Juicy. Yummy. Weird.

Connecting to the five senses is a great way to savor the splendor of this season. As you move through your day, intentionally pause here and there to name five things you can see. Four things you can touch. Three things you can hear. Two things you can smell. And one thing you can taste. Speaking of taste, mindful eating is another technique to connect more deeply to the  experience of enjoying our food. SMOW students slowed down to become present while eating a Cutie (clementine). First we felt the skin of the Cutie--smooth and slippery to touch. Then we noticed the beauty of its bright orange color. We smelled the lovely citrus and even listened to the silence of our Cutie. The next step was to try to peel the Cutie in one fell swoop. A little tricky, but some of us managed! We noticed how the rind looked and smelled and felt between our fingers--so rough and bumpy compared to its smooth outer side. We slowly divided the Cutie into sections and only took one bite at a time. Juicy. Yummy. Weird. Explosive. Joyful. Orangey. Sweet. Messy. The students had so many words to describe their Cutie experience. 

I don’t think any of us will ever look the same way at a Cutie again. That’s the beauty of mindfulness. It connects you more deeply to every moment--be it a delicious moment, a sad moment, a happy moment, a boring moment or an overwhelming moment. Mindfulness invites you to become more present. What a perfect gift for us all. 

Peeling, smelling and tasting a cutie can be a mindful practice.