Week 27 Day 2

Medi object choiceless awareness
Intention to notice micro-joys

Morning all!

Today my intention is to notice micro joys. The weather today is sunny with clear blue skies! Micro joy! The guy next to me is spoiling my micro joy by talking loudly on his phone. I feel angst and irritation because my focus is drawn towards his voice. The sunlight dances on my eyelids no swirling today. The guy gets cut off due to poor service. Micro joy and relief! The focus now is on the familiar whining noise of the engine, the occasional thud across joined tracks (I presume), this is the noise of the underground. I listened to the announcements but they disappeared from my periphery for a few stops...ooops la-la land. Mondays isn't so good for alertness. Whilst I scrabbled back to reality, I checked in with the sense cycle - breathing, hearing, seeing, smelling, feeling. Breathing was short and sharp, hearing was a cacophony of sounds - voices, train noises, strange knocking sounds, smelling - no perfume smell except when I got on - my nose is blocked so potential subtle smell is lost, feeling - my right hand grips my wrist around my handbag, I feel softness of the seat against the back of my legs and my back, and my feet are flat on the floor. Phew - micro joy that periphery is back!

Continuting my exploration on the train platform between trains, the advert for the audio book is inviting me to read it - my mind goes to thoughts of the classics I should read. The platform is cool but the breeze isn't blowing today - micro joy! I step onto the train and get a seat straight away - microjoy, and continue to practice. Microjoy is spoilt by guy speaking loudly. When I realise he's actually speaking to someone next to him I feel less irritated. Half English, half an Indian continental language. Even that stops after a while, although a further mega unjoy when he decides to blow his nose with great vigour. Eew. I glance at him and he is still applying tissue. Less of a unjoy - at least he is using a tissue and not sniffing! I hear a loud voice - it is a German boy shouting across to his mother. At first I wasn't sure if it was German, but a few minutes later I caught some familiar words. The mother was standing opposite me and was wearing a blue waterproof which was really short and didn't go fit over her t-shirt. I wondered if that was a fashion statement as it appeared to fit her well (a bit like the inside out cardigan that isn't inside out). Micro joy humour.

I decided to try metta because the carriage was quiet. I managed to focus on the awww factor on and off, I had to stop as the guy next to me had resumed his nose job which completely wiped out any loving kindness from my mind. Hopefully I did not cast too disparaging a look at him. 

Not in the formal practice, but micro joys continued as I got off the train, a woman in front of me was wearing zebra leggings - micro joy humour! A man in the queue in front of me in the breakfast shop was wearing his tweed flat cap backwards thinking he was cool - micro joy giggle! The server at the counter greeted me cheerfully and one of the other ones recognised me..awww micro joy - I love that shop. Came out into the sunshine and the art nouveau signs and the buildings against the sun - mega joy. I approached the office (a little unjoy), as I walked to my desk a micro joy for an air-conditioned office which is usually never too hot or cold. Now I am about to make a cup of roobois tea - micro joy!

Have a great day full of micro joys! 🌻💜🌻

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