A Simple Exercise in Being Present by Enjoying Your Breakfast

Or, how I practice being present with my morning coffee and blueberries.

Oh #%@?! I did it again!

I just caught myself blasting through my breakfast of blueberries, Greek yogurt (the real stuff), sliced almonds, and Grape Nuts (for some crunchiness). Okay, okay, the Grape Nuts are for the fiber! Geesh.

And the blueberries this morning were especially plump, juicy, and pumped full of flavor. The thing is, I only realized that with the very last few spoonfuls. And therein lies the reason for my opening curse.

The habit of blasting through and completely missing an opportunity to experience one of this life’s simple pleasures is a sure symptom of our times. We hurry through everything usually missing the good parts.

C’mon, it’s just breakfast. What’s the big deal?

Well, let’s unpack that a bit. But before we do, I have another confession to make this morning. I did the same exact thing with my coffee, just gulping it down. At least I still got the caffeine hit—so at least there’s that.

I believe the simple pleasures matter more than we’ve been taught to believe. I’m also hoping you’re seeing the error of my ways, but if not—hang with me for a minute. We’ll get to it.

Don’t fool yourself, the small stuff matters.

And it matters a lot—when you allow it, that is. And I’m going to share now why this matters so much to me.

I’m a believer in a familiar, but simple morning routine that starts my day off right. Not the hustle culture’s version of a morning routine which is more like beginning with an everyday boot camp. I know, I’ve tried. I once had the perfectly regimented fifteen-point morning routine… which lasted exactly two weeks.

A few of those fifteen points remain. The rest are history.

I still stick with No. 1—Drink a big glass of water! It’s simple. It rehydrates you which helps your brain be alert and happy. Soon after it’s coffee time!

You see, I really enjoy my coffee! I mean I reallllllly enjoy my coffee. The problem is that I need to remember to enjoy it. To experience a good cup of coffee—I need to allow myself to be present with it. It’s the same for the blueberries, too.

And that’s what I failed to do this morning.

I forgot to be present with my coffee. And I doubled up by not being present with my blueberries and yogurt.

And here’s the zinger, you might be wondering why I don’t just have more coffee and blueberries and give it another try. Well, with the coffee I have a non-negotiable limit of fifteen ounces or my heart jumps into Red Bull overdrive. Not something I want and not something that’s good either.

I suppose I could double up on the blueberries, but that’s not the point.

Like most of us these days, I need to work on being present.

And the simple exercise of practicing the art of being present with my coffee and my breakfast helps me in two very simple ways…

1. By being present for bigger, more important parts of my day that matter more, and
2. I get to enjoy my breakfast and the start of my day far more that I would have otherwise.

So, make a point to practice being present when it doesn’t matter so much—so you will be present when it does!

Enjoy your breakfast!

Be untucked.

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p.p.s This post was written by a real human.

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