Sundays are always special for me, and rejuvenating on many levels. Since relocating here in Colorado, I have made it my firm resolve to make it a day of rest and reset.
The day begins for me with 7:15 AM Mass, followed by scooping up a copy of the Sunday Denver Post on the way home. For readers who are not religious, there are other Sunday-specific activities that can set this day apart from the rest of the week, such as a sunrise hike, a leisurely brunch or catch-up on a movie you've wanted to see.
Because I don't have to be on my usual sprint out the door on Sundays, while running down my mental to-do list, I can start by savoring the slower pace, outdoor quiet and bracing cool of the early air...
Once back, newspaper in hand (yes, I still enjoy the experience of hard-copy reading material), a hand-crafted omelette and a cup of tea, while enjoying the morning sun view with my kitty Tiggy, is a perfect start for the day. Colorado Public Radio provides my preferred acoustic backdrop, and I find myself actively listening to the music and the morning host's commentary.
Recently, I decided to incorporate "new" as a byword for each day. Seven days a week, I make an effort to either learn something new or try something new. In the workweek hustle-bustle, it can be a challenge, and call for a conscious effort. It doesn't have to be dramatic, though, or out of one's budget or comfort level. Just some small difference from one's usual routine can lift a person out of a well-worn rut, as a one-time experiment, or as start of a welcome new variation.
This morning, I made my first two cups of matcha green tea latte. Having fallen in love with the unique, grassy-pungent flavor at a local coffee/tea shop, I did a YouTube "how-to" research and compiled the core ingredients. The matcha powder, two-percent milk, and agave nectar syrup...what could be hard about this? I invested in a bamboo whisk, said to be essential to the process. Lo, and behold--it did make the tea and the warmed milk frothier.
The results? Let's say it is part of a learning curve. I used a little too much matcha for the first cup, and slightly too much milk for the second. Both cups were drinkable, and I've decided that matcha will be my "Sunday tea," as I arrive at just the right proportions to make it "perfect." It will help me develop my tea-making skill, patience and in-the-moment enjoyment.
While sipping matcha at the above mentioned establishment the other day, I sat and read an inspiring article in the current issue of Columbine Courier about a "Blind Cafe" event at Columbine High School. A link to the entire article is below, and I especially liked the report that, "The purpose of the evening is to be in the company of others, without distractions, such as cell phones and other electronic devices...". Eating a dinner in the dark as part of a social event may strike many as foreign or unnecessary, but one of the things it achieved that it caused its participants to pay attention--to others, to the moment, and to how the event affected them.
And aren't those good reasons to try something new?
http://www.columbinecourier.com/content/enlightening-experience-dark
No comments:
Post a Comment