to my kids. The train had come by while we were in the house and the double-pane windows had done a decent job of keeping out most (but definitely not all) of the noise. I tried to negotiate the price down to $3500 but May held firm. I felt the universe had provided an adequate house that had surpassed my list, so I wrote out a check for the deposit and filled out an application form. I must have charmed May, because she called me the next day to let me know the house was mine.

The process of finding this house turned into a life lesson for me, mostly about the power of patience and mindfulness.  When I knew my apartment situation was not working, I did all I could to find something new and I remained hopeful when my initial efforts did not result in finding what I needed, but I didn’t needlessly worry about a future (not finding a “good enough” home) that hadn’t happened. I stayed present and had faith that the universe would deliver, and it did.

Why Rendipi?

03 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by Loree2e in Inspiration, Mindfulness

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Tags

divorce, love

Unexpected Road

I’ve always liked the word serendipity. It starts off sounding like such a formal word, full of gravitas and then you hit the third syllable and the cute little “dip” turns the requiem into a tarantella.

Serendipity definition

Over a year ago, I knew I wanted to start blogging on a more regular basis and I was considering domain names. Serendipity.com was taken by a domain squatter, so I took the outer shell off of the word and rendipi.com emerged. It represents being in the middle of unexpected blessings and that’s where I feel I am. Being a divorced woman in her 40s isn’t exactly what most would consider a blessing, yet I feel like I have finally discovered myself. I have been through many difficult emotions this past year and that has made me much more aware of the many blessings in my life. I think I had always been grateful, but experiencing some of the lows and challenges of the past year provided the necessary contrast that encourages me to note and appreciate small, everyday delights. My outer shell has come off, and the strength and happiness that I am experiencing is a pleasant surprise for me. I look forward to celebrating more occurrences of serendipity in my life.

Farmers’ Market Meditation

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by Loree2e in Food, Mindfulness

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Tags

food, french, mindfulness

I have found more peace in my life through the practice of mindfulness: being present and paying attention to the here and now. My self-appointed mantra is “Right here, right now” to help bring me back to the present when my mind invariably starts to wander.

I have been trying to remember to stay mindful and, like any new habit, it can be challenging. I’m currently reading a book called Buddhism for Mothers to help build the habit. I read a blog post about picking two things–opening a door, and taking a seat–and remembering to to be mindful while doing those two things. In the course of one day, out of about 10 times opening a door and 10 times sitting down, I remembered to be present twice, so 10% of the time. Better than 0% (I like that Buddhism is also about not beating yourself up to much when things don’t go how you planned. I’m a little worried that being a good Buddhist means no plans at all, and that would be difficult for me).

Every Sunday morning, I go to the Farmers’ Market and if my kids are with me, we order crêpes. I still tend to pronounce it “craype” rather than the french “crepp” but my kids don’t care. My daughter always gets the strawberry crêpe and my son gets 2 Citron (lemon, sugar and butter) on one plate. I love watching him eat them because he doesn’t believe in cutting with a knife and fork. He stabs the mound of crêpe with his plastic fork and then lifts the mass off the plate and takes bites out of it. At first I tried to correct his manners, but his method seems to work for him, and I’m counting on peer pressure when he’s a teenager to help correct a lot of these behaviors. I just have to ensure he stays friends with the kids whose parents nagged them about manners.

This morning, my son was off on a trip with his dad, so my daughter and I visited the Farmers’ Market together. She placed her order for the usual with me and then skipped off to the coffee cart to order a Turkish Cappucino (espresso and chai) for me while I stood in line at the crêpe tent (I am so lucky to have a daughter who enjoys – for the time being – going off by herself to fetch me caffeine). I often rotate my crêpe choices but today decided on one Citron since my son was not with us. Timing worked out so my daughter emerged from the coffee store just as I was settling in to our usual sitting area next to the street musician, and we began to eat our crêpes to the tunes of bluegrass. “Right here, right now” popped into my head and I took a breathe and began to savor this weekly ritual.

First, I placed the paper plate on my lap and enjoyed the warmth of the crêpe sinking into the tops of my thighs…not enough to hurt, just enough to know my breakfast was still hot. As the banjo player quickly picked the strings of his instrument and sang “Keep on the Sunny Side” (from the “O Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack), I picked up my white plastic fork and knife and began my experience. I sank the fork into the crêpe and held the corner firm while I sliced into it with the knife until it separated and I struck the plate. I gently placed the knife on the side of the plate and switched the fork over to my right hand (my parents were ones who nagged about manners). I slid the fork under the morsel of crêpe and slowly lifted it towards my mouth, inhaling the sweet smell and admiring the soft white speckles of confectioners sugar. I placed the warm bite into my open mouth and closed my lips around the fork, letting the warmth of the crêpe sink into my tongue as I slid the fork out, grateful for its delivery. I shifted my tongue slightly, so the slippery butter could spill out as my teeth slowly started to masticate this delightfully chewy package of citrus, sugar and melted cream. I couldn’t help but close my eyes and tune out the bluegrass as I slowly chewed and savored and enjoyed each bite. In between bites I enjoyed sips of hot, spicy espresso to wash down the sweetness of the crêpe and prepare my tongue for the next incoming gift. When I reached the last bite–the treasured fold of the crêpe, where the lemon, sugar and butter have been tucked away, never to touch paper plate or air–I repeated the enjoyment cycle one last time. As the remainder of the crêpe slid down my throat to join its brethren in my happy tummy, I smiled with satisfaction, mostly because I had stayed in the present for the entire time I ate the crêpe but also because by slowing down I felt satiated…not longing for more. I was happy with where I was, right there, right then. Right here, right now.

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