In this corner of the world, nature is waking up with a stifled, slightly embarrassed yawn. Winter has overslept its welcome and the ground is buzzing with the stretch of new greenery while tiny fists have pushed out of the barest of branches overnight. A tip of the hat to the tip of the clock for yesterday was the Spring Equinox.
And with it energy is spiraling up through my brain like vines climbing beyond the roof. My thoughts are spinning, swinging from one puffed up cloud to the next on a verbal trapeze, uncatchable. While at times that makes me smile at the folly, I also feel strongly the need to focus towards something centered at the root.
Do you have a meditation practice? I have always danced around one, just as I have with my pick and choose spiritual beliefs. But at this time in my life, it seems like the biggest gift that I can give myself, along with healthy doses of self-care and kindness. So I am taking a cross-legged seat, closing my eyes and focusing on my breath, that greatest of gifts, never to be taken for granted.
My mind will only calm for mere moments and so I listen to Jack Kornfield‘s instruction to treat those rollicking ideas as I would teach a puppy to stay, gently. Over and over, I come back to just being. At times that feels like it is all that I do. Start over, start over…reconnect. But it is wonderful to be able to peak around a new corner with a taste of hope untarnished in my mouth…
…so ripe for this time of year, here…and now. A beginning.
As today is World Poetry Day (thank you, Edgar!),
I thought that I might share a poem that I keep coming back to from Mary Oliver’s new collection called Felicity:
The World I Live In
I have refused to live
locked in the orderly house of
reasons and proofs.
The world I live in and believe in
is wider than that. And anyway,
what’s wrong with Maybe?
You wouldn’t believe what once or
twice I have seen. I’ll just
tell you this:
only if there are angels in your head will you
ever, possibly, see one.
Whether you are winding up or down, please know that I am sending my best thoughts to you as we enter another season, one ripe with opportunities.
Thank you for being here,
Heather
Edgar..sums it up..and.. yes "hope" waits in every corner. You mentioned Jack Kornfield which of course sent me off in search of a book I have tucked away for when in need of inspiring thoughts, 'Buddha's Little Instruction Book'. I picked it up and opened to.. "In wisdom be a lamp, a light unto yourself". Perfect! Happy Spring Heather! xx 😉
There are a few climbing roses around here, in protected corners, that never stopped blooming this year, it has been so warm. And today is another gloriously sunny day, perfect for a run through the vineyards.
I never succeeded much with meditation. I made progress at the School of Philosophy in Brussels, and even more doing yoga, but I'm too much of a doer to be able to stand it for long. I agree with Ali–living in the moment can be just as good.
Yes. One can quiet down even that gentle thought for a few moments…
a few more moments…a few more…a few…a
yes. each day.
and yes, lets consider each day
each, a doorway, “one ripe with opportunities”
we have to step out
not be “locked” inside
yes,”hope” waits in every corner.
I love the ivies.
HAPPY SPRING!
DO something EXTRAORDINARY TODAY……………
XO
I love fresh starts; Spring is one of my favorites! Today added a big pot of yet to bloom hyacinths to the kitchen counter. Tomorrow will hang a wreath I made in Madagascar with vines and more from my garden there, welcoming people here in Florida. Creating an island of peace in today's world.
Aloha Heather, I'm happy to simply "be" .. be here at this moment, reading your words. Merci for continuing to share!
Mahalo et Merci,
Bill
Heather, you don't have to sit to meditate. When you are walking in Les Alpilles and focusing on nature…that's what you are doing instinctively….focusing on beauty
Ali
Oh yes, you captured the mood perfectly. Here in New England we woke up to 6 inches of snow on the ground on this early spring day (my birthday in fact!). And, as Paul and I contemplate leaving our home of 23 years, we both feel surges of melancholy mixed with the excitement of a new adventure. Yes, definitely a good time to find ways to quiet one's mind (for me, swimming is a form of meditations) and stay centered while also relaxing into the flow of events as they play out in their own time.
uch as I adore spring, my spirits wilt at the thought that summer is looming. So I guess you can say I am winding down but happy to see that you are so upbeat at the start of the equinox.
Lovely post. That poem! And the description of your meditation practice, hmmm I really have to try that.. just keep starting over with it, such good advice. I was always able to centre myself but that has been more difficult the last couple of years with worry and anxiety taking over my mind. I'll try again so thank you for that. XO