Making Spaces Sun, 13th January, 2013
My meditation this week has been about the benefits of making spaces in our lives. I of all people know how easy it is to fill our days with endless activity, squeezing in one more thing before we sprint off to the next thing (usually a few minutes late) arriving breathless and unprepared.
The art of making spaces to invite new life in is best observed in nature. During this time of winter, the absence of leaves on the trees makes spaces through which we can view the sunrise and sunset, which otherwise might escape our attention. Gaps among tree roots become havens for small plants and animals. And even the tiniest cracks and crevices make space for moss, lichens and other tiny plant life to grow. (Click on the second or third picture to the right to see my latest photo essay about these tiny spirits that quietly inhabit the forest floor.)
I have begun creating more spaces in my life for meditation, just sitting quietly and focusing on my breath. And even my morning dog walks, now that I have slowed down, make spaces not only for my dogs to stop and sniff deeply, but also for me to stop and observe—to look up at the sky, or down at the ground, or nowhere in particular as I find myself thinking deep thoughts.
And of course this need to stop and make spaces for family and friends is growing in importance to me. Holding out time for playing a game with my family or having a beer and good conversation with friends expands my consciousness, for there is so much to learn from listening to others sharing unstructured time together. I still have a long way to go, but it's a start.
May 2013 be for me the year of making spaces in my life for truth and beauty to flow in.
My meditation this week has been about the benefits of making spaces in our lives. I of all people know how easy it is to fill our days with endless activity, squeezing in one more thing before we sprint off to the next thing (usually a few minutes late) arriving breathless and unprepared.
The art of making spaces to invite new life in is best observed in nature. During this time of winter, the absence of leaves on the trees makes spaces through which we can view the sunrise and sunset, which otherwise might escape our attention. Gaps among tree roots become havens for small plants and animals. And even the tiniest cracks and crevices make space for moss, lichens and other tiny plant life to grow. (Click on the second or third picture to the right to see my latest photo essay about these tiny spirits that quietly inhabit the forest floor.)
I have begun creating more spaces in my life for meditation, just sitting quietly and focusing on my breath. And even my morning dog walks, now that I have slowed down, make spaces not only for my dogs to stop and sniff deeply, but also for me to stop and observe—to look up at the sky, or down at the ground, or nowhere in particular as I find myself thinking deep thoughts.
And of course this need to stop and make spaces for family and friends is growing in importance to me. Holding out time for playing a game with my family or having a beer and good conversation with friends expands my consciousness, for there is so much to learn from listening to others sharing unstructured time together. I still have a long way to go, but it's a start.
May 2013 be for me the year of making spaces in my life for truth and beauty to flow in.
