Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now.
William Stafford, You Reading this, Be Ready
photo: niranjan ramesh
Category: Be fully present
Take it up
It is all around us, free, this wonderful life:
clear jingle of tire chains,
the laughter of ice that breaks under our boots.
Each hour’s a gift to those who take it up.
Ted Kooser, The Wheeling Year: A Poet’s Fieldbook
Keeping space between
When we watch football, we don’t watch it from the field. We are in the stands watching from a distance.
The players are running around but we are stable; there is a space between us and the game.
Similarly, at a concert, we watch the band from our seats. We do not take the stage. There is a distance between us and the performance. We are merely the watcher.
This is how we should watch our feelings – from a distance.
We should not slip down and cling to them
Ajahn Pramote, To See the Truth
Sunday Quote: the little things
The little things?
The little moments?
They aren’t little
Jon Kabat Zinn
Not letting this day pass
The ancient Romans had it right:
we lose so much if we are caught up in our fears
and let our days pass, not making time for what is really important.
Begin at once to live
and count each separate day as a separate life,
Seneca
Being attentive
As time went by, I realized that the particular place I’d chose was less important than the fact that I’d chosen a place and focused my life around it. Although the island has taken on great significance for me, it’s no more inherently beautiful or meaningful than any other place on earth. What makes a place special is the way it buries itself inside the heart, not whether it’s flat or rugged, rich or austere. wet or arid, gentle or harsh, warm or cold, wild or tame. Every place, like every person, is elevated by the love and respect shown toward it, and by the way in which its bounty is received
Richard Nelson, The Island Within
