Making the most of every moment ...

Thich Nhat Hanh has written many books on peace, mindfulness and filling one's life with a depth of meaning that is breathtaking ... but the other I read a posting over at "At The Half Note" where Katie was sharing advice her mother had given her about dealing with life's intensity by "going off and washing the dishes ..."

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As I read the posting, I thought of passage in Hanh's book "Peace is Every Step" where heurges his reader to be mindful in EVERY moment, but to use an opportunity like washing the dishes as a moment where mindfulness can not only be found, but celebrated as well ... Hanh writes:

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To my mind, the idea that doing dishes is unpleasant can occur only when you aren't doing them. Once you are standing in front of the sink with your sleeves rolled up and your hands in the warm water, it is really quite pleasant. I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, each movement of my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to eat dessert sooner, the time of washing dishes will be unpleasant and not worth living. That would be a pity, for each moment, each second of life is a miracle. The dishes themselves and the fact that I am here washing them are miracles!

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If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have dessert, I will be equally incapable of enjoying my dessert. With the forkinmy hand, I will be thinking about what to do next, and the texture and the flavour of the dessert, together with the pleasure of eating it will be lost. I will always be dragged into the future, never able to live in the present moment.
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Each thought, each action in the sunlight of awareness becomes sacred. In this light, no boundary exists between the sacred and the profane. I must confess it takes me a bit longer to do the dishes, but I live fully in every moment, and I am happy. Washing the dishes is at the same time a means and an end - that is, not only do we do the dishes in order to have clean dishes, we also do the dishes just to do the dishes, to live fully in each moment while washing them.