Anniversary: Friday the 13th

Hello all! It has been one short month since our class ended, how about that? How have you been?

I have been turning to meditation often lately, especially the loving kindness meditation. May you be well seems to calm my spirits. I am in Phoenix right now and last night it rained on this desert town. The smells, the sudden and unusual sounds, the feeling of moisture in the air,  and the hush of wonder caught me and my friend off guard-made us stop and take notice of the space we were in.  How wonderful! Rain. Sometimes it is these moments of difference that make us notice what is usual and the specialness of it all. I ramble on. Here are some links I thought you might like. One is from NPR and is really quite good, includes a little meditation even. The other is from Shambala Sun. The March issue is all about mediation and the brain. I haven't read any, I only saw the issue on the stands at New Fronts and then looked it up on line with the intention of reading.....maybe today :-)

Enjoy! May you be peaceful and at ease, Anne

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3840&Itemid=244

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/20/145525002/be-here-now-meditation-for-the-body-and-brain?sc=emaf

The Journey

Hello Friends in Mindfulness, (I can't figure out how to have this not be in all caps, a mystery)

Our last class was March 13.How have you been since then? I put all of my energy into cleaning out my apartment in preparation for me and James to move in together. It was a part time job, cleaning out the 6 to 17 years of memories. Have I really been in Flagstaff 17 years? Distilling all those memories in preparation for the future has been an exercise in mindfulness. Meditation practice has been elusive. I think I was under the impression that I had to do it all and do it right, until a gentle friend asked me how much is enough? Oh!?! So beginning (again) yesterday to practice a little at a time. I miss who I was or am when I meditate regularly. That is a good sign and a motivation. Hope you all have been well. In honor of poetry month and in honor of you here is a poem from Mary Oliver, a fellow traveler of the Southwest:

The Journey

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice-
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do--
determined to save
the only life you could save.
By Mary Oliver

Gentleness and Diligence

Hello lovely mindful ladies? How is it going since we last saw each other? What a wonderful experience the MBSR class was for me and part of that wonderfull-ness was meeting all of you. Here is an idea of creating a blog for us to stay in touch. I will also send you the emails that Niki sent me today. I thought this might be a nice way to share our thoughts, readings, inspirations, etc. For instance, dear fiance ( I only have 180 days or so to call James "Fiance", so I am going to live it up!) reminded me to and suggested that I meditate today. At first I had my usual don't tell me what to do response, but then I appreciated his support and encouragement. Because... I have only meditated one time since our last class, so now is the time to see how I do without the class check in and support system. I do miss the meditation, so that is a good sign. Now I just have to do it! Don't have to like it, just do it, right? Niki says in her email to me with your email addresses,

"Wishing you gentleness and diligence with your continued mindfulness practice" Gentleness and diligence. Thank you, Niki! Perfect timing.

A reading that got me through a tough spot last week and one that I am still meditating on can be found here:

http://www.meditationforlife.org/Site/What_is_my_job_on_this_planet.html

It is by Jon Kabat-Zinn and entitled "What is my job on the planet with a capital J?" and speaks to the idea of "working for humanity as an employee of the universe at large" among other things, of course.
I hope you like this blog idea and that I see you here in the blogosphere if not in real life. If  it doesn't work for you, that is totally cool.Just let us know what does. I'll keep adding to it to stay in touch, I think I like it already. This entry was fun to do!
 May you all be happy, well, safe, peaceful and at ease. In mindfulness, Anne