Alysia had foot surgery in early June and had to spend her days sitting in a recliner for half the summer. I tended her gardens and cooked and attended her. She loves her morning coffee so it was the first part of the breakfast I would place onto the table next to her recliner. I would place it like the picture in the upper-left. In order to pick up the cup of coffee, she had to cock her wrist sharply back like in the upper-right picture.
One day I realized that if I pushed the handle around towards her as I placed the cup (lower-left picture), her hand could easily and simply pick up the cup (lower-right picture).
The teacup holds a lesson. If I look at the teacup from my point of view, it takes less energy for me to place the cup with the handle angled towards me. Turning it towards Alysia requires a little extra extension as the cup comes down. Not much but a bit more.
However, when I look at it in the larger context of how much energy will be consumed in the complete process of passing the cup from me to her first sip, then the second way consumes less energy. My extra move requires a bit more energy but my hand is already moving in that direction so it is just a simple extension whereas cocking and then uncocking her wrist requires more energy. So the net result is less energy expended. That is one tiny example of how awareness of flow of possibilities within a system greater than mine can lead to mindful expenditures of energy that reduce total expenditures of energy. When one realizes shifts like this are possible, they become fun to detect, making the world more intriguing. And when I pointed out this little move to Alysia, it became a little “I’m thinking of you this morning” love note. Though such shifts seem small, they grow into reminders of our love for this gift of life.
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