Sunday, January 24, 2016

Folding as a spiritual practice

 
We are just thawing from the mega snowstorm. I love being lovingly slowed down by so-called inclement weather. I see it as an opportunity to go inward for a moment without the normal pressure to be up and doing. Slowing down allows me to pay more attention to every activity and even to turn each activity in a meditation. This happened when I applied the Konmarie method of tidying up my clothes drawers. What a joy to very consciously pay attention to each article of clothing; almost to develop a relationship with each article. Being unhurried turns the activity into a opportunity for gratitude. It becomes possible to see deeply into not only the activity but also into every aspect of the fact that I have clothing; what exactly does it take for me to have this clothing. I can be grateful for the cotton farmer, the rain, the tractor drivers, the factory worker toiling away, etc. Now I have a different appreciation for the clothing as a result of seeing deeply into it. This is what Thich Naht Hanh means by Interbeing.


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