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Posts from the ‘Mindfulness’ Category

Nov 19

The Work of Blooming

“Flowers don’t open and close according to who is walking by. They open and show their beauty regardless.”― Rebecca Campbell, Light is the New Black

“Balance is not a passive resting place—it takes work, balancing the giving and the taking, the raking out and the putting in.”― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Our yes or no.
Action or inaction.
Response or reaction.
Daily choosing.
To listen.
To ask questions.
To go deeper.
Than assumptions, judgments, easy answers.
At ease in the knowing and unknowing.
Trusting time and timing.
Slowing and savoring.
Paying attention.
Giving and receiving.
Opening and softening.
The work of becoming, of blooming.

“Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.”― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

Sep 23

1 Comment

Every, Every Minute

“Light isn’t always buoyant and shadows aren’t always despair; yet both, I believe, are limitless in lessons that they share.”― Carolyn Riker, Blue Clouds: A Collection of Soul’s Creative Intelligence

“We have such a long way to go,” sighed the boy
“Yes, but look how far we’ve come,” said the horse”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

Slow to see your life in real time
Not merely in memory, anticipation, regret, fear
We put lipstick on the past
Or are bound by it
The good ol’ days
The same ones we missed when we were in them
Life is unfolding in the ordinary, at our feet, in this day
Amidst sun and clouds
Flowers and weeds
Seen and unseen
Knowing and unknowing
Seeking and finding
In Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Emily asks, “Does anyone ever realize life while they live it… every, every minute?” and the Stage Manager replies, “No. Saints and poets maybe…they do some”
No place to be but here
May you find joy, peace, delight, wonder today and let it find you too.

“Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”― William James

Aug 25

2 Comments

Of Ordinary Beautiful Things

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu

The Patience of Ordinary Things by Pat Schneider

“It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they’re supposed to be.
I’ve been thinking about the patience
Of ordinary things, how clothes
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous than a window?”

May I always welcome different perspectives.
To broaden, deepen, expand.
To see the commonalities of humanity.
Belonging, acceptance, connection.
To invite intellectual humility to keep learning, understanding and growing.
To be kind, generous, considerate, assume the best.
Patient, allowing, inviting.
Opening windows and doors to let fresh air in.
To slow down, pause and savor.
To weave gratitude, wonder and awe into each ordinary day.
Transforming the journey into one of love.

Aug 18

1 Comment

Deep Roots

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

“Water your roots so your soul can blossom” – Unknown

To what are you rooted?
Timeless.
True.
Deep within.
Release the rest to grow.
Keep planting.
Watering.
Blossoming.

“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” – Dalai Lama

Aug 12

To Go Easy

“You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It’s just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.” – Paulo Coelho

When I am Among the Trees
by Mary Oliver

“When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”

Get outside.
Get outside yourself.
Then re-enter.
Refreshed.
Filled.
Renewed perspective.
Open heart and mind.
Light spirit.
Be good to yourself, to others.
Go easy, find ease.
Bow often.

“The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.” – Sakyong Mipham

Aug 2

1 Comment

Mindful, Life Full

“These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.” – Najwa Zebian

“You may be surprised to know that all of this ultimately comes down to one thing: your attention. If you’re feeling that you’re in a cognitive fog: depleted attention. If you’re feeling anxious, worried, or overwhelmed by your emotions: hijacked attention. If you can’t seem to focus so you can take action or dive into urgent work: fragmented attention. If you feel out of step and detached from others: disconnected attention.”― Amishi P. Jha, Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention in Just 12 Minutes a Day

May you know the power you possess.
To redirect, to change, to transform.
Rooted in your mind, your thoughts spilling into your actions and inactions.
Pay attention to what you are paying attention to.
In stillness, clarity.
In pause, renewal.
In rest, cup refilled.
Mindful rather than mind full.
Daily practice.
Full presence, grateful heart.

“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” – Hermann Hesse

Jul 30

2 Comments

To Kneel in the Present

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.”― John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

“Because what you give your attention to is the person you become. Put another way: the mind is the portal to the soul, and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. In the end, your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to.” ― John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

Daily.
Depth.
Discipline.
Deliberate.
Practice.
Intention.
Focus.
Devotion.
To single-task.
To pause and look, longer.
To stay and stick.
To linger.
To be ever present.
Awake.
Aware.
Threshold to devotion.
Unforced rhythms of grace.
Portal to soul.
Be relentless, ruthless, radical to create space for being.
Gratitude, awe and wonder lives here.

“Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”― John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

Jul 10

Roots and Sky

“Maybe it’s impossible
for poets to hide
the abundance of moons inside
when their heart is carved
from the clouds of a sunrise.”― Carolyn Riker, My Dear, Love Hasn’t Forgotten You

“As humans, we roam the entire world. We even venture beyond it not space. The whole planet is ours, but the whole planet is not our home. Instead, home is the ground we measure with our own two feet. And home is the place that measures us. Home is the place that names us and the place we, in turn, name. It feeds us, body and soul, and if we are living well, we feed it too. Home is the place we cultivate with our love.”― Christie Purifoy, Roots and Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons

Beneath your feet.
Where you stand now.
In this very moment.
Life resides.
Awaiting your full participation and rapt attention.
Not in some far off land.
Not yesterday or tomorrow.
Today in this present moment.
If we can’t recognize it here, we certainly won’t recognize it in the fictional land of “someday when.”
You are home.
Let yourself in.
May you cultivate love, joy, delight this day.
Roots and sky.
Welcome home.

“To be loved and to love, takes courage. To be fully seen is incredibly rare and breathtaking. We lower our masks and see a celestial inner being. It is our full self — the supernova as well as the black holes. Our fears and doubts. Our anger and joy…This is love.”― Carolyn Riker, Blue Clouds: A Collection of Soul’s Creative Intelligence

Jun 13

Look Up, Look In

“The mind creates the abyss, the heart crosses it.”― Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

“A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly, once your mind is quiet. As the sun on rising makes the world active, so does self-awareness affect changes in the mind. In the light of calm and steady self-awareness, inner energies wake up and work miracles
without any effort on your part.”― Nisargadatta Maharaj

Pull over.
Stop.
Put it in park.
Sit.
Look up.
Look in.
In this space.
Wide margins.
Unbound.
Quiet mind.
Soft heart.
Deep breath.
Fresh view.
Daily practice.
To master.
Become the author, the creator.
Not of circumstances out of your control.
Of your perspective and approach.
New outcomes require new inputs.
Experience the journey with joy and awe.
And a side of wonder.

“Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.”― Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Jun 9

The Now Things

“We are, always, poets, exploring possibilities of meaning in a world which is also all the time exploring possibilities.”― Margaret J. Wheatley, A Simpler Way

“As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love – even the most simple action.”― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

In the now thing, not the next thing
In the now thing, not the last thing
In the now thing, steeped in presence and attention
Aware and awake
To see the wide expanse, deep beauty
Filled with awe, wonder and gorgeous delight
The now things, on the ground we stand

“Accept — then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.”― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

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