the four brachos that express our deep gratitude (families that bentsch together…).
The hands are central to all of these actions and I observe the intricate movements of fingers and thumb, the palm, the
wrists and elbows, as they all co-ordinate
to wash, lift, pour, cover, cut, dip, share
and connect. Bless the hands that feed us.
Thus, before we act, before we participate, S.T.O.P. for just a few seconds and
bring your attention to your breathing
and observe what is happening right now.
Just watch with a mindset of curiosity, as
if doing this thing for the very first time;
dwell in this mind-state for a while and
then proceed. Magic happens internally.
The simple S.T.O.P. technique can be initiated in every moment, just as soon as we
bring awareness to our taking in a breath.
It can be most useful in our relationships
with others and even with ourselves. People push our buttons, events push our buttons, and sometimes buttons are pushed
by causes we’re not even aware of. It can
be seemingly impossible to switch off
these buttons, but we can surely observe
their effects and try to act, channelling our
reactions accordingly. Take anger, for example. The button is pushed. We feel the
rage building, the arms tensing, the gut
churning. Now we are at a crossroads.
How do we manage the in ѕɹ