So the first thing I ate this morning were two or three of these small, red grapes I bought at the store the other day. They were a perfect balance of sweet and tart–a great wake-up for my mouth in the morning, and a delightful break to yesterday’s fast.

I tried chewing the grapes slowly, to really enjoy the flavor and to really pay attention to the experience of eating them. The fact is: I rarely try to do anything slowly. Usually, I am trying to figure out how to do more, instead of just enough, which means always trying to do things faster.

I can’t tell you how many times a day I am telling my kids to hurry up–but I never tell myself to slow down.

And that’s today’s “revolutionary” challenge to myself: go slow.

Slowing down will allow me to be more deliberate in the actions I do take. It also challenges me to focus on that one thing, and one thing at a time.

I put a pot on the stove and start to cook (slowly of course!) some oatmeal with raisins, a cinnamon stick, and a pat of butter. As it cooks, I notice the kitchen floor needs sweeping. I take out the broom and sweep–slowly, deliberately. I pay attention. Each sweep of the broom provides a practice of mindfulness….

That is: until I smell the oatmeal.

Then I find myself wanting to hurry up. Get that dust and dirt and scattering of crumbs into a pile and get back to the stove–quick!

I had to breathe, and remind myself that the oatmeal would be fine for another minute or two, and to continue sweeping… and to continue to be deliberate in the task at hand.

That tends to be my downfall–stacking tasks. So let’s see if for today at least, I can try to do one thing at a time…and to do each thing slowly, deliberately, and mindfully.