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JFT Beach 🇬🇧 🏊 🧘‍♂️'s avatar

This is great. My dad was the same in 1980s northern England where loads of folk just sat nursing a pint. And you are so right it was calm, still and (not that they'd ever know it) a bit mindful. Love this and gonna share in my weekly round up newsletter on Sunday. Just subscribed.

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Caoilainn Lander's avatar

Not that they would ever know or admit it 🤣 Thank you so much for reading and sharing. I just checked out your Substack and looks like we are touching on similar topics - also subscribing!

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JFT Beach 🇬🇧 🏊 🧘‍♂️'s avatar

Great stuff thank you

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Megan Lee's avatar

I love this so much!!! It's so easy to get caught up in "if I don't look like the vinyasa flowing, mat meditating 'it' people, I'm doing it wrong!" This is such a beautiful message. In this vein, driving is very meditative for me, as is riding lawn mowers! I haven't got to do a riding lawn mower in years now, but it was honestly soooooo meditative to me. I miss it!!! 🥲😂

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Caoilainn Lander's avatar

Those are two amazing examples! I can totally imagine how the lawn mower would be super meditative - combined with the smell of grass, the nature. Love it 💛 Thank you for reading

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Jess's avatar

I love this! I think having the internet in the palms of our hands (or a podcast in our ears) has robbed us of these little every day meditations. I only ever feel it if I do something like swimming where my brain is forced to be still.

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Caoilainn Lander's avatar

Thanks so much Jess! It’s very true, we don’t know how to be bored anymore. I always am amazed at older people on trains who travel for 3-4 hours with no phone, music, etc. Nobody our age could do that!

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Jason Leonard's avatar

I’m originally from Galway, and I just loved this.

I’d never thought about the whole nursing a pint in this way before, but you’re so right. I remember my Dad visiting me in London once and he did the whole solo drinking in the Owl and Pussycat (which you might know as you mention Bethnal Green).

There was something so comical about my Dad, a Galway Irish farmer just slowly drinking his pint watching the world go by, surrounded by East London cool kids.

But he was so peaceful and content. Totally in the moment.

Meditating, if you will :)

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Caoilainn Lander's avatar

Haha, I love that your Dad was drinking solo around Shoreditch! Thanks so much for reading Jason 😊

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Dawn-Renée Rice's avatar

What a beautiful yet simple story to illustrate that meditation isn't complicated. And it happens in places and in ways you'd never expect.

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Caoilainn Lander's avatar

Thanks so much for reading, Dawn! 🫶🏻

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