When we are cooking a dish that we learned to make from our mother or father, a dish that has been handed down through generations of our family, we should look at our hands and smile because these hands are the hands of our mother, the hands of our grandmother. Those who have made this dish are making this dish now. When we’re in the kitchen cooking, we can be completely mindful; we don’t have to go into the meditation hall to practice like this. In the past, did your grandfather play volleyball? Did your grandmother go jogging every day? Did she have the opportunity to practice dwelling in the present moment while she was walking or running? When we are running we should allow our grandmother to run in us. Your grandmother is in each cell of your body. You carry all your ancestors in you when you’re jogging, when you’re doing walking meditation, and when you’re realizing the practice of dwelling happily in the present moment. Maybe previous generations didn’t have the opportunity to practice like this. Now, whether we’re practicing walking, running, or breathing mindfully, we have the opportunity to bring happiness and joy to countless generations of ancestors.

– Reconciliation: Healing the Inner Child by Thich Nhat Hanh