Every Day Zen
And what is a bodhisattva, anyway? I can tell you of my practice thus far. It is sitting in the slough of despond, not fearless but vulnerable, choosing compassion in chaos, accepting the uncertain. So yes, my life is messy but it is not dull. Time and again, I find light in failure, sometimes only... Continue Reading →
We have a cushion to absorb life so that it lands a bit more softly. It’s an accounting of sorts, this cushion, a meting out of Zen.The future is its own, the past forever gone, and life is always now--a balancing act. Some days, I max out my Zen spreadsheet, squirreling away for the future.... Continue Reading →
Ah, up to my neck in alligators. The morning's first meditative thought, familiar and friendly. Tricky though--thoughts--learning to look and not touch or risk getting swept up in ego’s infinite loop. Awareness can be exhausting, and when I feel the alligators, I know I must sit with my energy. I’ve separated my yin from yang. Being... Continue Reading →
Today’s #LongerView is a memory as well as a way of life. Momentarily, I return to the days before I trusted my own GPS, “By the Light of the Moon.” I’ve thought about it for years and still believe the credit goes to an elderly beagle, blind from diabetes. I took her Beagling. She taught... Continue Reading →
Circumstances demand a certain way that events unfold, a concert in Las Vegas--hurricanes in Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida. As I write this post, another hurricane forms in the Gulf of Mexico. After a shooting, after a hurricane we open our hearts for those who died too soon and so needlessly, and as well, for... Continue Reading →
When there is compassion in my heart, there is kindness in my words. But how to stay compassionate, to keep open the doors of my heart in all weathers. Some days, there are rainbows but not without storms. As one passes, another forms--the unknown--its forces full of fear. Impermanence. I rely on its inevitability--impermanence--immersing myself... Continue Reading →
I was not familiar with the term greenway until I left Wyoming for subtropical Florida. Ever green lands were where other people lived. I still marvel at the green that is the South. My county has a population very close to the entire state of the high plains desert that is Wyoming. The magnificence of... Continue Reading →
The wood is tired and the wood is old And we’ll make it fine if the weather holds But if the weather holds we’ll have missed the point That’s where I need to go. “The Wood Song,” Indigo girls This morning was a swirl of thought until I opened an email from a friend who... Continue Reading →
If there must be thoughts--and there always are--be thoughtful, I tell myself. Rather than “winding yourself up,” just stay present. Mindful. Keep yourself confined to the day you have. You live nowhere else. I often find myself mucking about on low energy days. Going nowhere. They’re a bit of a slippery slope, if I wander... Continue Reading →
