Working with Change and Cleaning Strawberries

"Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don't fight them. Just find a different way to stand."

Oprah Winfrey

Sometimes doing something different is, well, different!

This morning my regular “workout place” is closed. It will be closed for maintenance and upgrading of equipment for six more days. I really look forward to going to the recreation center for my exercise and stretching. I’m not fanatical, but in order to feel fitter and enjoy fitness as a welcome, regular activity, I like working out at my rec center. Marty, the smiling, upbeat, and highly goofy reception person greets me before my workout, and he always says something that has me laughing (and at 5:30 am, that is a huge feat). He takes my pass, scans it, asks if I need a lock or a towel, and then I’m on my way to working out, first with stretching, then on the cardio machines.

Annual pass holders for my neighborhood recreation center are invited to visit the recreation center in the next town over (about 6 miles away) while maintenance week is taking place. The rec center in the next town opens their doors a bit later than the one in my town, so I planned my day today to go and be there when the center opened.

When I drove up to the recreation center, I noticed a line had formed outside, with people waiting for the facility to open, although it was time to open. I never had to wait for my neighborhood center to open, so this was a different experience. Since I’ve never worked out at this facility, I had to ask where the cardio machines where (I had to go up a flight of stairs to get to the workout machines). They were situated in the corners of the second floor (there is a track around the perimeter of the second floor that people can walk or run on). This was another different environment to adjust to; another opportunity. None of the machines were lined up with one another; they were sort of staggered about so they could fit the maximum amount of equipment in the minimized space. A woman with perfume started working out next to me (and I admit, I get challenged with fragrance in a work-out environment), so I physically and mentally focused my energy toward my exercise, and the radio show I had downloaded to my MP3 player. The machine was nice, and a little newer than the elliptical cross-trainer I normally use.

I worked out for 30 minutes on this machine, and I made it through my workout; it was different than what I was used to.

I decided it was a good day to work with “different”.



When I came home, I was very hungry. For breakfast, I normally make a shake or smoothie in the morning, with protein powder, crushed ice, a small amount of juice, and fresh or frozen fruit. I blend those ingredients together so it's nice and smooth. That seems to fill me up, and I feel like I’m getting a pretty nutritious meal for the time I spend putting it together.

I pulled out two quarts of organic strawberries from the refrigerator to prep. I squatted down to a low kitchen cabinet, reached in to find a plastic colander to place the strawberries in to rinse off and clean. I also pulled out a container to hold the strawberries once I cleaned them, from out of the same cabinet. I did all this as quietly as possible, since my roommate sleeps downstairs below the kitchen, and it was still early morning.

I’m right handed, I thought I would change the way I go through the process in the present moment, so I picked up the knife with my left hand and began cutting off the green tops of the strawberries carefully, using the hand I don't normally use for writing, cutting, or doing fine detailed hand work. Precision wasn’t the key here, being present in the moment was, though. I noticed the black-handled knife in my non-dominant hand and as I brought awareness to the process of cleaning and slicing strawberries. I brought awareness to how the process felt awkward, yet I was open to the awkward feeling, and more curious than judgmental. I observed the texture of the seedy protective outer fruit, the pressure level it took to slice through the fruit, the sweet and tangy fragrance of the fruit, carefully cutting away what I perceived as a less-than-fresh spot on the strawberry. I brought my awareness to my feet, as they grounded me in the moment, on the earth, feeling the coolness of the linoleum floor through my white gym socks, knowing below my feet, downstairs, my roommate might be still dreaming. I noticed the refreshing wet feeling of the rinsed strawberries and the cool, sticky dampness of my upper back, still moist from my workout.

Doing things differently without judgment encourages me to stay in the present moment, and allows me to move through all things that are different and unknown with more faith and less fear.