28 | August | 2015 | Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön. I first read this book when a friend recommended it to me about nine years ago. It was at the beginning of my meditation practice and Buddhist studies, and somehow I hadn’t yet read anything by Pema. I’ve since read almost everything she’s ever written, taken online courses and done virtual retreats with her, and once was lucky enough to see her speak in person. She is one of my heart teachers. The story of her own life, how she found her path is an inspiration to me. Her wisdom and her kindness are such a comfort. But more than anything it’s her sense of humor that cheers me, encourages me.

I come back to this particular book again and again. As a whole, it does such a good job of explaining the path. I also love that each chapter is short enough, complete enough that you can sit down and start anywhere, pretty quickly read a chapter and get so much out of it. I often read one just before I meditate, let the wisdom sink in while I sit on my cushion. The personal message for me of this book is “get over yourself, you are wonderful,” which might seem like a contradiction to some, but to me it is the most fundamental truth. I flipped through it this morning to try and find a quote to share, but I’ve underlined something(s) on every single page and there are just too many to pick only one.

1. Our garden, and all the other gardens feeding us. This is one of my favorite times of the season — strawberries, watermelon, peaches, and tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes.

2. Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation, Susan Piver’s new book. It’s so good. She’s so good at this, the writing and the teaching and the practicing. I’ve been meditating for nine years now, three of those with Susan’s direct instruction, so even though I know some stuff, I am underlining the crap out of this book.3. Settling back into work at CSU. It is so hard to juggle everything I’m responsible for when I’m also on contract there, but so far I’m managing. Can’t wait to get my office prettied up again, to be all the way moved back in.

4. Good recipes, good food. One of the prompts for August Break this week was “favorite recipe.” My response was: How do I choose just one? Roasted tomato soup because I’d never made soup before, it was so easy and delicious, and the tomatoes and basil were from our garden. Chocolate chip cookies with toasted walnuts because they are so good and make Eric so happy. Glazed lemon zucchini bread (which really is cake) with double zucchini and extra glaze and raspberries if you have them, because, and the perfect thing to take to a potluck. And for eating, because I’ve never made crust (and Eric is so good at it, why should I), fruit pie — marionberry, blackberry and raspberry, apple, strawberry, and peach.

5. These two goofballs. You never have to use the bathroom alone with these two clowns, who think everything the humans do is interesting and want to come along, hang out — except when the humans are on the devices, computers or phones or tvs, because that is just straight up boring. This was Sam and Ringo “helping” me take a bath, although Ringo was just as interested in engaging Sam by playing the “look at the awesome toy I have, don’t you want to try and steal it from me?” game.

Bonus joy: Comedians (seriously, how cool is it that some people make it their profession to make us laugh?), good books and my Kindle making it so easy to get and read them, paper copies of good books I can hold in my hands and underline with a pencil, clean cool drinkable water, laughing with Eric, people who know how to fix our stuff and are fair and honest, the funds to be able to hire those people, knowing that the same stupid hangnail I get on my thumb every year about this time always heals, a physical therapist willing to give me a pep talk when I tell her I am officially frustrated, the flock of tiny yellow breasted birds that are so in love with our sunflower patch, sunflowers that are supposed to be 8-10 feet tall growing to 12 feet, breakfast burritos from La Luz, really good friends.