Gratitude—It Works
Words elude me this week.
Midweek
Procrastination rolled upon me,
Like a stuffed sloth,
Settling in.
Not wanting to write…
Nothing to say.
I actually pondered—
What if I posted a blog that was a blank page?
That reminds me of my first college dorm poster.
It was either 1966 or 500 years ago.
WHAT IF WE GAVE A WAR AND NOBODY CAME?
What if I posted a blog and it was blank?
This week?
Oh. This week.
I’m awed, tiptoeing quietly along the edge
Of overwhelm.
I’m awed about how it is ALL TRUE.
So many contradictory things existing
In the same reality.
How is that possible?
How are we to live with that?
I don’t know.
I’m finding my practices hard.
My prayers, unfocused.
Meditation, a wandering journey.
And then I remember—
The One.
The Thing.
The Practice.
The Strategy.
That
Always
Works.
Gratitude.
Okay! Phew.
No matter what’s happening
Around me,
Or
Inside of me.
Around us,
or
Inside of us.
As I look for the demonstrations of gratitude.
As I focus on what is.
Rather than—
What is not.
(Aruni—
Look for the beauty.
Look for the grace.)
Everything changes.
Even if just momentarily.
The spell is broken.
My anxiety
Is released.
The door opens.
Even if just
For
A
Breath.
~~~
A gratitude:
Nik the Dog in a wild zoomie,
Making circles in a pile of leaves
In the woods,
Playing with her Poodle friend
Atreyu,
Who stood watching her
From afar,
Slightly bemused
At his smaller friend’s
Frenzy,
Her demonstration
Of Ultimate Glee.
I am grateful.
Thank you.
Nik and Trey—Food is obviously involved in this moment.
A gratitude:
The sun sliding over the mountain
Cracking open the new day,
In that nanosecond,
Changing
Everything.
I am grateful.
Thank you.
Gratitude!
It changes everything.
From the constriction
Of what isn’t happening.
From the tightening around
That which frightens us—
To the expansion of what is.
Which most miraculously
Opens
The
Floodgates
For more.
~~~
And you, dear reader?
No matter what is happening
Around you,
Inside of you—
You can shift your lens
(like the eye doc fitting us for new glasses)
Just flip that lens.
For what are you grateful?
Offer that
Onto the altar
Of your heart.
Watch
Everything
Change.
~~~
Speaking of prayer.
Roshi Joan Halifax from Upaya Zen Center offers us a prayer, a combination of the Saint Francis prayer and aspirational Buddhist teachings.
It is juicy and rich. I suggest finding a sentence or a phrase and take that with you, weaving it into your world.
Thank you, Roshi Joan!
A Prayer to Meet Challenging Times
May we be an instrument of peace. Where there is hatred, sow love. Where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
May we be a safeguard for those who have no protection, a guide for those who journey along the way. For those who wish to go across the water, may we be a boat, a raft, a bridge. May we be a homeport for those who yearn for landfall and a lamp for those who long for light. For those who are tired, may we be a resting place; for all who need help, their servant.
May we be generous and helpful. May we cultivate integrity. May we be patient and see clearly the suffering of others. May we be energetic, steadfast and whole-hearted. May we cultivate concentration and be grounded, so we can skillfully serve all beings. May we nurture wisdom and impart the benefit of insight to others. May we not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.
Like the great earth, herself, enduring as the sky endures, for the boundless multitude of living beings, may we be the ground and vessel of all that lives. For every single thing that lives in number to the boundless reaches of the sky, may we be sustenance and nourishment until they pass beyond the bounds of understanding, For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
May we affirm our intention to serve others through love and compassion and our commitment to actualize respect and integrity in all that we do.
~~~
Dear Friends,
With kindness
To ourselves,
Let’s keep practicing.
Perfectly
Imperfect,
Ah, are we.
And so glorious
Are we.
So very human.
So very glorious.
All blessings,
Aruni
~~~
An Invitation—
Grief, Loss & Renewal
Savoring Life’s Lessons
What a time it is. Whatever life is asking you to let go of—whatever heartbreak might be echoing inside of you, whatever your transition, consider this program. Community helps. Strategies help. Sharing helps. Come and rest, alone and with one another, as we acknowledge the lessons we are given.
December 1-3
Kripalu Center