the open-eyes sit

Most evenings this sit closes the eyes. Tonight, keep them open, and soft.

Choose one ordinary thing already in the room. The steel glass. The mango on the shelf. A sleeping child's face, if one is available and sleeping.

Now the usual three rounds. In through the nose for a count of four. A small rest at the top. Out for a slow count of six. Settle for a moment. And all the while, simply look at the thing you chose — the way you would look at something you had never seen before and might not see again. The glass has been in the family longer than some of the family. It has never once been looked at.

Nothing in the room will have changed by the third breath. Something in the looking changes slightly, and that is the entire practice. You can stop here.