Simplicity is a Blessing

Sometimes simplicity is exactly the blessing that I need.

Second batch has garlic and chicken strips with mushrooms in a white miso with black rice noodles. Perfect for this rainy day that has turned stormy and now includes a tornado watch overnight.

Praxis

 

Lightening Strikes

Lighten-ing Strikes

This challenge is about adopting NothingWhatsoever as a Way of being, about looking at my possessions and entanglements and making surgical cuts to let go of what doesn't actively heal me. Typical decluttering has me looking at what to get rid of; lighten-ing has me justifying anything I decide to keep, from forks to gym memberships, jobs and relationships.

Top of the list are the Super Scary Storage Units. I have no idea what's in those boxes. Step one is to divide a space out for keeps even if I leave it in storage, and designate a section for donate for anything already sorted and not in the keep area. I mean really. I don't need anything in there except my birth certificate, a signed copy of a book by a friend, a notebook of my novel, and maybe that stash of amazing olive oil from a grove in southeastern Italy. Even the books for my dissertation are optional. Once I get enough stuff in the donation area, I can get help hauling it away. The storage units are on the other end of town and it feels like a Dreaded Quest to even think about going. I'm avoidant in the extreme about this. So, time in small chunks will be a dramatic improvement.

Also on the list are any and all bills. I haven't used my gym membership. I can either use it or scrap it. We'll see how often I actually leave the house once the paper is done. A thorough inventory of what I'm signed up for (seriously? I was paying for a subscription to chess.com? I don't even remember that.) and then an evaluation of the list. Sounds simple when I put it like that, doesn't it?

NothingWhatsoever. I have a habit of signing up for everything that sounds great. And everything sounds great. I need less to do in my life as I heal from burnout, heal from injury, and heal from trauma. No new things, and a lightening of existing projects and commitments. I've already decided to take the summer off from classes, and this first week I resigned from an editing position. The disentanglement of that will take another week or so, mostly in the form of having them tell me who to send my work to and crafting a letter to my series editor and authors for a smooth (ish) handoff. There's an annual Writing Workshop that I usually attend that has a powerful magic for me. It's meeting virtually again this year (June 13-19, so zero week of next challenge). I'm not committing to going yet, even though it's only a month away. I have a feeling that a lot will be revealed during the eclipses (lunar May 26 and solar June 10). I'd like to make no new commitments until after that.

The elephant in the room is my relationship with my daughter. Nothing makes sense right now on this front, and it hasn't in years. At this point, if I'm being honest, my relationship with my daughter is a past thing. To have a relationship now would be to start something new. Her dad is clearly, violently opposed. I'm not certain I'm willing to take on a fight just to say I can. It certainly wouldn't be a relationship with my daughter, so what's the value?

I have two farm workdays scheduled, May 22 and June 5, at the farm that grows my food for the season (May-December). I like that these come right after the paper delivery and right after court. Hoeing onions or weighing lettuce are the perfect tasks for resetting my spirit and listening for inspiration. Even so, the weight of commitment is noticeable. I know there will be a million opportunities to sign up to help. I need to limit myself to these two. If I want more farm time, I can go to the garden up the mountain, my spiritual home.

Coziness by the spoonful

Is there anything better than a pressure cooker to help support simple living? A cup of dried beans in plenty of water did their thing while I ran errands and cleaned the house. 

An hour later, they were tender and ready. I drizzled olive oil and seasoned with rosemary-salt-pepper.

Some things

Some things:
I believe that grace is in our daily lives and in our choices if we so choose.
There is grace in integrity, a grace of dignity if we choose to make commitments and live by them.
There is grace in simplicity, a grace of elegance in finding the least that we need and living in that arc between too much and too little, an elegance of enough.
There is a grace to ongoing revelation, a grace of intimacy that comes only when there is an abundance of mystery without secrecy
There is a grace to presence, a grace of identity that happens when we are still enough to witness without ego.
This is how a utilitarian Taoist cyberpunk monk ends up in the silent meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.

Happy Friday

This week flew by!
There were a lot of errands to the financial attorney's office Monday and Tuesday before the hearing on Wednesday afternoon, and then a fire at work needed taking care of so I went back in to the office to deal with that. My therapy appointment has been rescheduled for Thursdays, and it was a very good visit, though super emotional as I start to unpack why this time of year gets under my skin so deeply. Vivian and I had a lot of fun on Thursday, the first day I have been able to pick her up at school, and then went to the gym -- she loves swimming lessons and I had been away from the sauna for too long.

I finally began reading The Gifts of Imperfection and it is so good that I want to buy a boxful to give away to everyone. I checked mine out of the library and I encourage everyone to see if their library has a copy. It is just the most wonderful little book, and I'm looking forward to getting to the Guideposts at the end as well. Brown takes us through getting to the other side of shame -- which we all have and none of us talks about -- to get to love and belonging using courage, compassion and connection every day.

Speaking of books and classes, I had a bit of a panic when the prof posted the assignment for last week three days late -- three days is a big deal in my world. It got smoothed out, and in the process I found out a lot about my vulnerability points and what I count on and think I need. Self-awareness is daunting, and doing the work is actual work, in that it leaves me tired and worn out no less than moving boxes of furniture.

Speaking of moving, the whole of the neighborhood is moving at the end of the school year, or at least those of us who are left after the first wave of moving happened in the fall. It's unnerving and I'm taking a deep breath. Housing insecurity is dicey for me.

This weekend is my birthday, and we are starting the celebrations tonight with a showing of Godspell up at my university. I'm really looking forward to it. Then Saturday we have a few things to do, starting with a second garden party at the Friends Meeting House, then cleaning for the party and then a meeting with the attorney. Sunday is cooking in the morning and meeting friends at the Meeting House, followed by a bit of downtime (for real?? I must be missing something) before we pick up Vivian for the party itself and then folks start arriving. I'm looking forward to it, actually. Side note: I just realized I've no idea when we are scheduling baking the cake. That needs to get figured out.

Climate Change and Your Health

There's a new study going around, analyzing how climate change will affect health issues. Please note that every sector of the country has the icon indicating an impact to the mental health and well being of residents. Every single American is going to face increased pressure to their mental health and well being as a direct result of climate change. It's too late to do anything about the Boomer impact on the environment, but it's a great time to start developing your mental health tool kit. The good news is that a lot of what we can do to become more resilient is absolutely free and easy:

• Meditate
• Practice Mindfulness
• Start a gratitude journal
• Simplify

You'll be happy you did.

How to Escape Being a Victim of Time & Truly Live in the Present Moment

This comes from Alfred James, of Pocket Mindfulness, and is a good reminder of how to reset our perspectives and attitudes as we embark on a fresh New Year.

The easiest way to explain living in the present is to start by explaining what it means to not be present, since this is the state we have become habitually used to.When you aren’t being present you become a victim of time. Your mind is pulled into the past or the future, or both.
Your thoughts are of the past: what has been, what could have been, what you thought happened vs. what actually did happen. Or, your thoughts are of the future: what will be, what could be, what might be, if…

Of course, it’s natural to spend moments of thought in the past or in daydreams of the future. Identifying impending dangers through associations with things that have happened in the past is important for self-preservation. But when our lives become dictated by thoughts and emotions attached to past events and potential future outcomes, standing peacefully rooted in the present becomes increasingly rare.

Our routine, our habit, is to be off in our heads somewhere mulling over negativity and struggles of the past, or becoming anxious and fearful of the future. Seldom are we fully “here”; neutrally centered to see through life’s lens with clarity and naked awareness – a state that assists us in finding contentment and understanding in ourselves.

Habits quickly become the norm and, as we know from many of life’s other vices, just because we’re used to doing something regularly doesn’t mean it is good for us, or the right way to live.
An easy way to break this habit of being a victim of time is to identify time for what it is. Time is a human concept. The watch on your wrist and the clock on the wall mean nothing to Mother Nature. To her, life is one evolving moment – a perpetual cycle of interdependent impermanence. Time is a metric we use as a reference point for organising our lives and documenting history. It doesn’t actually exist. Really, it doesn’t. Ask a scientist.

Time is an illusion, which makes being controlled by time somewhat delusional. The past doesn’t exist and neither does the future. The only true reference point we have to this moment in time, and to this thing we label “existence”, is a feeling of presence, of being here in this body, of seeing the world through these eyes.

This is all that can exist, because this is what you feel right now. You can’t feel the past or the future, but you can feel what it feels like to touch something right now, to see something, to hear something.
The concept of time deludes us into concerning ourselves with its passing and impending arrival. This stops us enjoying this “presence” we feel. We are duped into remaining in one of two states: The first, one of dwelling in the past and mulling over what has happened. The second, one of waiting and constantly anticipating what is to come, if and when…

For example:
– How often do you enjoy your work? Or are you too busy thinking about getting it finished by the deadline to give yourself a chance to enjoy it?
– Are you so stressed out trying to do your best work to impress your boss that you prevent yourself being able to perform at your highest potential anyway?
– Are you so distracted by thoughts of Monday morning that you spoil the time spent with your children on the weekend?
– Are you so caught up in regrets of the past that you prevent opportunity blossoming in the present?
– Are the opinions of others, formed through actions you took in the past, stopping you being who you (are) want to be in the present?

We are all unavoidably victims of time to some degree, because it has become the accepted state of norm in our fast-paced, highly motivated and highly-strung society. And for this reason it is important that we understand that to not be present is to be torn between two worlds, the past and the future, neither of which exist. To constantly reside in this state prevents us enjoying life and finding happiness.

If you allow yourself to be a victim of time – a victim of the past and a slave to a future that is yet to unravel – you will carry with you a sense of unease. You will be susceptible to stress, agitation and feel generally uncomfortable in life.

There is no redemption to be found in time.
So surrender to what is right now.
Wherever you are, commit to being there, completely. Life will take care of the rest.

Mindful Walking

You Can Do It

Walking meditation is practicing meditation while walking. It can bring you joy and peace while you practice it. Take short steps in complete relaxation; go slowly with a smile on your lips, with your heart open to an experience of peace. You can feel truly at ease with yourself. Your steps can be those of the healthiest, most secure person on earth. All sorrows and worries can drop away while you are walking. To have peace of mind, to attain self-liberation, learn to walk in this way. It is not difficult. You can do it. Anyone can do it who has some degree of mindfulness and a true intention to be happy.

Going Without Arriving

In our daily lives, we usually feel pressured to move ahead. We have to hurry. We seldom ask ourselves where it is that we must hurry to. When you practice walking meditation, you go for a stroll. You have no purpose or direction in space or time. The purpose of walking meditation is walking meditation itself. Going is important, not arriving. Walking meditation is not a means to an end; it is an end. Each step is life; each step is peace and joy. That is why we don’t have to hurry. That is why we slow down. We seem to move forward, but we don’t go anywhere; we are not drawn by a goal. Thus we smile while we are walking.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

The Intentional Promotion of the Things We Value

Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It requires a conscious decision because it is a countercultural lifestyle that stands against the culture of overconsumption that surrounds us.

The world we live in is not friendly to the pursuit of minimalism. Its tendencies and relentless advertising campaigns call us to acquire more, better, faster, and newer. The journey of finding simplicity requires consistent inspiration.

For that reason, I hope you will make an effort this weekend to find a quiet moment with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy some of these hand-picked articles to encourage more simplicity in your life.

The White Envelope by Nancy W. Gavin. This inspirational story needs to be read and shared a million times.

7 Simple Strategies to Avoid Overspending this Holiday Season | Forbes. Americans spend 9X the amount of money retail shopping during the Christmas season than any other season of the year.

My Year of No Spending is Over—Here’s How I Got Through It | The Guardian by Michelle McGagh. A new way of living - wealthier and wiser.

Minimalism, Marriage, and Parenting | YouTube (42:57) by Mina Irfan.

http://www.becomingminimalist.com/inspiring-simplicity-1216-2/

Meditation

Meditation isn’t quite like other methods of self-improvement. It’s not as though you can say “Let’s meditate three times a week!” and then schedule it, show up a the gym to lift heavy things or run fast and far, and have it in any way be done.

Meditation is a mindset.

It is not mindlessness. Do not confuse meditation’s stillness with emptiness; many folks speak of the blank mind, but that is not the case, truly. More it is the mind empty of attachments, neither leading nor following, simply watching the stream of consciousness travel by.

Think of being on a bank and watching the river. You only see a portion of the river, but it is the river, all the same. You sometimes see a leaf on the river, but that doesn’t matter; the leaf travels on and the river still is. That is how the meditative mind works, as an observer to the river, with thoughts like leaves or twigs that appear, float along, and move out of view. They change your observation -- your mindset -- not at all.

Beginning meditation is not the same, exactly, as starting weight training or walking to Mordor. The way that success is measured is different, because meditation is a mindset and not a single activity. It’s not even, in the way of martial arts or yoga, an activity in process, but we can approach understanding the measure of meditation more readily if we think in terms of the activity of it.

Think of meditation as a song, and the practice of it as singing.

If you had a goal of being able to sing a song, then you might want to practice singing three times a week for fifteen minutes each time. Starting by singing for an hour once a week wouldn’t actually be as helpful as singing for a few minutes, maybe even in the grocery store or in the shower, throughout the week.

We don’t measure the success of the song by the volume of it, or by its duration, but instead it succeeds as a measure of its quality. Letting the song be exactly as it is can be difficult -- we are tempted to add trills to make it more interesting as we sing it, or to add harmonics to show off our skill a bit. But those “extras” are not the song.

Simple can be hard, not because it is hard on its own, but because it’s hard for us to leave it alone.

We want more; we want interesting; we want complex and complicated; we want showy.

But meditation is the art and practice of simplicity of thought, without ego and without ornamentation.

To begin a meditation practice, do not look at how often you can increase the practice, or how long you can sustain it. Look instead at the quality of the experience. What was smooth and what was difficult? In answering the question, we begin to play the practice, for it is through reflection that we are able to understand where we are simple and where we are showy. Sometimes, while singing the song, we are able to hit the notes, and sometimes we are not; sometimes the melody flows easily from us and sometimes it does not. But it is always singing. The difference between a novice’s warble and a virtuoso’s solo is simple: practice in an environment of feedback, not one of failure. There is not so much success with meditation as there is ease.

And when simplicity of thought comes with ease, all things will be more in balance, and the Way will be more clear.

As you consider taking on the practice of meditation start by answering:

• What is it you hope to gain through meditation?
• Describe successful meditation
• Tell me about one who has mastered meditation:
• What does her life have that yours does not?
• What abilities does she have that you do not?