My Husband.....The Bell of Mindfulness

It's a clear crisp morning here in New England. I was sitting on the porch sipping my coffee with my daughter when my husband joined us. We had a slight "altercation" and I had an epiphany that I will share with you now. A few weeks ago I was on retreat. Thich Nhat Hanh was talking about the importance of using the "bell" as a means to return to the breath and be present in this moment. It occurred to me that my husband is in fact "a bell of mindfulness." So from now on, every time he does something that I find irritating........I will do my level best to look at him as though he is a Bell of Mindfulness - a big shiny black cast iron bell, his little head sticking out the top, (Are you laughing Honey?) his legs from the bottom, arms stick out as well as he holds large drum sticks (the kind with the big rubber balls on the ends) in each hand........ and he's ringing that bell............Just for me. :) It's an opportunity for me to breathe deeply, not react, and focus on resolution. It's a great practice and also amuses me quite a lot so that I eventually forget what I was so irritated about. Give it a try! Have a beautiful day, go well.