Mindfulness and the Microwave
One day at work after teaching a mindfulness class I was heating my lunch in the microwave as usual. I was hungry, had a million things to do and wanted to quickly get out of the staff lounge. I set the microwave timer, hit the start button but impatiently stopped the microwave a few seconds before the time elapsed.
To my surprise, my food was not warm enough. I set the microwave and, yet again, I could not help myself from prematurely stopping before the set time had elapsed.
On this second go-around, my food was still not warm to my liking.
After my third attempt I realized how this was not the first time I had this experience at the microwave. In fact, the more I thought about this experience, the more I realized that “jumping in” to interfere with my food heating experience was an actual pattern.
This made me wonder… how does my behavior at the microwave reflect a general struggle to let things run their natural course? Why is it so difficult to sit with my feelings of anxiety, impatience and desire for something so minor like heating my food….is it really that intolerable?
What other moments in my life do I “jump in” and rush through? Does it affect my ability to listen, be present and relate to important people I care about? In what ways does my desire to have things happen “right now” or be different from how they unfold, deprive me from an authentic experience?
Finally, when I judge that things are not as they “should be” how does this make my experience less fulfilling? Three attempts and a very hot bowl of food later…..
Check in with yourself. Take a moment to think about what ways you might be impatient, anxious or feel uncomfortable. Now take another moment to consider how this influences your experience in the moment.
In what ways would you like your life to be different than it is right now? In what ways do you “jump in” and fight against the way things unfold in your life? In what ways does wanting or desiring actually become an obstacle to getting what you so desire? How does judging create more struggles in your life?
Since coming to this “microwave revelation” I have found myself approaching the microwave with a new mindset. I’m still hungry, impatient and have a million things to do. However, when I connect with my breath and I notice my experience, my urge to rush the process passes. I’m most thankful that I feel calmer and separate from the harried experience I often find myself in, even if only for a minute.
Ding…my food is ready!
