Things I feel good about:daffodils (gave some to my neighbors too)
new projects (working in the moment towards a future show and a retreat)
warmer days (and a new weather station to keep track of it all)
phone call from a friend who brightened my day
These little red things hold the juniper pollen and as they open the wind carries it around
Things that are more challenging:
allergies to the juniper/cedar pollen in abundance right now
not being able to go outside to clear my head because the pollen only congests it more
not being able to keep up on my own blog much less stay in touch with other bloggers
work on my Mom's estate that is STILL ONGOING
allergies to the juniper/cedar pollen in abundance right now
not being able to go outside to clear my head because the pollen only congests it more
not being able to keep up on my own blog much less stay in touch with other bloggers
work on my Mom's estate that is STILL ONGOING
Life is good. I'm not really complaining but those are my current challenges. I've been keeping up with the meditation. It suddenly occurred to me one day that - holy wow - I'm putting in 3 and 1/2 hours of meditation time a week now. 15 minutes at the top of the day and at the bottom of the day really adds up. It may be a coincidence but I'm sleeping better - except when I don't due to allergies.
I know you all are probably sick of reading about meditation. I have to add just one more thing about it. Sometime after I started this new meditation routine I went to my book shelf to pull out Martha Beck's book The Joy Diet. I wanted to reread the first chapter menu item #1. It's an instruction to do nothing for 15 minutes a day. IMHO, it's one of the funniest, loosest (is that a word?) and wisest meditation instructions found in any book. First of all she doesn't call it meditation - it's doing nothing. And she offers lots of techniques that aren't what you'd traditionally think of for meditation. So if you have the chance to check out the book from the library, which is what I originally did before buying the book, do yourself the favor of reading the 17 pages of instruction to do nothing daily. It opens up a whole lot of possibilities to cultivate stillness on a regular basis.
One of my favorite shows on TV is Extreme Home Makeover - occassionally they miss the mark - like promoting a Robin Williams movie last year - ugh! Yet most of the time it's a show that makes me feel so grateful. I sit next to my husband and feel so grateful for him by my side and the home we live in. And take note that one day suddenly things can change and so I spend a good hour on Sunday night just saying thanks for what I do have right now. It's also an excellent way to clean out one's tear ducts. The woman on last nights show had lost her son in a car accident. At the road side where the accident happened she wanted a sign that says "Slow Down" She made such a poignant comment that it isn't just slow down in your car - but slow down in your life. Take the time to love the people around you because you never know when it will be your time to go. I guess that is why I like to meditate - it is a way to slow down in my life, take it in, love it, and say thanks. And hopefully, God willing I will then express all that out there and help others.
Thanks for all the comments - even though I may not always have a chance to respond specifically they always enrich my life and I want you all to know that!
