As we tick off the days through spring, here is a writing exercise that uses psychological and philosophical writing to inspire us. Read the excerpt and use its tone, message or phrasing as a seed in writing your poem.

“If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future—and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.”

      ~Thich Nhat Hanh (Book: The Miracle of Mindfulness)

Pick a mundane task and write about it as if it is the most important and life-giving task in the world, a task that will change your life for the better.

Good luck.

David James