Today I am still reflecting on my commitment to adapt to Life's changes in the 21st century as a key principle of my spiritual life. My sense is that the larger spiritual framework of Life, name it God, or a Power, Presence, and Intelligence Un-named, guides and directs creative adaptation, expressing through me, and you as we respond to It. This past week brought new challenges in the form of extreme heat. I grew up in Houston, and even decades ago, there were times of humid, muggy days over 100 degrees. Then I moved on to Albuquerque, where the desert-like dry heat of summer surpassed Houston. This week's heat-wave in L.A. County, has gone beyond the peaks of those days, with severe heat warnings and scorching afternoons (outside and indoors in air conditioning not designed for extreme conditions)! With my grandchildren in need of rides home from school this week, I was pushed outside at mid-afternoon peak temperatures. After 1 day of the building afternoon heat, and warnings of daily escalation, I realized I had to pay close, physical and spiritual attention and that this was an exercise in adaptation.
That same evening, a friend sent me an Instagram clip of Thích Nhất Hạnh from the monastery he founded, Plum Village. In the clip, the gentle Buddhist master spoke of a very simple practice of meditation, with a focus on breath: "Breathing in, I am calm, I relax; Breathing out, I smile. Calming; smiling", or he offers alternatively, you can say, "I listen, I listen deeply. This wonderful sound brings me back to my true home. Breathing in I establish myself in the present moment; breathing out I know this is a wonderful moment...Present moment; Wonderful moment."
The text explains that this is known as a gatha, a short "poem" recited as spiritual practice to bring the mind into harmony with the breath. This practice is also linked to a meditation bell as a reminder to stop and breathe the "poem". The post is a invitation to the plumvillageapp, which has it's own structure for the bell, but for me, this was all a reminder that meditation, like breath, is something I take with me, wherever I go--be it in extreme heat, pleasant weather, or winter freeze. Reminders come from everywhere, like my friend who spontaneously sent the video clip.
The next day, after my own practice of meditation--an inner availability, an inner deep listening--it became clear that the extreme heat requires simplicity--that translates to some very practical ideas--short after-sunset runs to the grocery as needed, simple warm-it-up-in-the-microwave meals, and take-out, lots of home-made ice in the freezer, a small cooler of drinks with ice for the grand-kids on the drive home, conserve the electricity, pay attention to the city updates, check on one another, expect the Unexpected Good...simplify whatever can possibly be simplified; this too shall pass. Consider today, whatever your weather, the simpler path: Calming; Smiling. Present moment;Wonderful moment. (Susan Nettleton)
for Poetry: https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/.../BrightField/index.html