What were the 3-5 things that gave you joy this week?
1. Love. I don’t know what it was about this week, but there was so much love. It was traveling the internet, being sent to my blog and to me, wholehearted love fests were happening in the comment sections of other blogs I love and in my email inbox, and on Facebook in various groups and profiles. It feels like the Universe saying “yes, this is right, you are right where you should be and doing just what you should, as you should.” There was so much love, “My Heart Can’t Contain It All.”
Picture by David Sky
2. Walking.My walks with the dogs this week have been extra special. Not because they’ve been anything out of the ordinary, but because they were absolutely ordinary, just as they always are, and I was paying extra close attention. I noticed.
3. Office plants. Yes, this one again. It just stuns me how perfectly my office climate is suited to indoor gardening, and how breathtaking the lush, glossy, full, aliveness of it can be. My amaryllis is working on three new blooms, the rest are healthy and green, and I brought a bird cage from home to add to the jungle, door flung wide open and birdless.
4. Running. I know, I can’t believe I’m saying it either. But, on Sunday, Eric and I ran with the dogs, and even though I couldn’t do the whole route, I did okay. I ran, and I remembered a few really good runs from a year ago, when I felt strong and powerful, like I could keep going forever. I miss that.
5. Three-hour nap. It was one of those, “I’ll just close my eyes and rest for a bit, and then I’ll go to work” naps that turned into a sleep marathon. Clearly, I really needed it.
For anyone having trouble being grateful today, finding the things that give you joy, I suggest reading the latest post on Metta Drum, “The Healing Power of Gratitude.”
I was thinking, as I made this list, “wow, the Universe is so in love with me, sending me all this good stuff” but then I realized “the Universe is so in love with us.” I am only just recently understanding and fully opening up to this idea: I am so loved. You are so loved. We are so loved. How amazing is that?
Do me a favor, even if that sounds too fantastic or sappy or impossible, give it just a moment. Don’t get too caught up in where or who the love is coming from, let go of having to attach it to a source and simply allow it truth and space, just for a minute. Right now, let go of any skepticism or bitterness or whatever else might block the idea. Let it all go and allow yourself to feel, fully experience what it means to be loved. Go ahead. Close your eyes, maybe even put your hands over your heart, take a deep breath, and remember, really know: You are so loved.
art by hugh macleod
Here’s the rest of today’s list:
Quotes from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
“If the mind is flexible, the world is flexible.”
This one, for me especially, is really powerful: “The self-assured strength that grows from knowing that we already have what we need makes us gentle, because we are no longer desperate.”
Audio Dharma
Thanks to Rachel Cole for sharing this link. “This site is an archive of Dharma talks…Each talk illuminates aspects of the Buddha’s teachings. The purpose is the same that the Buddha had for his teachings, to guide us toward the end of suffering and the attainment of freedom. [The “end of suffering and the attainment of freedom”?! Amen!] These talks are freely available for download or to listen to in streaming audio.” There are hours, years of dharma talks available here. An amazing resource with talks on compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, busyness, awareness–and youdo not need to be Buddhist to benefit from this wisdom.
The Small is Beautiful Manifesto
I have added a new button to my side bar that says “small is beautiful.” It links to the “Small is Beautiful Manifesto” on Magpie Girl’s blog, a statement co-authored by the amazing Jen Lemen:
We believe stories are valuable, no matter how many people read them. We believe following your passion is more important than watching your site meter. We believe in the handmade, the first try, the small start, and the good
effort. We believe that small is beautiful.
I believe it too, which is why I’ve added the button.
The Mild Manifesto
This is from the Mildly Creative blog, and begins this way:
We, the mildly creative and the mildly productive, are a calm, cool collaboration of travelers on a creative journey. We lead lives of quiet inspiration and are nourished by our shared imaginations.
Before we make money, we seek first to make meaning.
Before we attract customers and clients, we seek first to attract friends and kindred spirits.
Before we make a profit, we seek first to make a contribution.
Count me in, all in.
Mexico by The Staves
Susannah Conway posted this video on her blog a while back, and I can’t stop watching it. It is a beautiful song and a beautiful video. I have listened to it at least 20 times in a row this morning, so I think I am going to have to buy their new EP, which was just released a few weeks ago.
In contrast to the above set of prompts, Jeff Goins suggests in his latest blog post, quite simply and elegantly, that we should “Write something meaningful and share it.” That is all, and that is everything. Amen!
7 Ways Meditation Increases Creativity
I am printing this post, written by Orna Ross and posted on Jane Friedman’s website, and reading it to myself every day before I meditate, to remind myself that it isn’t a chore or a project or a punishment or an escape, but essential to my sanity and my ability to manifest and embody my basic wisdom and compassion.
Legos Ad from 1981
I love this so much, and wish more advertising were like it.
Shit Yogis Say
Again, I might be offended by this, if I weren’t laughing so hard.
For anyone having trouble being grateful today, finding the things that give you joy, I suggest reading the latest post on Metta Drum, “The Healing Power of Gratitude.”
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 