Where ever you are, be there.....

Lets talk about coffee.

Not until I was 31 years old did I really taste, or get what an amazing beverage coffee is. I was a tea drinker and found coffee to be a bit bitter to the taste, and so for most of my life, I chose tea as a hot drink.

Until one day when I converted to coffee.

I used to have a small music studio where I would spend most hours of the day recording and performing music. Often I would forget what time of day it was; time was practically non-existent in the studio. All my intention was focused on the music, and food and drink was barely touching the rim of my consciousness; it was all about the music...until one day.

With pink eyes, my ears burning from using headphones for hours on end, I found myself in the kitchen staring at the clock on the wall and was suddenly overcome with tiredness. My partner put on the kettle and suggested that I drink some coffee since it was obvious that I was going back  to the studio regardless of how tired I was.

I had heard people say that coffee perks you up when you're tired so I thought: "I need to get the recording done, so maybe this time I'll try some coffee rather than tea." My long suffering partner put some freshly ground coffee in the plunger, warmed some milk, and when ready, handed it to me.

Gratefully I accepted the coffee, and although it still tasted a bit bitter to me, I drank it, chased it down with a cool drink of water and headed back to the studio.

That was when I discovered that coffee really does give you a boost, helps you to focus, and keeps you energised.

What in the beginning tasted bitter, (many cups later), became enjoyable, and a wonderful treat.

(Ofcourse, many were the times when I forgot to savour the taste, and just gulped it down and only when I begun to feel jittery did I ask myself just how many cups of coffee I had consumed.)

 Reminded of how often we eat without tasting, drink without savouring, and smell without discerning, was brought home to me when I heard a Buddhist monk say: "When you eat, be conscious of every bite you take. Inhale the aromas, savour the textures, enjoy the flavors and notice every mouth full." Hearing those words, it struck me how often I do the opposite.

Fast food? Take away food, food in plastic containers, coffee in paper cups, food not needing cutlery, grab and run food, do we really taste it at all? Or is it just fuel?

When was the last time we really smelled an orange; while peeling it, we allowed the fragrance to be appreciated, or do we prefer it in a bottle?

Do we prefer to buy frozen vegetables rather than fresh ones we have to peel, shave, dice, etc.?

Hearing those words spoken by the Buddhist monk, I decided to take heed to his words and become conscious of every food or drink item I consumed.

A thought dawned on me: whether a countries citizens die from over eating or starvation, (or both), it is still a sign of a country in need.

If we are savouring and noticing every drink or bite of food we partake of, maybe we will rediscover the simple enjoyment and pleasures of taste?

"Coffee is a language in itself." (Jackie Chan)

Enjoying the pleasure of coffee, may I suggest, begins in the mind. Lets share a virtual coffee.

Imagine your favourite coffee shop, the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans, the soft music in the background and the barista at the machine. Imagine being handed your tall latte, or cappuccino, or espresso, or whatever your favourite kind of coffee may be. Now sit down at a table, with the lid still firmly in place on the container (if it has one). Slowly remove the lid, inhale the fragrance of the coffee, fill your nostrils with the aroma. Close your eyes, take another whiff, then gently place your lips around the cup and take a small and deliberate sip.

Experience the taste, the texture and the aroma. Don't rush it, stay in that moment, and just enjoy.

(Perhaps this can be applied to anything we eat or drink, smell or taste?)

 

 "Wherever you are, be there", forget all your worries for a minute and just show up in the present, and enjoy the moment with all its "flavours" as it presents itself.