Of Water & Coffee

Each afternoon the meditations I experience appear to be all the same. Life is a funny thing, isn’t it? Even when it seems like nothing’s new—bam! Heraclitus said it most clearly with his saying: "You can’t step into the same river twice." Or in my case, you can't have the same meditation twice!

This idea of ever-newness hit me again during a recent meditation practice. The guided session (from an OSHO app—BYOB: Be Your Own Bestie, or as I’ve now renamed it, BMOB: Be My Own Bestie) is rooted in a course I recently completed: OSHO Reminding Yourself of the Forgotten Language of Talking to Your BodyMind. It’s a 45-minute guided journey of listening to your body, inviting alignment, and waiting for messages about new behaviors to emerge. On November 14th, one message came through loud and clear: Water is Love.

The image of the water drop filled with hearts was as vivid as if someone had painted it on the inside of my eyelids. It spilled effortlessly onto paper later that day, the font for the words even appearing by “mistake.” The message that came with it was equally vivid: It's OK to drink more water. Morning, evening, before meals, in between meals—water is LOVE!

Oh joy! A behavior I can get behind 1000%. I already love water. No disguises, no flavor additives—just pure, clean goodness. And here at Providence Lodge, our well water is practically liquid gold. Aside from coffee, water and iced tea are my go-to beverages. But now, with this added encouragement, I’ve been stepping up my water game, pouring a little more with each passing day.

Now let’s talk about coffee for a second. Coffee and I? We’ve had a good run. I couldn't do without my Starbucks fix on the train ride to work in New York City, no way! But lately, it’s like a clingy acquaintance who’s overstayed their welcome. Sure, it was warm and exciting at first, but now it’s all acidic vibes and nausea. I mean, I powered through for old times’ sake—what’s one more cup, right?—but even my body’s over it.

Over the past week, I’ve noticed this shift. After 1.5 cups, I’d get that sour, acidic tummy feeling, sometimes a wave of nausea so strong it made me question my life choices. But did I stop? Of course not. Coffee is my guilty pleasure, my reward, my safety net. And let’s not forget the epic caffeine withdrawal headaches waiting in the wings.

Then, something miraculous happened. I didn’t finish my second cup. It sat there, abandoned, waiting to be emptied later in the day. Yesterday, I planned for one glorious cup, no more. And today? I couldn’t even finish that. Somewhere in the blur of nausea and mindfulness, I realized my body had been gently weaning me off coffee without any declarations, control tactics, or rebellious backlash.

Healthy, natural behaviors are rising to the surface in their own time, with their own priorities, without me needing to force or dictate. This, my friends, is the dream. No guilt, no struggle—just ease and grace. My attachment to coffee feels unnecessary now, even a little silly.

And that’s the beauty of listening to your body. It’s not about micromanaging every little thing; it’s about trusting that, given the space and attention, your body knows what it needs. For me, it started with water—a simple, loving shift—and its growing into something bigger: alignment.

So here I am, on day 9 of this BMOB (Be My Own Bestie) 30 day meditation journey, embracing more water and less coffee. The transition feels surprisingly natural. My body’s wisdom, it seems, has been there all along.

And you know what? It’s fucking awesome.

Here’s to more water, less coffee, and the joy of discovering that change doesn’t have to be forced—it can flow, just like a river.

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