A slice of mindfulness
It all began with a piece of bread and a stubborn toaster.
A simple breakfast mission – nothing fancy – no avocados included in the production of this. Just toast. Bread, heat, crunch, done. But on this morning, my toaster had other plans.
I chose the big end slice (you end slicers know what true living is š), and popped it in, andā¦ nothing.
No hum, no light, no satisfying scent of burning carbs, just a cold silence. I was being ghosted by my own toaster as I stood in the kitchen, holding a sad slice of un-toasted potential ā¹
Now at this stage of the proceedings, most would either try again or opt for the easier option – cereal. But us Smileyapes are no ordinary folk. We are the kind that end up re-evaluating our entire life philosophy by 5:05am (yes, thatās how early this was).
Let me rewind a little. Iāve never been a morning person, but I do have that āgo-go-goā mindset. Up before the crack of dawn, bathroom, coffee, shower, change of clothing and out the door, ready to tackle that M40 traffic. But this morning, as I loomed over my absent toaster, something strange happened. I didnāt pull out my phone to amazon-prime next day delivery toaster, nor did I replace the fuse in the plug (Iām just not wired up that way š) , I did something wild.. I made toast the good old-fashioned way.
Pan, butter, low flame, 3 minutes, flip-flop and finish. That 3 minutes turned into something I hadnāt felt for a long time. Stillness.
I noticed the bread slowly toasting, the edges forming a golden colour on the crust. The soft sizzle of the butter massaging the bread as it infused into one. The scent of warming grains. It was oddly.. enchanting. No phone at hand to scroll through as I waited, no thoughts of emails and meetings, no voices occupying the head of to-do lists. Just in harmony with the toast and I š
And in that beautifully buttery moment, a thought occurred, what is all the rush about??
I mean really. When did I become so detached from the present moments? Always preoccupied with the daily chores of living, like a caffeinated pinball.
Perhaps the broken toaster was telling me to slow down; in itās own *Watt way .. > disclaimer of pun explanation ahead: A Watt is a unit of power, measuring the rate at which energy is used. A Watt tells you how much energy is being transferred. Therefore, the lack of Watt in the toaster resulting in no toast is the toasterās way of telling me to caaalm down.
Moving on from the wisdom of the silent toaster, I started to see how often I let my days blur into a fast-moving montage. I wasnāt living, I was just processing life. It reminded me of a quote I read and then promptly forgot.. until nowĀ Ā Ā donāt just do something – sit there
We live in a world that glorifies busyness, wrapped up in cool words like productivity and hustling. Thereās a crazy kind of prestige in being too busy. But busy often doesnāt align to what really matters ā You.
Sometimes all you need to do is to pause and breath.
Productivity without presence is just performance.
I made a decision. I was going to rewire how I approached my days. Not with a dramatic change such as a vow of silence whilst atop a Himalayan Mountain, but with small, gentle changes:
- Morning mind check: whilst sipping my morning coffee, I would close my eyes for a few minutes and try emptying my mind of everything. and I mean everything. all that residual clutter stuck to the sides like a fly caught in a web.. and just Be
- Smile: whilst brushing my teeth I would finish off with a smile (surprising how uplifting this is)
- Grateful journey entry: whilst driving to work, I would enter one conscious thought mentally of what I appreciate. That could be, looking forward to a meal later in the week. It could be recounting a fond memory of my children. It could be, looking up at the sky and welcoming the sunny day. Anything to appreciate.
These changes, amongst other things, have been a game-changer. My days still have structure, but now they also have soul. In a world wired by speed, why not rebel and refresh by simply slowing down?
I call this movement the slow toast life
Itās not the race to the finish weāll remember. Itās the slow, golden crusted edges, slightly charred but imperfectly perfect that deserve our full attention.
As the final crumbs of self-professed wisdom, I havenāt replaced the broken toaster. I quite like my morning ritual now. Pan, butter, bread, flame. The rhythm of it. The calm. The ordinary magic. It reminds me to stay crispy, stay curious.
Let me know what works for you by dropping your slow-toast movement in the comments and letās rebel together š