I woke up this morning thinking about one of my favorite movies, The Last Samurai. I remember watching this movie many years ago and, being in my 20s, I couldn't truly absorb the depth of what they were saying, but I was still affected by it, nonetheless. The older I get the more I find myself understanding things that only life experience can make one understand and finding much deeper meaning in movies like this.
One phrase that jumps out at me the most is when Algren is talking about the Samurai and says, "From the moment they wake they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue."
Let that sink in...
....perfection of whatever they pursue.
That doesn't mean that they try to be the best employee or the best parent they can be. It doesn't mean they are trying to get a promotion or recognition. They don't apply this desire for perfection to the things they deem important. Rather, the thing they are doing is important simply because they are doing it. They talk about knowing "life in every breath, every cup of tea."
What if we applied this to our own lives? What if, instead of rushing through each task, distracted and stressed out, we were fully present in each and every moment of our lives? Suddenly, helping our small child tie their shoes would go from being an annoying stressor that we half-heartedly hurry through in order to get to our next annoying task, into a beautiful moment with our child in which it is only the two of us, the parent passing down a seed of wisdom to the child. How different would our children absorb our lessons? How different would this memory be when we look back on it in 20 years as we watch them hold their own child for the first time?
And what if we applied this same practice to our self care? What if, instead of cramming a burger into our mouths as we speed to a PTA meeting, we find five minutes to sit in silence, chew slowly and absorb the nutrients of food that we deem worthy of our bodies? What if exercise went from a self-hating "have to" item on our daily schedule to a deliberate, intense celebration of how our bodies can move, an appreciation of our strength? What if our homes were a reflection of this discipline? Free of the stress-inducing clutter that comes from having too many things that we don't need. What if everything mattered? How would this change our lives?
How differently would we treat ourselves and our loved ones if everything mattered? If everything was meant to be sacred and purposeful. If we were fully present and engaged in each moment. How different would our lives be if every single moment was lived in awe and with purpose? What if we could find and truly appreciate life in every breath?
Happy Monday,
Tammi
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