LISTEN to the podcast discussing of this article: Inner Stillness
We often have to do things we don’t want to. The dentist. Folding laundry. Vacuuming the house. It is not the chore as much as the idea of the chore we have in our minds. “I could be doing something fun. Something productive.” Or my holy grail, “I could be working on a creative project.”
Yet, in an hour and a half I’ll be reporting for duty. Eight-and-a-half hours with two ten minute breaks and an unpaid lunch. It is a grind. And during the first week of my return to the “grocery life” I was disheartened and struggling. It was the mindfulness practices that brought me back to the present moment.
I this moment, this morning, before work I am feeling no pain. None. I am content. At this very second I’m expressing my creative ideas, listening to music, and drinking a fine cup of coffee.
It’s not hard to imagine, however come late afternoon when the coffee buzz is fading, I’ll be struggling a bit. Tired. Bored.
I can offer to do a dreaded “cart run” in the Texas heat. But I like them. I can put music on my earbuds and dance around the parking lot. I can walk the store. I can put all the cans in the “drink wall” into a well-ordered forward-facing row-upon-row of seductive beverages. It’s about my attitude. How my “monkey mind” is processing the moment.
I have learned to slow or entertain my runaway thoughts with a cascade of thoughts of my own. The serenity prayer is a good mantra. Also Sharon Salzberg’s direction that has stayed with me through my “service” roles.
I am here to serve someone else. I am here to get health benefits and a little money. My real motivation, what has me excited about going to work in a bit, is the beautiful river of life that flows through our store every day. From the early morning customers, basking in the empty store with leisurely strolls up the aisles of organic products and produce. Spend time in our “wellness” section and you will understand why I say, “We have the best smelling store in the world.” The soaps, the candles, the bath balms, lotions, massage oils…
Come find some of our peace of mind. I’ll see you over by the handmade soap display. One minute smelling the various magical concoctions is enough to reset my frustration or boredom into something akin to “wonder.”
I am alive with the wonder of it all. I start here. I start with me and my mind. Seeking my own inner peace and stillness. Even when hungry, sad, or tired, I can refocus my inner dialoge by singing a song. If you hear my humming at my station, I’m just getting warmed up and recentered to greet you.
“Hi, I’m glad you’re here.”
[Listen to the Deep Dive explore the concepts of The Happy Cashier.]
The hope I see in others
becomes the hope I have for myself,
my life, and my own journey.
– The Happy Cashier
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ALT: Botisatva’s Bookshelf | The Happy Cashier Podcast
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