16. Fancy a cuppa?

Before you read this, make yourself a cup of tea (or coffee). Seriously.

Now, pick it up and then put it down again. Listen carefully. Pick it up. D'you hear it? A slight sound as you lift it? Put it down again. Was down louder?

There's a slight sssh as I take hold of the cup to lift it. On the way down, there's a quiet dnk-ssh sound. In other words, whenever I lift the the cup up or down, it moves sideways too.

So what?

Those sounds are the sounds of extraneous effort. Unnecessary extra. Doing too much. They are the side effects of your mind wandering ahead of your body. Do you want a focus that can slice between molecules? Well, I think it starts with how you pick up and put down your tea.

Imagine yourself a surgeon with your hands in someone's chest. Can't afford your mind wandering then! Rope-balancing across a canyon? Precise communication between awareness, attention, and body is pretty important, I guess.

Try it again. This time, try to pick it up silently. I mean silently, not just more quietly. It's hard, isn't it? Try to put it down so precisely so that as it touches the table-top, it stops. En pointe.

The harder I try the harder it gets. But the softer I hold, the easier it becomes. Trying creates tension.

I'll unpack this tomorrow but, for now, enjoy your tea. And maybe a biscuit?