Sitting on the living room floor, listening to a guided meditation this Sunday morning, I heard my youngest daughter walking in the hallway, then going to the kitchen, followed by the click of opening a metal cookie can and then the sound of cookies sliding off a baking tray into the can. Without seeing I knew the can was a former cherry-chocolate candy tin, and the cookies were chocolate-chip cookies.
"If your mind goes wandering, notice, return to the breath," a calm voice instructs me.
"Breath in, breath out," I guide myself.
How does one keep the mind from wandering to the last night? The sounds of kitchen cupboards opening, the bowl and the trays making contact with the counter, and the chatter and laughter of my two daughters created the lullaby for me as I turned off my light and was getting ready for sleep.
I notice my mind wandering, I return to the breath.
I wonder how long they stayed up last night. Since the youngest had planed to take the cookies to her friends and leave plenty for home, she had decided to bake three times as much as usual, and when I woke up later at night, the light and chatter were still going on in the kitchen. My daughters like midnight baking.
Oh, mind. Stop wandering.
Breath in, breath out.
I want a cookie! So besides my mind wandering, my stomach wants attention too. Cookies for breakfast it will be.
I return to the breath.
I know interrupting your meditation was probably annoying, but I think this is a sweet distraction! I bet it smelled so yummy in your house last night!
ReplyDeleteTreasure those moments with your daughters, even when they disturb your sleep or meditation. Your mind wandering describes all my attempts at mediation.
ReplyDeleteA lovely confluence of sounds coming from your kitchen . . . What a lullaby! And a cookie for breakfast. You know I can never resist a cookie lullaby.
ReplyDeleteOops, I meant to say a cookie post!
ReplyDeleteCookie lullaby sounds sweet.
DeleteI can appreciate how you describe you mind wandering and trying to refocus during meditation. I struggle with meditation and yoga because my mind wanders and thinks of people and ideas! Fresh baked cookies would certainly distract me!
ReplyDeleteYou had me at cookies for breakfast! What a sweet start to your Sunday. I love the light heartedness of this slice and centering back to your breath.
ReplyDeleteI was waiting for you to get up and join them in the midnight baking, but a breakfast treat is fun too!
ReplyDeleteMy mind is drinking in the sounds and the aroma of those delectable cookies. My husband made no bake cookies yesterday, but I don’t dare eat them for breakfast. The sugar will ruin me for the day, so I will indulge in your cookies through my imagination. 😋
ReplyDeleteCookies contain so many food groups so of course they make for a healthy breakfast. I would have had a hard time settling down for the night with those delicious smells coming from the kitchen. I am sure the cookies tasted as good as they looked. arjeha
ReplyDeleteLove how you crafted this slice...the meditation voice interrupted by the sounds and innerr thinking connected to the midnight baking. Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteI loved all of the sounds of your daughters in the kitchen. They would distract me, too. I loved that it was your lullaby.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the sounds of your daughters baking being your lullaby. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteImpossible to focus on meditation when there are chocolate chip cookies in the house!
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I often spend a good part of yoga class planning lunch! But the image you paint of drifting off to sleep listening to two happy daughters cooking together is so delightful, a treasure.
ReplyDeleteoh my, I want a cookie! Is there a better sound in the world than "the sound of cookies sliding off a baking tray"? This was scrumptious!
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I like about meditating is catching my wandering mind and coming back to my breath ... or maybe I like that because that is the bulk of my meditating time since my mind wanders after about a nanosecond! Also, those cookies look yummy!
ReplyDelete