the story of tea, trees & you and me

"all of these lines across my face, tell you the story of who i am" ~brandi carlile

i'm heating up some tea right now, monkey mind is aroused. that's the part of mind that can be overwhelming and misinformed but, also eager, playful and curious ... really just so wonderfully creative! 

and so, as the water heats up in the kettle, monkey mind anticipates the future: now that the weather is cooler, it imagines heating tea for my students before gathering for our lesson; and it inspires sensations stoked by this heart - by the warmth of the tea in the cup in our hand -- by the very same warmth and intention that chose to make it for them through these words.
 

all these senses - these imaginings - this momentary depth of field and the release from the story!

to do so, we let go of what we believed - what has passed. we let go of the limiting stories of who we think we are, or what their story is, or what happened to us . these stories are little - they make us small - make us separate from the tea, the trees and from each other.

there is so much more in these leaves!

flame.

a flame is heating the water. teapot. that which carries the water. mind says, vessel, hot, heat, efficient. but, to bring pause and mindful attention toward gratitude, allows this meaning to expand. like the way water (molecules) in the tea kettle willingly become steam under the duress of the flame ... or the way meaning expands beyond its narrative when released from the past, like the story of the tree that's sitting outside the window just now.

this tree is not just a tree. and so, i wonder:

what seed carried it here to this spot, and by what hand? what breeze?
how long did it take to grow and what was it like when it pierced its way through the earth - born into light? 

how many families have seen it, driven by it, climbed it, pruned it, carved into it? how many more will follow?
what can i do today to ensure that others can also enjoy this tree? this view? this community?

what can i do today for a future that is shared?

in the same way, you're not just you. and, that a**hole that just cut you off on the parkway is not just an a**hole.

it's easy to get caught in the trap of this is what this means; we do it over and over and over again until our neurons rewire to transmit it and our body responds to confirm it. 

we are connected in unseen ways. 

if we don't learn how to relax our nervous system - if we can't trust the present - if we can't stop worrying about the past or being anxious about the future - if we can't bring free will onto what we choose to bring attention to - if we do not know what is happening, or what we value, or what we want to grow, or what we want to pay attention to - then we're navigating life with grave inefficiency, with a faulty template that's returning its fault to us through the default  -- habit and belief.

the first fault lies in our guidance system.

we've placed too much power in the hands of technology; we've taken the manual out of driving, and disengaged ourselves from this body - from the sound of the engine, from the tension of the foot on the pedal, from the vibration of the tires on the road.

... no longer empowered to action the vision of the journey, we can become lost and postponed from reaching our destination.
 

i'll be happy when ________.

but it doesn't have to be this way. you can decide to pay attention a different way - to challenge the stories that make life small and fixed and hard. 

what's your story?

breath it in. encounter it. 
be curious and follow the root. be courageous and stand on the branch.
sip slowly.