I’ve learned a lot about living in the moment from my grandchildren. For the most part, their lives are all about right now. They have no calendar, no to-do list, no appointments, and no notifications.
A couple of the granddaughters live out this truth before my eyes at the donut shop. Their donut choice is always the same: pink icing with sprinkles. We sit at a table and they get to work.
While I would polish off a donut like that in four or five bites, they start with the sprinkles. They pick up and savor every sprinkle one by one. As you might imagine, this takes at least ten minutes.
Next comes the icing. There are two ways to do this. You can lick the icing off the top of the donut. Or you can put it in your mouth one finger full at a time. Either way, this step isn’t over until the donut has been completely de-iced. This will take another ten minutes.
Now it’s time for the donut itself. The proper way to do this is to take little bites all the way around the top of the donut. A few times around the donut and you’re done. Except for the icing around your mouth, and crumbs on you lap, the table, the chair and the floor.
The process takes at least thirty minutes. For those thirty minutes, though, nothing else matters. Time is immaterial. It’s just you and the donut, alone in the universe.
Will they always be slow, intentional eaters? Will they always savor every morsel? Or will they learn to wolf down a couple of donuts between the drive thru window and the interstate? Who knows.
It’s astounding…time is fleeting…unless you slow down to enjoy the sprinkles.
Waite for it... 