A simple practice

When confusion or pain seems to tighten what is possible, when sadness or frustration shrinks your sense of well-being, when worry or fear agitates the peace right out of you, try lending your attention to the nearest thing. Try watching how the dust lifts and resettles when you blow on it.

Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening

Ease

Over and over again, people come to me, and they tell me, You just don’t know how strong I am. They say “strength” and I want to hear “balance.” The strength idea has effort in it; this is not what I’m looking for.

Strength that has effort in it is not what you need; you need the strength that is the result of ease.

Ida Rolf , 1896 – 1979, biochemist, creator of “Rolfing” manual therapy

Feeling created

So I read….Armenians, I read, salt their newborn babies. I check somewhere else: so did the Jews at the time of the prophets. They washed a baby in water, salted him, and wrapped him in cloths. When God promised to Aaron and all the Levites all the offerings Israel made to God, the firstfruits and the firstling livestock, “all the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine,” he said of this promise, “It is a covenant of salt forever.” In the Roman church baptism, the priest places salt in the infant’s mouth.


I salt my breakfast eggs. All day long I feel created.

Annie Dillard, Holy the Firm

The wonder of this day

We miss so much when we rush through the day focused on what we “need” to get done.

Everywhere around me the birds are waiting for the light.

In this world of dreams don’t let the clock cut up your life in pieces.

Jim Harrison

Sunday Quote: In front of you

What saves a person is to take a step.

Then another step.

C.S. Lewis

Embrace

It is my feeling that the only thing you have to fear is fear, in that sense that to the extent that you have enough faith or trust to let it happen, you always go through the next one and the next one and the next one. In Tibetan literature they say, ‘Embrace your ten thousand horrible demons and your ten thousand beautiful demons’. You’ve just got to take it all and keep going. All your fears have to be embraced, entertained, honored, and you go on with them.

Ram Dass