Slow Down, Slowly

The same backdrop for the poem in this post a few weeks ago also provided a new learning experience for me. I was enjoying the cup of coffee and observing the steam rising from it. A pause in a coffee shop new to us in a town our son Sam was just moving to. I am learning the power in a simple pause. A momentary point of attention and taking it in with my senses. Pauses are one of my ongoing spiritual and meditative practices in recent years.

A sense of awe struck me as I watched tendrils of steam move from the surface of the coffee in the cup into the air in the space right above it. I concentrated on the sense of letting go that came as I watched the steam drift further up and out from its source. Letting go always helps. There is little I actually need to hang on to from moment to moment, though my mind often disagrees with me on that.

The attention given to the simple rise of steam was needed and profound. I decided to see what a video could capture. It was then that I also decided to try the slo-mo function on my camera. It was a new approach for me and here is what I captured:

https://youtube.com/shorts/i2GndauGwrc?si=cfGzeJC69muuW0kH

Who knew it was so simple to do slo-mo video? Who knew a pause and watching steam rising could be so helpful to a mom letting go in new ways?

I learn so much when I slow down. The very idea of slowing down and pausing has come slowly to this recovering overdoer and overthinker, but the fruits of the practice are ripening. Slowly.