I woke up this morning with my shoulder aching, transferring into a headache, and my neck, which is a continuous battle here, anymore. The cat had not arrived yet, and I wondered, also, if I could see the northern lights, from the position I was in–the dale. I could not.
My mother called yesterday. She is in pain. I think she is psychosomatic. But those are my thoughts. Generally, she is “spot on” with her illnesses. She is 90. I am late 60’s here, with my own problems. Old people, God bless them, can drive us right through the roof, if we let them. So, how does one handle that?
I have resubscribed to Jon Katz Bedlam Farm Journal writings. I like Jon. He isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Sometimes he has an edge, but I love reading about his own spiritual journey through this life at this stage of the game. I pay attention.
Thich Nhat Hanh, the famous Buddhist monk, who never did anything more than speak his heart and his training on the heart, leaves both Jon and I with fantastic quotes. Quotes that we wish to apply to our hearts. I cannot follow Jon’s path, everyone has the own.
Basically, it’s all about being mindful. A mindful person has to strive until it becomes a habit. Eat simply and think about preparation, think about dining, think about cleaning up. And do it with no thought, just the enjoyment of whatever it takes, sweeping the counter clean of crumbs, clearing out the coffee pot of grounds, leaving the water drip for Cat, whose habit it is to sit and get soaked before she takes her bath.
I received a letter from a friend. A hand written letter. In today’s day and age, the internet, email, etc., is so much faster! For some reason, I used the envelope slicer (as opposed to the daily ripping open the junk mail I have reserved with the index finger tearing at the envelope), carefully lifting the pages out. The letter, very carefully written, was with a pen nib, and how he came to love the pen. The permission to see inside a part of another’s soul is a very special unveiling, beneath a curtain of secrets that can be only kept by the owner of the soul. It reveals our humanity. It became precious.
During this time of the Advent season for many religions, if we take the time to be mindful of others: washing their dishes (as well as our own), taking them by wheelchair to a doctor even when we are partially disabled ourselves, and listening carefully, we can see the Kingdom of God. A lesson that needs to be subscribed to, especially by me, today.
It's All About the Journey 