quotidian
Hm. I started this post in the beginning of February, so it's a bit outdated. Kept meaning to clean it up, but I didn't. The quotes are still apropos. So I'll just post it, and move on.
...

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is my symphony.
�William Henry Channing
...

The secret consists in practice.
And not in thinking and discussing.
Give up wrangling and do the practice.
Then you will know the secret.
�Kabir
being sick has given me the leisure time to sit and think on a few things. so much going on right now, and it's been feeling like a change has been comin for awhile. (let's be honest. change is always happening. but bear with me.)

so there's been an opening up that's been a long long time coming. for sometime i been tightly balled up and just getting by. there's a lot to be said for getting by. but there's also something terrifyingly filled-with-wonder when you look up and see that the valley is behind you, and now stretches out ahead of you.

stillness, now, focus. not really my strong points. so i've been working on the meditation thing. first in paddling, then in my martial arts school, and now in my own personal practice.

been meditating with the dogs. startin slow, started with 5 minutes or so. up to about 20 minutes, and still plugging along. thinking on two things: compassion and now. it started with an off-hand remark i overheard at a dinner party. a study showed that depression was decreased for people who meditated on compassion for only 15 minutes a day! and you know. 15 minutes a day. totally achievable, right? well. took me a couple weeks. but yeah. 15 minutes of (mostly) stillness. or 5 minutes if more seems daunting.

oh, and all my reading and such lately? to sum it up: mom wins. from michael pollan on what to eat, the health dept on how to avoid getting (and spreading) colds and flus...it all goes back to mom is right.

i should call her. (she'd be right on that one too...)
Labels: inspiration, quotes, random

:: ewee 3:29:00 PM [+] :: 0 comments ::
...