Lima Beans...

The other day I was explaining to a patient how important it is that she remain in the here and now moment as best she can. She has trouble staying in the present moment and likes to mostly live in the future as she anticiaptes nearly every aspect of her life in a literal frenzy of anxiety. It's difficult even in the best of times and for virtually every human being to stay in the present moment...the immediacy of what surrounds us at any given time can sometimes be forgotten as we strive to prepare for the future or relive the past. Moreover, for chemically dependent people such a struggle can be deadly: There is a great deal about the past we usually regret and the pain of having that foremost in our brain can lead to shame and guilt, and dwelling on the future can have a negative efffect on our confidence to master the unknown.

All of which brings me to lima beans. I relate the practice of eating lima beans to many patients who struggle with living in the present moment. You see...I hate lima beans, can't stand them, and sometimes just thinking about them makes my stomach queasy. But, ordinarily, this dislike for lima beans is in the abstract - like it is now in writing you this - because they are not in front of me and I only have the memory of what they taste like or the dread of when I might next have to eat them. In other words, when it comes to lima beans I am most often either living in the past or the future...not the present moment.

So, to remedy this abstraction, once a year or so I eat some lima beans. I usually by one of those small cans, plop them into a sauce pan, add lots of butter and salt and pepper and nearly cook them to death. Then I sit down alone at a kitchen table and eat those lima beans. Suddenly, the idea of disliking lima beans is no longer an abstraction of the past or the future. Rather, my dislike for these beans is a real experience in the here and now of the moment of eating them. I savor how much I dislike them, feel in the pit of my stomach how bad I feel, and know exactly why I do not usually eat them.

Now...this culinary masochism may sound strange to the average reader. But, it is vital for me to stay in the here and now of experience, and I can think of no better way of remaining grounded in the present moment than an exercise like that with the lima beans to stay that way. The experience serves as a reminder that I must also ground myself in other ways daily by thinking of exactly where I am and where I am supposed to be at the moment. It is also a way to stay focused on tasks in front of me.

I wouldn't recommend the kind of limit bean torture to everyone...it's my little quirk. But, I would recommend everyone having some device that grounds them in the here and now. After all, there's nothing to fear about the present moment if it is well lived according to one's principles...and, who knows, I might get to like lima beans eventually.

All the best, Roger W.