I was jarred awake early this morning by a Charley horse in the calf of my left leg. Moaning softly, “Ouch, ouch, ouch!” instinctively I began to press my index finger hard onto the space between my upper lip and my nose. Finally, I was able to pant-breathe sufficiently to put my foot on the floor and begin to gingerly walk it off….
How like life? We plan, plan, plan — then life happens. It often comes suddenly, even when it is expected. A week ago we had to use air conditioning. Now the furnace is on. The conditions of life change as quickly and as drastically as the weather. What is it (what of us?) remains constant?
The following thought was taken from one of Rupert Spira’s in-person retreats at The Vedanta from 17th to 24th September, 2022, in answer to a young woman’s question about her father’s consciousness since he had died one month earlier.
So when was the dreamed character’s body born? It was never born. It just appeared when the dreamer’s mind localized itself as this little activity of thinking and perceiving. When did the dreamed character die? It never died. The dreamer’s mind simply stopped localizing itself as the dreamed character.
So in the ultimate analysis, the being that your father eternally is never came into existence, never went out of existence. He is eternally present. He, not the person of your father, but the being that your father was, is now. The being that everything is. The eternal being that doesn’t come in and out of existence. A localization of that being appeared temporarily and disappeared, but it was only a localization. Your father actually never came in or went out of existence.
Our two grandsons and their partners along with two other couples are scheduled to fly to the Dominic Republic tomorrow. This has been a long-planned trip around Adam’s 30th birthday, with lots of excitement and anticipation. Well, uninvited, Tropical Storm Melissa has entered the equation.
What do we do when what we want to do seems not to be available? The script of Everlasting Peace comes to my mind.
Circumstances have changed and it is time now to look to new directions to learn how to fly once more….
When you can work, it is OK to work. When you can read, it is OK to read. When you can think, it is OK to think. But when you can’t work, it is OK for you to relax. And when you can’t read, you can still share wisdom. Because even when you can’t always think clearly, you can always enjoy the love that surrounds you.
~ Debra Basham, Everlasting Peace
I am not sure what the kids will decide to do about their trip. I am sure that they are not the only humans on the planet who are navigating thwarted plans. Whether it is weather or whether it is health challenges, or world politics, or fragile economics, I am sure if we are alone, we are alone together!
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Your current comfort zone has served you,
but it represents your behaviors
and patterns from your past.
~ Daily Om
My sister and I just learned a childhood friend and neighbor took his own life. We had recently ended up living near one another again after all of these years. I instantly felt a profound sense of loss. That motivated me to do some journal writing about what is real. “V” is for inner voice.
D: What would you have me know?
V: Know as real whatever you are experiencing. Sadness? Shock? Loss? These are your real experiences. Just don’t confuse them with True.
You said you had read once that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary emotion. Can you see how every feeling state is just that?
D: Yes, emotions are fleeting.
V: Everything in the conditional realm is fleeting. What lasts?
D: Impact lasts.
V: In what way/s?
D: Impact generates consequences or changes options or dictates choices.
V: Yes, you are describing residual. No moment stands alone. No one is alone.
I felt as though our friend led me to a short video of Rupert Spira answering a question at the end of a retreat about how to come back to a sense of being when going back out into the worldly activity. He began by saying, “You don’t just visit your being, you live there. The peace of your background begins to eclipse your foreground.” He encouraged us to align our external life: where we live, what work we do, and the people we hang out with.
I wondered if my childhood friend having just returned from his summer home here in Michigan to his “real” life contributed to a state of mind that was intolerable. I will likely never know the details, but we all learn from everything we become aware of.
Rupert also spoke about the relationship of suffering and resistance, “You don’t resist suffering because it’s suffering. You suffer because you resist…. ‘I don’t like what’s happening’…. all your suffering consists of that single thought…. Face your experience from awareness. Awareness does not know the meaning of resistance.”
AI generated the following:
Suicide is not viewed as a simple choice but as the complex result of suffering and illness. The language used to discuss suicide should be handled with care and respect, focusing on the feelings of those left behind.
When discussing suicide, it is best to avoid stigmatizing language.
Use: “died by suicide” or “took their own life”.
Avoid: “committed suicide,” as this term implies a criminal act.
When comforting a person grieving a suicide, your focus should be on supporting them. Those grieving often experience unique and intense feelings of shock, guilt, and anger. Your presence is the most powerful tool you have to help.
What to say:
“I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m here for you.” This simple and sincere acknowledgment is often the most comforting thing you can offer.
“I don’t know what to say, but I want you to know I care.” It is okay to admit you don’t have the “perfect” words. This is more honest than trying to pretend you understand their pain.
Say the persons name. Referencing the person by name shows that you have not forgotten them.
So, to the family and friends of this friend, I say, “You will be remembered.” For 40 days I will chant for him; until November 13.
“Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha” is the Buddhist mantra found at the end of the Heart Sutra. It translates roughly to “Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond, Enlightenment, hail!”. The mantra signifies a journey across the “other shore” of suffering to the realization of wisdom and enlightenment, or bodhi. Each word progresses the idea of departing the conventional world for ultimate understanding.
This is how Rabbi Rami Shapiro writes about death in “Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler”:
November/December 2008
What happens when I die?
Where does an ice cube go in a tub of warm water? You are the cube, God is the water. For a while you seem separate from the water, but eventually you melt – you die – and discover that you, too, are water. Have fun being a cube; just don’t forget that all cubes are water, and everything is God.
And January/February 2007
Imagine that the universe is a rope and you, your mom, and all things are knots in that rope. Each knot is unique, and all knots are the rope. When we die our knot unties, but the rope that is our essence remains unchanged: we become what we already are.
Life after death is the same as life before death: the rope knotting and unknotting. The extent to which you identify with a knot is the extent to which you grieve over its untying. The extent to which you realize that the knot is the rope is the extent you can move through your grief into a sense of fearless calm.
For me, the rope is God, the source and substance of all reality. When your mom dies she relaxes into her true nature, and realizes who she always was and is: God. I believe this realization comes at death regardless of who we are or how we life.
In “No Death, No Fear” Thích Nhất Hạnh writes:
The day my mother died I wrote in my journal, “A serious misfortune of my life has arrived.” I suffered for more than one year after the passing away of my mother. But one night, in the highlands of Vietnam, I was sleeping in the hut in my hermitage. I dreamed of my mother. I saw myself sitting with her, and we were having a wonderful talk. She looked young and beautiful, her hair flowing down. It was so pleasant to sit there and talk to her as if she had never died. When I woke up it was about two in the morning, and I felt very strongly that I had never lost my mother. The impression that my mother was still with me was very clear. I understood then that the idea of having lost my mother was just an idea. It was obvious in that moment that my mother is always alive in me.
I opened the door and went outside. The entire hillside was bathed in moonlight. It was a hill covered with tea plants, and my hut was set behind the temple halfway up. Walking slowly in the moonlight through the rows of tea plants, I noticed my mother was still with me. She was the moonlight caressing me as she had done so often, very tender, very sweet… wonderful! Each time my feet touched the earth I knew my mother was there with me. I knew this body was not mine but a living continuation of my mother and my father and my grandparents and great-grandparents. Of all my ancestors. Those feet that I saw as “my” feet were actually “our” feet. Together my mother and I were leaving footprints in the damp soil.
From that moment on, the idea that I had lost my mother no longer existed. All I had to do was look at the palm of my hand, feel the breeze on my face or the earth under my feet to remember that my mother is always with me, available at any time.
May his family and friends know he is always with us.
May all beings come to the end of suffering.
May all beings love and be loved and know that they are love.
While the news
often features the worst of humanity,
there are a billion acts
of human kindness every hour of every day!
Take another breath and sense this truth.
~ Jack Kornfield
Saturday morning when John got up he told me there was blood on his pillowcase and sheets. He assumed the blood came from his nose although it’s not like he has anything more than normal for him going on with his sinuses.
I learned how to clean up blood using peroxide during a trauma with a precious friend years ago…. so I set to work. As I was working, I saw John’s face and he had such disgust — like he was feeling angry or guilty about my having to clean that up. It just about broke my heart. I stopped what I was doing walked over where he was standing in front of the chest of drawers. I just put my arms around him and told him to please not have that attitude toward himself.
A few miles from here is a hospice garden. It was mindfully designed as a space of serenity and for years was beautifully tended. Benches and bricks wore memorial plaques. Butterflies graced the bushes and bees buzzed, all enjoying the nectar of plantings perfectly placed. Sadly, now the benches are overturned and the garden is overgrown. But there amidst the unruliness still stands the most perfect wind feature I have ever experienced.
It was windy and it was Saturday and as I was riding my bike over there, I began to cry. Tears of release flowed with the awareness of deep forgiveness for all the times I’ve been the one who has been critical rather than kind. Critical of John. Critical of myself. Critical of this wonderful world.
I shared all of that during Sunday morning’s meditation’s after-sharing.
Virginia told about the divisiveness in her community about current events and about having seen a video on Instagram.”Irene’s Entropy” posted about having been hired to do a gig, along with a couple of bands but then the next door neighbor also was having a party with an outdoor band! Separating these two backyards was a simple chain link fence. Ugh…. and to make matters worse, these neighbors did not even speak the same language, one English-speaking and one Spanish-speaking.
Irene is bilingual so she went to the neighbors. Everyone was sorry for the mix-up. They decided what would work would be to alternate. She would do a couple of songs, then the other band would do a couple of songs. So she started out with a couple of Fleetwood Mac songs and when she finished the Mexican band started cheering for her! Then when their band finished a couple of songs, she started cheering for them and all the people joined her. Back and forth, this went on for two hours.
When it was their last song Irene said, “Hey, do you guys know any songs in Spanish that I could sing with you?” They asked if she knew
‘You’re Still The One’ by Shania Twain. She said, “Absolutely!”
He leaned toward her across the chain link fence separating them and asked, “Are you going to sing it from the United States or are you going to cross the border, I mean the fence?” She crossed the fence and sang with the band, and the people from her side of the fence came over too. After the song finished they took a big group photo of everyone together!
The after-sharing also included Karuna sharing a true story about two men in India who had to leave their home town during the pandemic because there was no work. They were not friends. They were separated by the caste system and by their different religious beliefs. They became friends in their dire circumstances and when they were on the bus together going back to their homes, one man became sick. It was not Covid, but because of the pandemic and the fear the man was put off the bus in the middle of nowhere. The other man would not leave his friend, so he got off the bus too.
Left as they were, he could not save his friend from dying of dehydration. What he did, however, was almost unbelievable. He managed to get the body back to the man’s family so his friend could be properly mourned and the body respectfully tended.
Irene closed her podcast speaking about people that love and believe in themselves so much that they start believing in their neighbor. “That they cross borders and fences and language barriers to believe in each other and hold these human experiences. Where we can appreciate and love the fact that we are human. That we are mothers and fathers and daughters and sons and friends and that we are all experiencing the same things in life. Birthdays and anniversaries and some get cancer or someone’s dying. Someone is grieving. Someone is loving. Someone is enjoying life. These things are what make us human. We need more of that….”
There are a billion acts of human kindness every hour of every day!
“There is no greater justice than death. There is no greater justice than the dissolution of everything we have known…. this emptiness…. a moral field in which truth catches up with our self deceptions. It’s not punishment that we are waiting for but we are waiting for the wisdom of the cosmos.”
~The Five Phases of the Vedic Afterlife Journey | Part 1, a podcast with Tami Simon of Sounds True and Acharya Shunya
I confess to being more preoccupied with death the older I get, but I have spent much of my life (if not most) with a sense that there is much more to come than simply the black or white punishment or bliss that is taught by Western theology. It is likely not news to those who know me that I have experiences of the continuity of consciousness. Incidentally, many (if not most) of my friends and acquaintances do as well.
What really caught my heart in the podcast was Part 2. Not sure how I missed seeing Part 1 but Part 2 is where I started. As I listened to Acharya speak of the stages of consciousness and the experiences of those stages, it all felt so familiar. She described in detail a stage where one knows the truth of the “self” as pure consciousness. Of knowing that we can simply be and that is enough and we don’t need to become or to search for enoughness.
She spoke about not grasping for success or fame or wealth and working to achieve something. As I listened to her describe actions as a response to an inner sacredness rather than a feeling that we must fulfill ourselves with material things and through relationships and acquisitions I thought, “We know this path.”
As she also spoke of intricate formulas and details I did not resonate with that part of the sharing, but the states of consciousness she detailed are what what is “familiar” to me. As I write this I remember hearing Robert Tuttle, a professor of evangelism, refer to Jesus in ways quite different from what I was being taught in church. He said Jesus never went out of his way to minister to anyone, he simply ministered to those he met along the path as he went about life.
Is it possible these might not be stages of consciousness so much as that they are states of consciousness? Perhaps it is not a linear process that must be performed in the way a foundation must first be laid before the walls and the roof can go up.
What joy to experience the awareness that we truly are already free.
Free to live a life without the view of death as punishment.
Free to not fear death.
Free from self deceptions.
The Daily Tejaniya for September 14, 2025 says, “If you are not on top of craving, aversion, and delusion, they will be on top of you.”
May all be free from craving, aversion, and delusion….
Well, the Best Buy / Comcast / Samsung saga has continued. Friday, August 22, 2025, at 8:30 am a Samsung repair person confirmed his arrival between 10 and 12 by text message. I turned the TV on. At 11:49 it began flickering…. at 12:05 I received a text message saying he would arrive in 25 minutes. Of course, it did not flicker even once while he was here. He did a factory reset and told me to keep an eye on it. If it did it again he would come back and replace the board.
An hour later, it was flickering again….
Last evening we were with friends. As I gave that update, the husband said I was too nice. I needed to tell them what to do in no uncertain terms. I shared how profoundly served I have been by the people who are the workers in the systems that are undeniably broken. The systems have failed, but working in those systems are good people doing their best to do good. Case in point was our trip on Saturday to Best Buy so we could spend the dollars generated by the purchases we have made. We were able to get a pro pressure washer that retails for $319 plus a $39 surge protector for only $25.
The gentleman who helped us is the general manager of the Benton Harbor Best Buy. The woman who was so kind to me in July when the TV first began flickering was there as well. I thanked them both and updated them on our process with Comcast and Samsung. This all brings to mind a famous parable, often attributed to Cherokee or other Indigenous American peoples, about a battle between two wolves within every person.
An elder tells his grandson about a great battle happening inside every person, describing it as a fight between two wolves. The first wolf is evil, representing out of control unpleasant emotions like anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, and ego. The second wolf is good, representing pleasant emotions like joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, and faith.
The grandson, worried about the ongoing conflict, asks, “Which wolf will win?”
Grandfather replies, “The one you feed.”
The parable’s core message is that you control which part of your nature grows stronger by choosing where you put your energy and attention. By focusing on positive, productive, and beneficial thoughts and actions, you “feed” the good wolf and help it thrive. Conversely, dwelling on negativity and harmful actions strengthens the evil wolf.
Some versions of the story offer a more nuanced approach, suggesting that both wolves are necessary. In this interpretation, if you only feed the good wolf, the evil one will hide and wait for you to be weak or distracted. By acknowledging and managing both, you can use the traits like tenacity and strategic thinking guided by wisdom and compassion. This approach teaches that peace comes from finding a balance between your opposing inner forces, not by trying to destroy one.
This morning as we were enjoying a bike ride a friend was speaking about personal belonging that have been given to her from the estate of loved ones. She was wondering about the morality of keeping or dispersing these items. We spent some time pondering the preference of the item. Might it prefer to be where it was appreciated, useful, and valued rather than simply possessed out of a desire to not hurt someone’s feelings. We were able to see the value beyond a simple right or wrong action.
Another friend is reading a book about Shadow Work that had belonged to her late husband. Ah, yes, best to be aware that light casts shadow. Now this reminds me of the “say only” story. The man whose son was injured by a horse and the father’s measured responses to a series of events involving his horse and son. As others would jump to saying it was a blessing or a curse, he would carefully maintain a “say only” attitude.
Say only the Samsung “Service Quick” repair is scheduled now for tomorrow, Monday, August 25, 2025. It has been one month since the first flickering occurred.
Best fact about wolves:
Contrary to popular belief, alpha males do not take the first bite of their catch. Instead, the pack usually lets the hungriest one eat first. Humans can learn how to foster teamwork, confidence, and trust in our instincts in the workplace.
Regrets are like eating rat poison expecting the rats to die. Rather than living with regrets, we can choose to savor every opportunity to love. This is how my yesterday felt (feels).
When my niece was in 8th grade she went to live with her dad and step-mother. She will be 52 on her next birthday. I feel like one year ago she came back into my life and my world is so much richer because we are here now. Her mom passed in January.
As we were planning her day here with us we decided to leave options open, and yesterday she drove over from Ann Arbor area to spend the day. We had a glorious day. Each moment was precious. There was ample time for both tears and laughter….
(Note* If you receive this post via email and the photos are not included, please click on the title and read it on the website so you don’t miss anything.)
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will share a set of photos that gives you a clear sense of our day. The first is a close up of a banner (had been a favorite of her mom) our niece gifted to my sister after her mom had passed. It now hangs over the massage table for clients to see above them. It says: Today I Will Choose Joy.
The challenge became how to get a photo that showed clearly it was on the ceiling above the table, so the fun began in earnest. Here is my niece on the floor and my sister at the foot of the massage table each trying to get a shot….
Then I had the idea for all three of us to get on the massage table and take a selfie which sounded plausible until we realized the banner was backwards!
One last try resulted in total failure to get the banner but we captured a beautiful memory of the three of us.
We drove by my niece’s childhood home, her elementary school, the fields where she played ball, and the former home of her her maternal grandma and grandpa. All of our sharing and shenanigans put us driving by the home of her paternal great grandma and great grandpa at the exact time a man was crossing the road to get his mail. “That’s a relative!” she burst out. Soon I was turning the van around and she spent precious time with the cousin who had grown up with being called a twin to her father.
As we headed back to the house to meet the guys, we marveled at the holy timing of our being there to see him. We had made two calls asking about an impromptu visit with a couple of folks, but both had declined. It probably took him all of two minutes to come out and walk across the yard. The exact two minutes that we were creeping by….
Earlier in the day as she had gotten close to our house a car almost side-swiped her on a road heavy with memories. She told us she had said out loud, “Nice try, Devil dog, not this time. You lose, I get to choose.”
My niece shared with us how she would give her testimony as evidence that painful things (awful things) can (and did) happen to us but the holy love of Jesus carried us through and we can look back and see that we were carried. She said the day could not have turned out any better.
And as the three of us posed for this photo on our porch, words from my sister’s text message this morning say it all: “Yesterday was one of the most wonderful days of my life.”
Twice in the past several days I have have been invited to look at the habit energy of a person doing or not doing something in opposition to one’s own desire out of obligation or not wanting to offend, disappoint, or hurt another. I decided to put this situation to question using AI.
Take time to identify what’s truly important to you in this situation. What are your personal goals, values, and limits? Sometimes saying yes to others means saying no to your needs.
Acknowledge people-pleasing tendencies. Recognize that you’re tempted to agree to avoid conflict or gain approval. Understanding the root cause can be helpful in overcoming this behavior.
Consider the source of the request, the quality of your relationship, and whether the favor aligns with your values and capacity to help. It’s normal to feel guilt or anxiety when you start setting boundaries. Acknowledge these feelings as part of the process and remember that saying no isn’t a rejection of the person, but a commitment to honoring yourself.
Be direct and kind. State your needs and limitations clearly and assertively, but with respect for the other person. Avoid making excuses or over-explaining your decision.
Use “I” statements to express needs and limits without sounding accusatory or confrontational. Saying no is a crucial aspect of establishing boundaries and prioritizing needs. It is important to honor true feelings and communicate expectations.
If appropriate, suggest an alternative solution or a different way to help without compromising needs. Be firm and consistent: Once a boundary is set, stick to it, even if others push back.
The wisest approach involves a process of self-discovery, respectful communication, and a commitment to prioritizing your own well-being without neglecting the needs of others. It’s about finding a healthy balance between being kind and considerate to others, and being true to yourself.
Stacey and I had some heartfelt sharing about all of this on our bike ride while she was here last week. We spoke clear intentions to love one another and ourselves and to be willing to express with continued honesty and trust as circumstances change. And circumstances do…. that is for sure.
I remember Betty Lue Lieber teaching us that our service must also serve us. The lyrics to the song “Garden Party” by Ricky Nelson come to mind:
“But it’s all right now
I learned my lesson well
You see, you can’t please everyone
So you got to please yourself.”
Where is the beginning of a ring? What is the beginning of a climate with four seasons? Which stage of a butterfly is the beginning or the end? In starting this blog post, I know not these answers.
“The Game of Life” is a Sacred Story posted on 4 July 2025:
He took The Game of Life & How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn with him to the beach. They were not going to spend the whole day as they were planning to visit a friend. Arriving on the friend’s porch, he mentioned the book adding that it was a small book and perfect for beach reading, plus, it was something he had wanted to read for a long time.
Soon their sharing became deep enough he was making a few notes on his phone. As their visit was winding down he said, “Earlier you shared a quote — until it is felt in the body, peace is just a word — and you did not give an attribution.” Then he asked, “Where did that come from?”
“I don’t have an attribution,” she replied, “because someone shared it at church on Father’s Day without an attribution. I have not tried to find out where it came from but I find it to be very powerful.”
He began reading to her the conclusion from his AI search for the attribution: “The quote — until it is felt in the body, peace is just a word — is most likely attributed to Florence Scovel Shinn….
The Sacred Story “Positivity” posted a bit later on 4 July 2025:
She received the following list of “Affirmations & Denials” from The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn in a text message from a friend.
Affirmations & Denials
(For Prosperity)
God is my unfailing supply, and large sums of money come to me quickly, under grace, in perfect ways.
(For Right Conditions)
Every plan my Father in heaven has not planned, shall be dissolved and dissipated, and the Divine Idea now comes to pass.
(For Right Conditions)
Only that which is true of God is true of me, for I and the Father are ONE.
(For Faith)
As I am one with God, I am one with my good, for God is both the Giver and the Gift. I cannot separate the Giver from the gift.
(For Right Conditions)
Divine Love now dissolves and dissipates every wrong condition in my mind, body and affairs. Divine Love is the most powerful chemical in the universe, and dissolves everything which is not of itself!
(For Health)
Divine Love floods my consciousness with health, and every cell in my body is filled with light.
(For the Eyesight)
My eyes are God’s eyes, I see with the eyes of spirit. I see clearly the open way: there are no obstacles on my pathway. I see clearly the perfect plan.
(For Guidance)
I am divinely sensitive to my intuitive leads, and give instant obedience to Thy will.
(For the Hearing)
My ears are God’s ears, I hear with the ears of spirit. I am nonresistant and am willing to be led. I hear glad tidings of great joy.
(For Right Work)
I have a perfect work In a perfect way: I give a perfect service For perfect pay.
(For Freedom from All Bondage)
I cast this burden on the Christ within, and I go free!
Moments later she read the Daily Word July 1, 2025:
With positivity, I embrace all aspects of life. Positivity means living free of doubt, seeing clearly, and feeling secure. Even when my worldly fortunes shift, I maintain my positive outlook and believe the presence and power of God is in and through all things.
I understand the ebb and flow that is part of everyone’s life. If I find myself in undesirable circumstances, I honor my feelings by witnessing my fleeting negative thoughts and feelings with self-compassion. When I feel ready, I release and let them go.
I deny that negativity has any power over me. I use affirmations to realign myself with my positive nature. I accept the conditions of my life even as I strive to improve them. Positivity is my way forward. With gratitude, I affirm God is with me as I claim my highest good.
Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on earth.
~ Colossians 3:2
Take note that this body of work was first published in 1925 — 100 years ago! I was so inspired by Shinn’s works I created the following composite affirmation for myself:
I do not resist any situation. I put it in the hands of Infinite Love and Wisdom. Let the Divine idea now come to pass.
Infinite
Love
and
Wisdom
= LAW
I am in perfect harmony with the working of the LAW. I stand aside and let Infinite Intelligence make easy and successful my way.
True confession is that I am the “she” in both of these Sacred Story posts. And the rest of this subsequently sacred story is even a bit more shocking….
We have had an ongoing Xfinity internet issue since we got back to Michigan in April. “Eric” came in May and ran a bright orange temporary wire from the utility pole to the house and someone was to come back in the next week or two to bury the line. Michigan Gas Utility Company came and marked the gas line with spray paint on our lawn.
On June 6, we received a text message saying, “You’re all set! Your new Xfinity underground cable line is complete. Get in touch if you need anything. Otherwise, enjoy your Xfinity service.”
John and I had both been home all day on June 6 and no one had come to bury the cable and remove the temporary line. By the first of July the paint line on the grass marking the gas lines had faded and John was very tired of having to mow around the orange wire. We were again receiving the messages, “Your internet connection has been restored.”
On Wednesday, July 2, I spent two hours of real time (not an exaggerated description) on a text chain during which I was offered two free Apple Smart Watches. When pushed for more information, I was told the bill for the two free watches with all the taxes and fees would be $25 monthly only. During this call, I discovered we had been charged $100 for “professional installation” on our June bill! I requested a refund. Even as I received both text and email messages saying our refund request could not be approved and the ticket had been closed, the text chat assured me I was getting the money back.
Although I had been told the reason I had to stay on the text chat responding to each entry immediately with a word or even an emoji was so an appointment could be confirmed, when the text chat ended, I still did not have an appointment.
Thursday morning was beautiful. Cool, good air quality, low wind, sunny. I headed out for a nice long bike ride. About 2 miles from home I stopped at a couple of garage sales. Walking back to my bike I suddenly $h!t my pants. (No, fecal incontinence is not a normal thing for me.) I had no choice but to high tail it back home.
As I gingerly slid my butt onto my bike seat, I affirmed, “I resist nothing.”
When I arrived at the house via the back yard, an Xfinity truck was pulling up in front of our house. With as much decorum as I could garner, I showed “Benjamin” where the orange wire was and updated him on our issues. As I headed into the house to change my clothes I quickly snapped a photo of the truck and sent it in a text message to John who was having coffee with his morning friends.
He replied with two words: “No shit.”
I wrote back, “OMG! Wait ’till I tell you the rest of the story!”
In meditation, the aim is to
know the whole experience: the
thoughts, feelings, and sensations
surrounding an emotion, and the
behavior of the mind — especially
whether its motivation is whole-
some or unwholesome.
~ The Daily Tejaniya
This recognition of wholesome or unwholesome motivation is a game changer. In the same way that the right amount of spice is delicious and too little or too much spice is not, that tender lane of wholesomeness brings a yummy peace. For one thing, it keeps you in the present moment.
Yesterday, Stacey and Rachel and I spent the morning garage sale shopping. Adam and Rachel just bought a BIG house in Lebanon. The house is very empty right now and with so many possibilities everything can feel a bit overwhelming. We had a wonderful time getting to know Rachel’s vision and went home with some really good finds!
The round mirror ($5) is currently hanging near the front door entry way. Will it stay there as they continue to furnish their home? Only time will tell. Below the mirror is a piece she got for half price at an estate sale. Sometimes we can be uncomfortable with what is happening. We might not notice if we are missing blessings that are also unfolding. I certainly experienced this supporting clients through the birthing process while I was a working as a doula.
Every moment with our great grandson, Jackson, brings this home. He is still nonverbal and not potty trained yet. But he is doing things this visit he could not do when we were with him on our way back to Michigan from Florida the first week of April.
Everybody is coming here today for pool time and burgers. Tomorrow John and I will go to Lebanon and spend some time helping Adam and Rachel. Tuesday we will head back home.
I posted this wisdom from Gratefulness.org on my Facebook page a few days ago, along with a fun filtered photo of Stacey and me laughing:
Let the laughter come, even if it has not been heard for a very long time, especially if times are hard and the future uncertain. Laughter is as important in adversity as wisdom and courage.
~ Steven Charleston
Moments here include laughter and the wholesome motivations mean our days are wonder-full….
John and I are in Tennessee at Stacey’s. We drove down yesterday. While he was napping, I logged onto John’s MyChart to check for the last of the test results from his annual exam with his primary the day before. His thyroid is off again. His medication will be adjusted. But the results from the EKG need further investigation. Although he was already scheduled to have an echo-cardiogram, now seeing these EKG results the situation is experienced with a greater level of stress.
Interestingly, several friends are navigating unknowns related to health. Some are worrisome. Some are severe.Some are life-threatening. It is very difficult to not get triggered into worry brain. I have been working on my upcoming Insights clergy article for the local paper. The theme is how life’s longest journey is the distance between the head and the heart.
Tired from our travel day I was able to fall asleep, but several hours later I was wide awake in worry brain. In my heart I heard my own words from the Insights article, “If I had my life to live over again, I would ask that not a thing be changed, but that my heart be opened wider.”
Knowing I needed to activate the heart, I listened to with Dawson Church. I could see that it was even challenging to identify a person or a place which gave me peace. Finally, on the second listening to Dawson (“EcoMeditation”) I was able to remember the joy I feel when watching the birds at our bird bath from my kitchen window.
Before you begin, turn off your cell phone, laptop, and alerts. Give yourself the gift of 20 minutes of undisturbed time. You can do this first thing in the morning (my favorite time), last thing at night, or during a break in the day. Sit upright in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.
1. Use your fingertips to tap on each of the EFT acupressure points in any order, while holding the intention that you are in a calm and peaceful state, and nothing matters except the gift of undisturbed time you are now giving yourself. Tap from top to bottom, and when you get to the last point, start on the first point again. If you don’t know the tapping points, you can find them on the diagram here.
This is time just for you. Let all your preoccupations vanish, and allow yourself to be fully present. As you tap, say, “I release any and all blocks to inner peace. I release all tension in my body. I release anything in my past, present or future that stands between me and inner peace.”
2. Stop tapping and relax your hands. Close your eyes, and let your tongue rest loosely on the floor of your mouth.
3. Feel your hands. Feel your feet. Feel the space inside your hands. Feel the space inside your feet. Feel the space inside your legs, your arms, your torso, your neck and head. Feel the space inside your whole body. Picture a big empty space behind your eyes. Picture a big empty space between your eyebrows. If thoughts arise in your mind at any point during the meditation, just let them go. Watch them drift like clouds across the sky, without attachment.
4. Breathe slowly, for 6 seconds per out-breath, and 6 seconds per in-breath. Count to 6 silently each time you breathe in, and each time you breathe out. Notice how relaxed your tongue is. Picture the big empty space behind your eyes. Keep your tongue relaxed.
If physical sensations arise in your body, such as aches or pains, just observe them. You don’t have to do anything about them. Keep your attention focused on your breath, counting 6 seconds in, and 6 seconds out.
5. Visualize the location in your chest where your physical heart resides. Imagine breathing in and out through your heart, while maintaining 6 second in-breaths and 6 second out-breaths. Maintain a relaxed tongue.
6. Imagine a beam of love pouring out through your heart toward a person or place that you love with each out-breath. Stay in this state for several breaths. Notice the big empty space behind your eyes, and how relaxed your tongue is on the floor of your mouth
7. Bring the beam of love back into your body, into the area of your physical heart. Send that love to any part of your body that is uncomfortable or in pain. To end the meditation, take 3 deep 6 second breaths.
When you feel complete with the meditation, return your attention to the room you’re in. Open your eyes and look at the object closest to you, and observe its characteristics, such as color, texture, and weight. Shift your gaze and look at the object furthest away from you. Notice your breath. Notice the weight of your body on the chair or on the surface on which you’re sitting. Feel your hands and feet. Be aware of the time.
Bring yourself back to the here and now. While a meditative state supports our well-being, it’s also vital to orient yourself to the “real world” and function there effectively at the end of each meditation period.
Do this every day for a week, and you’ll notice a difference in how you feel during the rest of the day. Do this every day for a month, and you’ll be hooked. It only requires 20 minutes, though you may want to gradually increase your time frame to 30 or 45 minutes.
John is notorious for saying, “I realized that 99% of the things I have worried about never happened. That is proof worry works.”
If you are not so sure that worry works, you will be interested to know that MRI scans show EcoMeditation decreases activity in the brain regions associated with self-focus and suffering, and increases activity in the areas of compassion.
Comments are closed 
You must be logged in to post a comment.