#10 Mindful Sunday

Another good day!
I spent some time in the morning meditating and planning an afternoon meeting with our Sangha's four aspirants. I also talked with my mentor, Joanne. With that preparation under my belt, I felt good about the meeting. It turned out even better than I had hoped. We all put our practice into practice at the meeting and I think all five of us benefited from it. It was a perfect example of "The Miracle of Mindfulness."

#9 Super Saturday

Yes, indeed, when I meditate and run, I have a good day.
Barbara and I did a lot of work together, mowing the lawn and clearing brush and things like that. It was hot and exhausting. I also got to go for a run. Alison and I ran to Corporation Beach, jumped in the water and ran back. I love that. Unfortunately I am in such poor condition after my 10-day layoff that I had to stop and walk a couple of times, but I am getting back in shape again. In the evening we went out shopping at BJ's and then got ice cream, which is not part of my training regimen, but what the heck!

#8 Friday's mixed bag

Friday had its ups and downs. Because I did not meditate nor run Friday, I was a little off keel.
I had to head directly into Hyannis for an appointment with an ENT specialist, Dr. Wood. I have positional vertigo, and he plans to treat it with a procedure on Thursday. Then I had a regular dental cleaning. Then I went into the office and did a fantastic job of straightening out, cleaning and redecorating my office. It looks great now. In the evening I planned our upcoming vacation to North Carolina. But , all in all, there was nothing truly mindful about the day. I need to work in meditation and running every day.

#7 Busy Thursday

Thursday was a busy day, and very productive. Once again I began with my morning meditation. For the last three days I have been awakening before my alarm goes off. I try to go back to sleep, but end up getting up and starting my meditation early. It has been wonderful. Starting with meditation makes the whole day more mindful.
Thursday ended up with my evening class, and it went very well. We included a free-writing exercise in which students write continuously for four minutes, then condense it to 25 words, and finally sum it up in a single five-word sentence. The subject at the beginning doesn't matter because it changes during the summarizing process. Anyway the five-word gems are always wonderful. Tonight one was spectacular. One student wrote:

We kissed before we spoke.

#6 Yoga on Wednesday

I had a wonderful yoga class at noon today. The teacher, Lora Ziemba, is wonderful. I love the way she incorporates mindfulness and meditation throughout the workout. She is gentle and does not push any of us too hard.

In the afternoon I finally finished cleaning off my desk at my office. A clean desk is a good start for the new semester starting in September.

Good Tuesday

Tuesday was a good say. I began with my morning meditation, and that always gets me off to a good start. At work I got some class planning done, and then I had lunch with my friend Steve. We had an excellent discussion that included many references to our roles as spiritual leaders and how that affects us.
After lunch I was thrilled to be able to arrange an exchange of file cabinets that gives me more room in my office. That inspired me to organize and rearrange my office, and that helped me reduce clutter. Speaking of that, I received a nice note form my older son, Ben, about some books and resources on reducing clutter.
In the afternoon, I attended a meeting of the Cape Cod Interfaith Coalition, of which I am secretary. And in the evening, I taught my summer class on Great Works of Journalism. It was a good day altogether. Now I just need to get my running re-started.
I am grateful for all the good things in my life.

Familiar pattern

Once again I let Monday get away from me. I did not meditate nor run, and I did not accomplish all that I wanted to. But I did get some good things done, and I had a nice talk with my younger son, Brandon, and that is good. He and I are both wondering about the meaning of life, and we exchanged some meaningful thoughts in that department.
I will do better tomorrow.

A New Beginning

For some unknown reason, my blog went blank for a while, and I lost some posts. I have no idea why. I will try posting this and seeing if it shows up.
Appropriately enough, today was another Sunday, and therefore a Day of Mindfulness. I tried to be very mindful all day. Of course part of that time was mindfully watching Tiger Woods win the British Open, but I was thinking about how Tiger once said he got his sense of peace and tranquility from his mother's Buddhist practice.
In the afternoon, we began out sangha with outdoor walking meditation, which was beautiful. It rained before our walk, and it rained after our walk, but the rain held off for our walking meditation. I thought that was a good sign.

I have so many things I want to accomplish in the near future. I wonder which of them are at the top of my list. I'll try just listing a few of my priorities:

• Prepare for my workshop at the Cape Cod Writers Workshop
• Prepare for the August vacation
• Prepare for September classes
• Work on the second edition of my book.
• Finish the haiku book and send it to another publisher.
• Write Along the Path
• Write Whither the Revolution
• Earn a Ph.D.
• Simplify my life
• Rid myself of clutter

Mindless Monday

Well, it wasn't completely mindless. I did get up and meditate for 20 minutes in the morning. But it was mostly downhill from there. I got mixed up about the time I had arranged to call my spiritual mentor, Joanne, so I missed that call. Then I was late to a meeting of the Cape Cod Interfaith Coalition. I guess I did get some things accomplished, including a memo to my publisher about a second edition of my textbook. Nevertheless, I felt discouraged at the end of the day. I never got to my daily run, and I was not very cheerful at home in the evening. May tomorrow be better.

Day of Mindfulness

Buddha and Sky
Photography by Vicki Dodge

http://www.stanwoodarts.com/gallery.htm

As part of my spiritual practice, I try to make each Sunday a "Day of Mindfulness." In our tradition, which is Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing, affiliated with the Unified Buddhist Church, mindfulness is the core of our practice. It simply means being aware of the present moment or being truly present in the here and now.

Of course I achieve this practice with only limited success. Today I did get up and meditate for 20 minutes before doing anything else. That is always a good way to start. Then I had breakfast and read the Sunday Cape Cod Times. After breakfast I fed my pet box turtle corn on the cob. That was fun. He really enjoyed it. It is a beautiful sunny day on Cape Cod. I hope to spend some time enjoying it outdoors.

In the afternoon I will attend the Buddhist meditation group I founded nine years ago, called the Cape Sangha -- www.capesangha.org.

I am very grateful for my practice. May all beings be happy.

9 p.m.: It was a terrific day. In the afternoon I went for another five-mile run, which I have been doing for five or six days in a row. I run 2.5 miles to Corporation Beach and then take off my shoes and shirt and jump in the water for a quick swim. Them I brush off my feet, put my shoes and shirt back on and run back again. It is a great routine.

After that I went to the Cape Sangha, and it was a lovely meditation session. We had a couple of guests from Colorado. The man, Tom, was especially thrilled to visit us. We meet in an historic building that once served as an elementary school for the village of Barnstable. It turns out Tom attended school in that very building 50 years ago. The room where we meditate was his third and fourth grade classroom. It was a moving experience for him, and, by extension, for all of us.

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