Freshly Brewed
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It’s been said that better questions lead us naturally to better answers, and that it’s in not knowing that we open the doorway to knowing. I’m Scott Lennox and you’re listening to The Beautiful Question, a consideration of things that truly matter in a complex world.
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What would happen if we “brewed” our days with as much focus and attention and care as we use to brew a great cup of coffee or a tea?
Join me this week as we consider the right ingredients and best the steps to take to make our daily experience a truly robust one.
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While I have no intention of opening my own shop or presenting myself as a professional barista, I’ve long been intrigued by ways of brewing a great cup of coffee in the morning. The more I lean into it, the more fascinated I become.
Photo: Team One
This Christmas, I received two remarkable gifts that go together perfectly. The first is a bag of organic, dark roast coffee beans. I’m not sponsored by the Kion company, but I can assure you without question that theirs is cleanest and most flavorful coffee I’ve ever had. I was truly surprised. The second is a brewing device by Asobu for making pour-over coffee that drips into a well-insulated carafe. Again, I’m not sponsored by them, but their system is a smart one that I’ll be using from now on.
With these two simple changes, my morning routine has been “kicked up a notch,” as chef Emeril Legasse would say.
Using unbleached filters in the stainless-steel cone that sits over the carafe, I’ve learned to pre-wet the paper with hot water to leach out any unwanted residual flavors. I’ve learned to carefully measure the grounds before I begin the brewing process. And I’ve learned to slowly drizzle a small amount of hot water over the grounds and wait patiently as they “bloom” and release their full flavor.
Once that’s been accomplished, I’ve learned to gradually add water at around two-hundred five degrees and wait again as the coffee drips into the carafe. What goes into my cup after taking those steps, is an experience that is supremely worth all the patience and attention required.
Excuse me for sounding a bit like a commercial, but when one of life’s simple pleasures can be taken to a higher level, you can count me “all in.”
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As I savored the first cup of coffee I brewed in this new way, I began to wonder what might happen if I were to “brew” my days with as much focus and care and patience. For example, what would happen if we paid equally close attention to the ingredients and details of our days, intentionally taking our time with each step?
What would that look like and how delicious would the outcome be?
You don’t have to live very long to discover that we can’t always predict what unplanned or unscheduled things will show up in the course of a day. Yet, what will change for the better when we stop “taking things as they come,” when we choose to be a bit more intentional about the things we’ll engage in and the things we’ll avoid? As carefully as you would choose the coffee beans or the type of tea you brew, are there “ingredients” such as journaling or physical movement or working out or a hot shower or a healthy breakfast that would start your day in a more enriching way?
Might it be good to mindfully choose ingredients that include the clothes that you feel more comfortable wearing, or the person-to-person contacts you choose to make? Do the ingredients of a well-spent day include getting outside and taking in the sun and fresh air? Do they include the steps you’ll take to make your environment more livable and spacious and welcoming and beautiful?
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What filters might you choose to sift out your own negative self-talk or the drama or chaos other people so freely offer you? Can you choose healthy filters such as moments of meditation or prayer or contemplation to assure the greatest richness you’ll serve yourself? Might you choose to be as mindful with your tone of voice as you would be with how slowly you pour water over coffee grounds or tea leaves?
And what things might you be more intentional about as you wait for the day you’re brewing to begin to take on its full flavor? And as an added energizer, with what enthusiasm are you looking forward to enjoying the day you’ve taken such care to craft?
And finally, once you have it “in the cup,” (so to speak) what presence of mind and body and spirit does your day deserve? Come to think of it, what presence of mind and body do you deserve? Putting that another way, as the day unfolds, are you willing to be present enough to savor the best of it and take note of those parts you’d like to improve?
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This week’s Beautiful Questions might help us bring this grand idea into reality.
Question One: What are the finest ingredients to include in your day?
Question Two: What are some of the best steps or methods for setting those ingredients into motion?
Question Three: What things can you do to allow yourself to savor the best of each day?
As always, I’d love to hear what thoughts or ideas come to mind. I’m always open to learning something new and upping my game. Here’s to a well-brewed day.
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As I say each week,
My Light with Your Light!
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Thank you for joining me in these podcasts as we keep doing the things we can to respond to life in increasingly effective ways. As always, I’m open to your comments and feedback.
You can be further inspired by visiting my friends at Kosmos Journal. That’s K O S M O S Journal. Their mission is to inform, inspire, and engage global transformation in harmony with all life. You can easily find them online at Kosmos Journal dot O R G.
And at thebeautifulquestion.com, you can read the illustrated transcript of each podcast as you listen. You’ll also find an archive of all previous podcasts, including episodes three and four, guided relaxation audios that can help you practice letting go on a daily basis.
If you find these podcasts useful, don’t hesitate to share them or tell others about them. That’s a great way of helping me get a voice of calm and collaboration and balance and encouragement out into the world.
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I’m Scott Lennox, and this has been The Beautiful Question.
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The Beautiful Question is a One Light production, written, produced, and engineered by Scott Lennox at HeartRock Studios in Fort Worth, Texas, as a way of paying forward to life, being fully present, becoming better engaged with things that truly matter in a complex world, and committing to a healthier future for all of us.