The world around us would be desolate
except for the world within us
Wallace Stevens, from The Snow Man
phot Kor!An
All is grace
When you are no longer preoccupied with asking for more and more stuff, then you just take what is given and give what is taken. Life is simple again. A farmer explained it to us this way: “You cannot make the clouds rain more, you cannot make the sun shine less. They are just nature’s gifts — take it or leave it.”
When the things around you are seen as gifts, they are no longer a means to an end; they are the means and the end.
Nipum Mehta Paths are made for Walking
photo Purple Sherbet Photography
Everyday epiphanies
Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world
John Milton
Quietly, quietly
Suppose we did our work
like the snow, quietly, quietly.
leaving nothing out.
Wendell Berry
photo rod allday
Celebrating just as it is
We are having a strange mix of weathers this year in Ireland. Daffodils already in bloom, buds on the trees, followed by snow and sleet yesterday, and having to avoid large puddles when getting out of the car. Good practice in celebrating little moments of beauty amid everyday changes
In the scenery of spring,
we can’t say one thing is better, the other worse;
The flowering branches are
of themselves, some are short, some others long.
Ryōkan, 1758 – 1831
photo light snow on Lough Dan in Wicklow by bea&txm
Wishing
We spend great energy in mental processes wishing things were different than they are. Wishing the traffic jam didn’t exist. Wishing the boss were a little nicer, wishing our children would take our advice, wishing, wishing, wishing. Acceptance is a key to a happier life. If we can just try to accept what is, and that wanting otherwise is often wasted energy, we will be happier. We would be better able to experience the moment more fully with this state of mind.
William Berry
photo AnRo0002
Mindfulbalance 