The Value of Penguin Ice Cubes
I have a serious weakness for kitchen gadgets and toys. A relatively recent purchase was my penguin ice cube trays and I LOVE them.
They inspired this post for two reasons:
They bring me joy every single time I use them.
They remind me of the fact that everything in life is impermanent.
I love to watch the little penguins “swimming” around in my water. It makes it more fun to drink water, which can be pretty boring and tasteless, but also so important for our health.
I am also a tiny bit sad every time they start to dissolve in my water, and then I’m reminded of the fact that every single thing in our lives is temporary.
It doesn’t matter how great or how terrible something is. It won’t last. Many things feel unending, but it’s not a reality.
We tend to want to hold onto the things that make us happy and push away those that make us unhappy, often forgetting that all of them are impermanent.
Maybe a better option is to focus on being present with whatever we’re experiencing and either fully enjoy it, or accept it as the reality of our moment, knowing that either way it’s going to end.
If we can work on letting go of the negative once it’s over, we’re always better off, though it is definitely easier said than done.
Reliving a negative experience repeatedly by retelling the story over and over doesn’t usually help anyone, even though we may try to convince ourselves that it’s useful to keep sharing the story of how we were wronged by someone else.
Conversely, being sad when something that was extremely enjoyable to us is over also can become a problem. Wishing you were back on that amazing vacation versus at a job you might not be excited by can also cause you more emotional pain
Living in the present moment and really remembering that everything is temporary can be both really challenging and extremely rewarding.
The starting place is just to focus on the present and do your best. Every minute of every day is another chance to practice.
Action Steps:
When you’re not in the present moment, notice if you spend more of your time focusing on the past or the future.
Then notice whether those thoughts are predominantly positive or negative.
The final step is using those thoughts to make tiny shifts in the way you live your life.
We can never change anything until we first, notice it, second, decide it’s worth changing, and finally, take action.
Let my little penguins move you to do something different today!
