Tag Archives: Susan Piver

Gratitude Friday

12 Replies

1. Dexter’s continued good health, and the help we’ve had with that. After his physical therapy appointment yesterday, he was so happy, had so much energy, felt so good. He’s even been cleared to run a little again. We were in the backyard after his appointment soaking up the sun when Eric came home from work. In celebration, Dexter started tearing around the yard like a much younger version of himself–ears back, butt tucked, smile on his face. Such joy.

2. Clarity and space. A clear mind and a somewhat clear environment.

3. Spring. The sun, the birds singing, the green, the bud and the bloom. When I was in the backyard yesterday with the dogs, I thought to myself, “I am so happy right now.”

4. Open Heart Retreat. Later today, I am headed to Shambhala Mountain Center for a retreat led by the brilliant Susan Piver. I am so grateful for her, our shared practice, that I can afford to go, that Eric will be here to take care of our boys, and that Dexter is doing well enough that I won’t worry about him too much, (although, I’ve already warned Eric I’ll be calling three or four times a day to check on him).

5. Health care options. I am going to meet with my new doctor in about an hour. I am so lucky to be able to make choices, to get support in my efforts to be as healthy as possible.

Bonus Joy: You may have already guessed, but we had another week with sweet Mr. D. I took this picture this morning after we got done playing with his Little D.

bigdlittled04

Day of Rest

5 Replies

My friend Lindsey shared a poem on her blog, and part of it has stuck with me for days, especially considering my obsession with taking pictures of the sky, the way it shifts and changes and always amazes.

Sometimes it takes
a great sky
to find that

small, bright
and indescribable
wedge of freedom
in your own heart.
~The Journey, David Whyte

This also stuck with me because of the way my practice and Buddhist studies are always reminding me that, at least in a metaphorical sense, I am the sky–spacious and open and fundamentally sane. As Susan Piver explains,

Dharma teachers often suggest considering your thoughts to be like clouds in the sky. Some are dark and stormy, some are beautiful and fat, while others are wispy and ethereal. Sometimes there are no clouds at all. No matter. Just like clouds in the sky, thoughts pass through your mind. And just like the sky, your mind can contain it all.

We are accustomed to identifying with every large or small thought that comes along. But you can train yourself to identify as the sky instead. When you do, tremendous confidence arises. You see beyond doubt that you can accommodate it all–sunshine, storms, mist, fog, hail–and never give up.

On this day of rest, I am contemplating what it means to “find that small, bright and indescribable wedge of freedom in your own heart,” to allow confidence to arise, and to “see beyond doubt that you can accommodate it all–sunshine, storms, mist, fog, hail–and never give up.” May you, kind and gentle reader, on this day of rest, experience both freedom and confidence, along with true rest.