I try to live a mindful life.

While washing the dishes, I am aware of the spoon in my left hand and the sponge in my right. I feel the heat of the water and the slipperiness of the soap. While rinsing the spoon, I am aware of the softness of the water. I try to still that voice in my head that is always yammering about something. Some days it is harder than others.

Instead of thinking about what I have to do after washing the dishes, I focus my attention on each item and only moving on to the next when the current one is completely finished. Even so, I move through the chore with efficiency and timeliness and an odd sort of grace.

That kind of focus is difficult to maintain all the time in everything. So I go to it in small doses, as in making the bed.

But I’ve found that in practicing mindful intention for even a few minutes a day, it bleeds over into all the other things I do. It helps to create a calm aura and allows me to be more of a being than a doing. It helps me to act rather than react.

And that’s my thought for the day.

Photo and quote courtesy of Tiny Buddha and Wisdom Quotes respectively