Stop and acknowledge one detail that you do every day and perform it with full consciousness.
The one thing that I have been fascinated with has been washing my hands. I know it seems simple and common but it has created such an interesting realization for me. What that feels like and the associations I have attached to them. The sensation of the soap covering them and the warmth of the water flowing over the tops and underside of my hands while filling the room with the scent of the of the Nag Champa soap. This moment causes me to stop as I explore the contours of my hands, my fingers and even the lines and bumps from the veins below the skin surface. I take these moments to appreciate my hands for all that they do. From the basic everyday things: as opening doors, picking up a pen and holding the fork as I take a bite of my food.
But, am also thankful for these hands as they provide for my livelihood in my work doing bodywork/massage and also these are the hands that allow me to create my artwork, they also help to inform with my communication both in spoken word and ASL… and even in the process of typing this post. All of this flows through my mind as I feel the heat of the water softening the muscles and washing always the residue each time, preparing them for the next task in my world. I realize it seems such a small thing and I have never really given it much thought, until several days ago when I was washing my hands in the sink and looked down at my soapy hands and stopped because it seemed so overwhelming that I had never appreciated them for all that they do…
Without the acknowledgement of the smaller things we are unable to create the larger things in life.
So for this I am thankful!