#477: SPOTLIGHT: REVERSE ACTIVITY

CFC #477: 

Reverse Activities

Oct 13, 2026

A Backbeat of Community

“In a noisy materialistic society, to sit down and remain still and quiet is a reverse activity.   …[Reverse activity] can become a foundational principle for guiding daily-life situations. It can be used to cut through mindless behavioral loops, and for using disruption to wake us up from our sleepwalking habits…”    Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

I love the quote above and its invitation to reflect on my daily habits a bit differently.  Now in the spirit of continuing this practice of  reverse activities, I've collected a few more from our community to share below. I just love reading these and hearing what happens when stepping outside the usual patterns and practices.  

~Amanda

#1         AMBER

My daughter and I set the table for dinner - with placemats, cloth napkins, candles and fancy glasses. It would be much more efficient to just grab a plate and eat at the middle island, but the beauty adds to the thankfulness of the moments we get to enjoy each other’s company (and good food :))...Amber Gentry

#2           RICHARD 

I “let” my granddaughter, who just yesterday learned how to ride her bike, teach me how to ride a bike. At the end she said, “don’t be afraid and just keep practicing.”...Richard Sugarman

#3      JOE

Moving my way through the ritual of a multistep traditional espresso-making process when the super-automatic, one-button, machine could create the same volume of coffee in a fraction of the time...Joe Bruzzese       

#4          BECK 

Sometimes when I water the plants in my apartment, I wait by each one for the water to soak in before pouring in more, rather than moving on to the next plant and coming back to it later. While I wait, I admire the beauty and sometimes even talk to it, since they say plants grow better when you speak kindly to them ;)....Beck Sullivan

           #5      SUSAN 

Before launching into playing a song or a written piece of music, I play the scales of all the chord changes and listen for key notes and relationships...Susan Estes

#6         TRISTAN

One of my reverse activities is making coffee with a Moka pot instead of grabbing coffee out. While going out is a great way to connect with the community, I enjoy the slower process of making it myself. It gives me a few quiet moments to disconnect and ease into the day...Tristan Bruzzese

#7           NEERU

Skipping grocery runs to wait for the farmers market on Saturday. Idling among the vegetables, sharing recipes with strangers while digging for the freshest perfect size veggies....Neeru Garg