My wife and I are regular tea drinkers. Sometimes we will have 3 or 4 cups a day. There are so many different types of tea to choose from. We have an entire drawer designated to the wide variety of teas that we enjoy. I nearly always steep a bag more than once, just to be sure I get all of the good stuff out. Sometimes, I try to stretch a bag even further. A tea bag steeped twice still offers some flavor, but upon the third or fourth steeping you are really just trying to connect with something that has already passed. This is sort of like living in the past. Getting caught in the past is like steeping an old tea bag: there is some recognition of the experience, but the more we call on it and try to bring it to life in the present moment, the less fulfilling it is. Eventually, we can only recognize the type of tea by the label on the string, not because of the experience itself.
It is tempting sometimes to spend too much time in our memories. Things that were so powerful, so magnificent and transcendent can sort of hypnotize us into longing for return visits. You think of that first kiss, or winning the big game or holding your newborn, and part of you can still recall how alive you felt. But like the sixty year old who still wears their high school letter jacket, or the aging parent that can’t stop perusing the baby album, we can become so stuck in a distant time, that we miss the immense beauty of the present moment. Things become worn and faded over time; the moment is always alive and fresh. We are meant to reference the past at times, to mine the gold and accept the wisdom of the missteps, but we are not meant to become stuck there. The past gives us a touchstone to remind us where we come from, and stepping stones to lead us to this moment, but it can’t make us feel alive. Life only happens here and now. This is the only place where life is actively unfolding. Grief, nostalgia and longing are born from overextended stays in the past.
Just as we can become attached to the highlight reel of our younger days, we can also overly identify with our old wounds. Unresolved traumas can stunt our growth, and twist and contort us. Resentment can fester from an attachment to old stories about perceived slights or abuse. These also interfere with the flow of life and authentic power that can only be held in this moment.
Acupuncture and mindfulness are amazing tools to help soften and integrate the voices of the past, and bring you directly into the moment. My patients and students often express amazement at how during a session, everything but the moment falls away. They are left with a greater sense of connectivity and belonging; of wholeness and health. Like that fullness of a fresh cup of tea.
Please join me for my free meditation class on Tuesdays from 6-7:15 at the Talent community center.
