A Lasting Reminder to be Present

 Garlic breath...often a reminder of a lovely meal, perhaps an Italian feast, or a savory falafel and hummus, or maybe as part of a symphony of roasted vegetables.  Not often something that is linked with a chocolate peanut butter smoothie...until it was.

So there I was, in my kitchen talking with my sons and making my one of my usual protein smoothies.  Something that I do on a daily basis, and something that I have come to make while on autopilot.  I change the ingredients and will alternate between a chocolate or vanilla base and some of the flavourings but for the most part, the recipe remains the same.  Until that afternoon, when I found myself reaching for the spices I add and before I knew it, tapping in a LOT of garlic powder!  When I realized what I had been doing, I stopped in shock and dismay.  The smoothie was about half-built by this point in time and although I had basically ruined it by adding garlic, I decided to forge ahead in the hopes that adding a boatload of cinnamon would help to mask the taste.  I had too much invested to dump it and just kept reminding myself that garlic is good for me.   

How did this even happen in the first place?  Well, back to being on autopilot.  I make these shakes every day and have gotten into a pretty good routine around this part of my day which has been helpful on mornings when I am in need of a quick breakfast and have a busy calendar.  I have my spice drawer arranged in such a way that I instinctively reach in and grab for the bottles I need and because they always seem to be where I've left them there is not often a need to be too mindful about what it is I am picking up.  In this instance, my eldest son had been making himself dinner the night before and had used some spices and had moved some of the bottles around.  Not a big deal and definitely not out of the question to have happen.  What I find so interesting about this is that despite the fact that I did note that some of the bottles were moved, I still grabbed and added spice without really paying much attention until I had added a spicy twist to my smoothie.  

Why am I sharing this?  I feel like this is an example of something that we run into so often in our lives.  Our attention being diverted and hijacked and as a result us missing some of the finer details around us.  How often have we arrived at a destination not really remembering much of the trip that took us there?  Or have we walked around searching for the glasses that were perched upon our heads?  Or not noticed something on a walk that someone else has pointed out to us?  How much of our lives are we spending on autopilot?  And how much are we missing as a result?  I am also sharing because there is no shame in being honest about having these moments of not being present.  Of being on autopilot or caught up in other things.   I have fallen up the stairs spilling a beautiful cup of coffee only to realize that I fell because my mind was not on walking up the stairs but was a million miles away instead.  I've locked myself out of my apartment because I was too focused on something that I needed to do once I left and wasn't being mindful of being prepared to leave.  And with each of these incidents I have reminded myself that I need to be more present and aware of the task at hand, and yet these "learning opportunities" still come forward.

So what is the lesson?  Well for one, garlic has NO PLACE in a chocolate peanut butter smoothie.  And the lasting garlic breath that I will have this afternoon (and likely this evening) will serve as a reminder to me around slowing down and being present, even during those most mundane tasks that I have been simply glossing over.  It will remind me that mindfulness is something that can be practiced throughout the day, and not only when I am on my yoga mat or sitting for a meditation.  And perhaps it is time to more clearly mark my spice jars :)