It's very..... interesting, branching out on one's own, forging a new pathway through previously uncharted territory. I admit that I am venturing out into space unknown to me. Everything is new, everything I am learning is different, and I'm ok with that. Most days. :) Some days it feels different like... oh, what have I done now, or sigh, I miss what it was or how it was before, but for the most part, I recognize that what becomes too familiar, too comfortable, causes one to stagnate. There were so many things I loved about my life before, the people, the work, the environment. Nothing about that was broken or problematic. Some relationships posed a challenge, but perhaps the only thi
There are a lot of distractions. Smart phones. Social media. Making a living. Paying the bills. Friends. Family. Social obligations. Recreational activities. Trips. Some of these things we love, some of them not so much. But are we here to just entertain ourselves and have fun? Have more toys, more friends, more fun trips? (I love trips). My favourite time of day is in the early morning, before the sun rises, before the world wakes up. When I can be fussed to pull myself out of bed that early, l love it. There are less distractions in the early morning. It is a time of day when there is enough quiet to really begin to listen. Listen to deep within the heart, the whispers and
It's so interesting. As I focus my mind on my breath, and I ask it to stay there, over and over, it wanders off, I bring it back, it wanders, I bring it back. We do this dozens of times every "sit". Then suddenly, my mind wanders to what is bothering me, it wanders to what I am anxious about. The mind wants to check in with where I am at on that subject that has been achingly on my mind lately. I watch my mind go to that subject. I watch the old familiar anxiety arise. I bring it back to my breath. And suddenly, I notice, once again, that I am not my anxiety. My anxiety is over there, a thought pattern, an emotion, but it is not me. I am over here, watching my breath. And I notic
Equanimity. A favourite concept. The organization called Balanced View once described it as "all smells being equal". Sounds kinda funny, eh? The meaning of this is that equanimity is like... whether you are smelling lemon meringue pie or cow manure, your reaction is the same. Whether you are "smelling" something pleasant, or something unpleasant, all smells are equal to you. Whether you are having an enjoyable experience or a stinky experience, all experiences begin to equalize, become the same, and we are no longer quantifying everything as good, bad, better than this, worse than that, constantly judging. We neither feel the need to push certain things away because they are viewed as u
