mindfulness

Lessons from a Painted Lady

I spied this Painted Lady on my walk last week, hovering above the sea lavender at Laguna Beach.

I slowed my pace, lifted my camera.

She  flitted from flower to flower, dipping her proboscis into the purple blossoms, sipping nectar.

I could’ve circled back later, once my exercise routine was over. But ohhhh, those gossamer threads along her wings and back…!

She seemed totally unaware of my presence. I, however, was wholly engrossed in the slant of her antennae, her perfectly balanced wings and feet. Part physics, pure magic.

When she eventually flitted away, I stashed my camera and resumed my walk.

Mind you: I had a parking meter to feed, errands to run, writing projects in the queue, and…well. Unscheduled activities have their tradeoffs. And still: You can’t perform a cost-benefit analysis in moments like this one! Because even when we fall out of our target heart rate zones, even when our to-do lists are longer than the hours in a day, some things invite (and deserve) our full attention.

Flight Plans: #AugustBreak2016

Sunlight spreads itself across the neighboring hillsides, nudging the earth out of its slumber. A hummingbird glides easily between palm dates and salvia, chittering as it sips nectar, and I celebrate with her the sweetness of this new day.

13679862_1335031663178493_6069176657536056690_o

This is my first entry in the monthlong, collaborative photography project,  “August Break 2016,” a mindfulness activity that draws participants away from their daily routines and into the wider world. Inspired by a specific prompt, you snap a new photograph every day in August.  No need for fancy equipment, and you can bend the rules to suit your needs or interests.

I’m using Susannah Conway’s #AugustBreak2016 as an opportunity to practice something I’ve struggled with: capturing sharp images of hummingbirds in flight. I’ll also be spending lots of time at my writing desk, polishing up a special project. Each creative act, inspiring and informing the other…

Some of you might remember that I participated last year. Aside from the healthful benefits of venturing outdoors, those photography outings had carry-over effects on my writing, all for the good. Focus. Experimenting with light and dark. Seeing things from different angles, and expressing myself in new ways.

If this sparks your own creative urges, I hope you’ll grab your camera and join us!

Shared with the hummingbird, a childlike sense of curiosity and wonder

Rufous Hummingbird, my watchful backyard buddy

When we assume hummingbird consciousness, our life becomes a wonderland of sensuous delights. We live for beauty, delighting in flowers, aromas, fine mist, delicate tastes.

Hummingbirds awaken us to the beauty of the present moment. —David Carson

Present moment, wonderful moment

Breathing in, there is only this moment…

P1100658

On Friday, Walela’s breathing was effortful…

Breathing out is a wonderful moment.

P1100715

The first egg in her second clutch.

If we are not fully ourselves,

P1100687

Two days later, Walela’s breathing is once again labored.

truly in the present moment…

P1100700

We breathe as one in this moment.

We miss everything. –Thich Nhat Hahn

Another Homecoming

As someone who spent much of her itinerant childhood criss-crossing the country in the back of a family sedan, always searching for that elusive place called 'home,' I was enthralled by the prairie home that author Daisy Hickman describes in ALWAYS RETURNING: The Wisdom of Place.

HR_Always_Returning_300dpi_RGB_5.5x8.5-2
Book cover image via SunnyRoomStudio

"To my prairie heart," she writes, "the terrain I grew up with evokes feelings of pure delight. Untouched and free, the prairie symbolizes the great unknown–past, present and future wrapped in one, a convincing space knowing no boundaries or limits, no worries or demons: a place where my heart resides." Hickman could also be describing any number of beloved landscapes, seas, or skies–for that is the home we come to know when we explore our world with hearts and eyes wide open.

You'll find personal ruminations between the covers of this book, as well as inspirational passages from Hickman's favorite transcendentalists, philosophers, and prairie home companions. And perhaps you'll come away, as I did, understanding more deeply the meaning behind the beloved Zen teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh's words: "'I have arrived, I am home' is the shortest Dharma Talk I have ever given," he said. "It means 'I don't want to run anymore.' You need that insight in order to be truly established in the here and now, and to embrace life with all its wonders."

IMG_3581
Calligraphy by Zen teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh, purchased at my Day of Mindfulness at Deer Park Monastery.
Site Meter