A joy, a depression, a meanness.
Some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!”
Rumi
Those of you who know me know that I am an habitual list-maker and planner. I still keep a paper calendar! It’s my inescapable Capricorn nature. I am grateful for this skill that was so central to my consulting career helping organizations navigate change. My mindfulness meditation practice, and subsequent teaching practice, have helped me integrate those “executive functions” with the tools to step forward mindfully, plans or not, using present moment awareness as my compass. Valuing both, plans and adjusting for change in the truth of the moment, feels so vital right now. Cultivating the ability to pause for presence, allow and accept things as they are, and to use that as a starting point for all that comes next is powerful. By anchoring the attention in the present moment, we invite our whole being to listen and inform us on all levels as to what is true. From there, we step forward with courage.
― Tara Brach
As I lie in bed recovering from my first bout with Covid, I am forced to surrender to the pause. I am grateful for a warm house and a comfy bed to hold me, and to my writing to keep me company. 2023 has been a challenging year – for all of us across the planet. At home, it began with my husband’s cycling accident and a cracked femur bone in January from which he’s recovering, thankfully. Our well-intended plans for healthy recreation got tossed aside as we surrendered to attending to each day and each moment as it showed up. Practicing the radical acceptance that Tara Brach teaches was less a choice and more survival. This CoVid feels insignificant in comparison to the broken bones and broken hearts that others are coping with, but in comparing, I lose my hold on seeing what is true today. Dropping the comparison, and the judgement, I stay, and attend to what is true for me right now.
‘Darling, I care about your suffering,’ a deep healing begins.”
Tara Brach
By holding the truth of the moment with full presence and compassion for ourselves, we nurture the same heart that we can extend to others, allowing us to hold space for their exploration of their truth. With so much discord, disruption and tragedy out “there”, tending to what is close-in “here” grounds us and offers us a chance to practice anyway – welcoming everything with the same loving kindness, compassion and gratitude that we would like to see in the world. Every kindness matters now, it seems. While seemingly insignificant paired up with the world’s challenges, this close in, present moment awareness offers a chance to practice what we most hope for in our lives and in the world – kind attention, generosity of care and compassion in the face of discomfort. We can hold ourselves in love, and as we do so, we cultivate the present moment healing energy that we can share with others, at home, across our communities and even further, across the planet.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Welcoming everything by pausing for presence throughout the day may seem overwhelming in challenging times. Seek support, find a meditation buddy, and keep an anchoring routine – whether it’s meditation, writing, sipping tea, drawing, forest wandering or star-gazing (to name just a few). Moment by moment, we strengthen the ability to access compassion, for ourselves and for others. Keeping a steady routine of practice brings us back to our best selves, again and again, enabling us to live our best lives and to be present to others as they strive to live theirs.
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
–– Jalaluddin Rumi
If you are interested in a regular mindfulness practice, please join me weekly for my live-on-Zoom guided mindfulness practice sessions. In a friendly small group setting, we practice and learn together. The sessions are offered freely, donations are accepted, and appreciated. Join me Mondays at 6:30pm EST for some easy movement to ease out of the day and 7pm EST for a 25 min guided meditation. Contact me for more information! And please feel free to share this with others who might be interested! 🙏
✨ Contact me via email at liveyourpractice@gmail.com ✨
Deb Cook’s Deep Peace Practice 