Mama's Cup of Goodness

Yes, this really is my actually cup!  Love this cup! 

 

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I decided to get out of Phoenix for the weekend.  We packed up our children for an overnight stay up in the pine trees of Flagstaff.  We focused on just spending time outdoors, with the kids, with each other, and fitting in at least one activity on everyone's wish list.  My activity, of course, was browsing in a fun girly boutique that is the, "I've always wanted to go in there, but never have the time", type of shop.  Our first day in town was a windy day in old town Flagstaff and there was just enough chill in the air to chase us inside to a local coffee shop for mochas, and hot chocolates for the kids.  The weather had everyone a bit cold and grumpy.  As I waited for my mocha to be made, I saw "my shop"of choice across the street from the coffee shop.  Girlfriends, it was one of those trendy little shops that make you feel youthful and sexy all at once.  It's window displays appealed to my artsy side.  I mean we're talking sweet looking wedge shoes, pretty little dresses, and 'to die for' hand bags.  I leaned over to my husband and said, "Oh, that shop over there looks cute !"  He then suggested after I get my mocha, that I just head over there and browse and he would sit with the kids at the coffee shop while they finished their drinks.  Score!  Seeing my opportunity and the support of my husband in action, I wasn't going to let this go.

Finally, my mocha was ready.  Now, you have to understand something about my mocha's, coffee's, tea's, hot cocoa's,...well any hot beverage for that matter.  My relationship with them is very serious.  There is something about a warm beverage that jump starts me into slowing down and being present.  I love to pamper myself in this way.  My family now calls my cups of hot beverages, "Mama's cup of goodness."  It is so long standing, that if I'm in a bad mood, sad, or stressed my husband is the first to jump in and suggest that he head out in the car straight to our local coffee shop and procure "a cup of goodness."  I think it really appeals to his old cave man instincts of going out and hunting something down and bringing it back home to provide for his woman.  Can you hear the chest thumping?  Hey, if my man feels better, all the better for both of us. 

So, anyway, I headed across the street and stepped into the shop and let the wonderful feeling of having a moment to myself, wash over me.  I took just a second to be very present.  Mmmmm.  I had no children tugging on me, or repeating, "mom, mom, mom," I was standing in a shop oozing with trendy cuteness, and I had A CUP OF GOODNESS in my hand!!!  This was a great way to love on myself..."self care" if you will.  I took a deep breath and instantly exhaled.  My contentedness must have been audible, as one of the boutique's staff commented on how lovely, cozy, and peaceful I looked with my coffee in hand.  I giggled and said, "I feel good with it just in my hand.  I sometimes think I wouldn't even have to drink it and it would have the same affect on me."  The sales lady laughed and said, "Oh that is so true!"  As I browsed I thought about what I had just said, some more.  In being very present, and letting my senses take in everything.... the 'to go' coffee cup with it's little raised lid and earthy/urban cardboard sleeve hugging the white paper cup that gave off the perfect amount of cozy warmth.  The colors and textures within the shop.  The silence.  I was fully appreciating this small moment and all of the beauty it had to offer.  An attitude shift was slowly taking place.  I had't even had a sip of my mocha!  Then, I had to think back further, maybe this attitude shift had actually happened back at the coffee shop itself.  The intoxicating aromas wafting from the coffee shop were what had lured us in in the first place.  Was that the shift?  Oh, and not to mention that coffee shops in themselves are always a visual with their trendy cuteness.  Maybe my mental shift had taken place at the coffee shop?  After all what FINALLY prompted me to seek out the boutique I had never gone into?  Was it the aroma of the coffee beans that started my mental journey to a different more positive place of possibilities in my head?

Now keep in mind the cup of coffee, the aroma, nor the trendy shop, have the power to change my attitude.  But I do.  There is an association however with that cup of coffee of good feelings.  The shift that took place from feeling cold and grumpy to contented and happy was all within me.  A choice. I chose to take a small moment for "self care", to be present, and enjoy God's beauty through my senses.  We choose, whether or not we see God's beauty in everyday life.

As a former Interior Designer, it was well known in my business, that one's environment can have an enormous impact on one's mental well being.  In my experience as a designer I always asked my clients to pick a favorite 'thing' as an inspiration piece to jump start the design process.  Many times they would come with pictures and treasures that were from past vacations.  No matter the object, the reason was always the same; the object elicited a particular feeling.  There was a mental shift in the presence of their favorite object.  As a designer I used that in their home so that the feeling could be all encompassing in their everyday life.  You can do the same on a much smaller and more affordable scale with what you have around you.  What a great way to pamper yourself! For example: I once remember making a list of everything that spoke to me in positive ways and helped make a change in my attitude.  The list included things in the physical world that took me back to a memory or triggered a good feeling, by just seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, or smelling them in the day.  They were things that would engage my senses in my everyday life.  They made the daily grind a bit sweeter.  Here are a few things that were on my list:

Wind chimes ( keeps me present and in the moment)
Favorite song or cd on the ready (a get up and move song is great for a grumpy mood)
Coffee or Tea (calming)
Quotes/ Bible verses that mean something to me (great for perspective)
Pictures of my family on vacation (calming and helps me let go of the moments when I'm ready to turn in my wife/mom card)
Fresh Flowers (beauty always brings joy)
Pumpkin spice candle for the aroma (reminds me of Autumn back home in the Midwest)
My Children's Artwork (this returns me to the 'awwww my kids are so adorable' attitude when I'm ready to sell them to the gypsies)
Pictures of the Ocean (peace and perspective)
Favorite Family Heirloom (helps me feel connected to my roots)

These are several off of my list and I have many more.  But, I would challenge each of you to make a list of things that you could put in your everyday world that resonate with you.  God comes to us through the smallest of moments and through those things that sing to our souls.  He wants us to take good care of ourselves.  Taking a moment to pamper yourself, getting present, and choosing to find beauty and joy in the littlest of things...that, is Artful Living!