mindful monday: savor

image courtesy of gourmeted

dearest readers:

happy memorial day to those of you stateside. i posted this beautiful joseph campbell quote on our facebook page and wanted to share it here, too. "a hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." may we honor our heroes today and every day.

today is my first day of slowing and writing since my arrival in paris. it began with a yummy yoga practice mainly to the great gatsby soundtrack and a pot of jasmine tea. ommmmmm. last night i savored an amazing meal {including apéritif à la violette rosé, and a macaron} at the restaurant where renoir painted luncheon of the boating party.

note the carefully chosen word savor. note the book savor. note its connection to mindfulness. this is one piece that draws me to french culture. there is a sort of savoring life that i struggle to live in dc. it's no lack of trying. instead it's a desperate need to stop, drop, and savor. versus eating on the go. rushing from appointment to appointment. overeating out of exhaustion and greed {just one more thin mint}. scrolling through websites simply because i'm in front of the screen and too tired to stop the mindlessness. resonate?

one of my main intentions during my time here is to savor.

savor time. savor macarons. savor libations. savor experiences. savor connections with retreaters. savor mosquito-free open air. savor farmer's markets. savor dedicated writing space. savor simple beauty. savor grand art {bonjour monet}. 

here are three varied and insightful passages i've highlighted so far in savor:

"Over the course of one year, one hundred extra calories each day—the equivalent of eating one small cookie or of driving a mile instead of walking it—could end up packing ten pounds of extra fat on our bodies." {uh oh}

"Each minute we spend worrying about the future and regretting the past is a minute we miss in our appointment with life—a missed opportunity to engage life and to see that each moment gives us the chance to change for the better, to experience peace and joy."

"There is a Zen story about a man and a horse. The horse is galloping quickly, and it appears that the rider is urgently heading somewhere important. A bystander along the road calls out, “Where are you going?” and the rider replies, “I don’t know! Ask the horse!” This is also our life story."

the zen story is such a beautiful reminder to consciously steer our horse {life} versus letting it race ahead without noticing what's happening within, without, and around us.

won't you join moi in savoring? also, savor will be our summer book club read so why not get a jump start on the savor journey? wishing you a day of connecting to all five senses. deeply. wholeheartedly. compassionately. bisous. x