Love in Every Step

When we walk like (we are rushing), we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the earth... Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Vietnamese Buddhist Monk

I like this quote, because it honors the present moment.  So often I see people rushing about, doing this, taking care of that, scurry, worry---STOP!

All we have is this moment.  In the grand scheme of things, it's doesn't matter where we've been or where we're going.  All that matters is now.  Every day I sit in meditation.  I focus on my breath and, if I'm really distracted by my thoughts, I count slowly to ten, inhaling as I count, "one" exhaling as I count "one" again.  Up to ten and back down to one.  Often I never reach ten, because my mind has finally settled down and can focus back on my breath.

When one is so busy all the time, one misses the delights of life.  The butterflies and bees, the songbirds and sunsets.  I try to take my time every day and am mindful of my thoughts.  Yet it's often difficult to connect with like-minded folks who aren't in a hurry, rushing around, doing this and that quickly.  I think that's why there are so many traffic accidents and other mistakes that cause suffering and heartache---needlessly.

Two days ago I went to Meijer Gardens to photograph the butterflies.  I had my "big guns" camera, a Canon XSI with a powerful 70-300mm lens.  I was armed for bear and felt confident I'd come home with dozens of gorgeous butterflies--frozen in time forever in my photos.  Yet, I came home with nothing. 

I was so distracted by dozens of little children squealing, running, touching, pointing---often right in front of my lens--that I bristled as I took most pictures.  Darting here and there, I tried my best to avoid the noisy monsters, my blood pressure rising, my annoyance over the top.  So it was no wonder I wasn't able to really "focus" on the beautiful butterflies and take some lovely pictures.

The photo above was taken about 4 years ago, with a little point-and-shoot cheapie camera.

While wandering around that day at Meijer Gardens, I saw a Blue Morpho Butterfly soaring in the air and stopped to gaze upon him in flight.  For two seconds, he chanced to land on a rock no more than a foot from me.  I calmly lowered my little camera, pointed and shot and.

voila, captured the most magnificent picture of the elusive Blue Morpho I've ever seen. 

Why?  How?  Because I was centered, calm, collected and in the moment.  I was enjoying myself and it showed in my photos.  That's the way life works best for me.  In the moment.

Mindful.  Focused and free to be my authentic Self.  I treasure these moments just as I'll always treasure this photo. 

Eye of the Soul

Yesterday I went to Meijer Gardens to see the annual, "Butterfllies Are Blooming" exhibit.  Every year, in March and April, hundreds of butterflies are imported from Costa Rica. For two months they flit about in a large, temperature-controlled conservatory.  On display for thousands of visitors, they dive and delight until they die--which is about every 12 days in the life cycle of a butterfly.

So, they don't have long to bring joy and are on display for only a short time.  Every year I enthusiastically look forward to going see them.  However, the 2-hour drive each way is cumbersome for me to do alone.  So, every year, I start asking anyone and everyone I know if they'd go along on a fun outing and share driving.   I start asking in January, knowing full-well I have only 2 months before butterfly season.

This year I could find no one.  None of my friends either wanted to go or understood my plight--as in dilemma, not flight.  Still, no one had the empathy, compassion or maybe just extra time to accompany me to this idyllic garden 2-hours from home.  So, I had no other choice than to take a deep breath, get some books-on-tape and put pedal-to-the metal myself.  Which is exactly what I did.

Now, here's the "ah-ha" moment.  I felt fine driving up, wasn't particularly tired or fatigued, even.  The place was jammed with school buses and noisy kids whose little fists managed to interrupt more than one nicely composed photo.  Still, I was enjoying myself---or so I thought.

But when I came home and edited all the photos, I could find but one shot that I considered acceptable.  I mean in terms of technical clarity, compositon and beauty.  First time, too.  For whenever I've gone in the past I had at least a dozen excellent shots.  Clear, colorful, crisp and creatively composed.  Not so yesterday.

Why?  I think it was because my "can-do" Self told my "real Self" that it didn't matter that I couldn't find anyone to go with me.  It was fine, I'd bite the bullet, go by myself and, dag-nab-it, would have a good time, too!

But that smaller, inner, more psychically-grounded Self was not happy.  The little voice that always tells us what's right or wrong, good or bad, happy or sad.  The voice we sometimes try to squash, squelch, ignore or beat down.  The voice that really loves us but the same one we sometimes betray.  It was that voice that was in charge yesterday--of my feelings which, then, translated into my pictures.  For, nary a photo turned out well.  And this was out of dozens of carefully composed shots that zapped into focus with my high-end camera.  This is one of the reasons photographers invest so much money into their gear, so their photos will come through for them with sharpness, even lighting and, hopefully, artistic merit.  And they usually do for me, too.

Not so this time.  My feelings won out, and all I came away with was one halfway decent butterfly shot that I have posted above.

However at the zoo, later that day, my heart won out, and I managed to salvage a few meaningful shots.  Unfortunately, they were of the truth of sadness and boredom in the eyes of bears, monkeys and an ocelot.  My true feelings, once again, surfaced through my camera lens but, this time, they were not of delight but despair.

Wordless Mysteries

Hear from the heart wordless mysteries! Understand what cannot be understood!

In man's stone-dark heart there burns a fire

That burns all veils to their root and foundation.

When the veils are burned away, the heart will understand completely

Ancient Love will unfold ever-fresh forms

In the heart of the Spirit, in the core of the heart.

- Jalal-ud-Din Rumi

Musings

Usually, I write one essay every few days.  On rare occasions, I'll write two in the same day.  This is one of those days.

Just heard from an owner of a bed and breakfast in Cleveland that I'm thinking of visiting next month.  He's part of the UUreHome Bed and Breakfast Association sponsored by the Unitarian/Universalist Church.  Last year I joined so I'd be able to stay at clean, safe, friendly places when traveling especially as a woman on her own.

Although I haven't yet stayed at any, I'm about to visit Lois in New York who already bought tickets for an off-Broadway show for us and said I could stay with her free of charge (yes, in New York City and a nice section of town, too!) in exchange for staying with me if she ever comes my way.  Of course, I said, sounds perfect. 

We'd been in touch since last Christmas when I suddenly found out that the famed restaurant, "Tavern on the Green" was closing.  I frantically looked up anyone and everyone from the UUre Home Directory, in New York City, with whom I could stay, as I dearly wanted to visit this historic landmark before it closed forever. 

Lois was friendly warm and welcoming to me right from the get-go.  Although I couldn't swing the airfare and other costs involved, at the time, my enthusiasm ignited Lois's interest, and she ended up going there on New Year's Eve (for lunch) the last day it was open for business.

Plus, she took lots of beautiful pictures and sent me a set.  This, from a stranger.  In New York.  From a bed and breakfast directory.  Hillary Clinton said, "It takes a village."  Indeed.
Other philosophers said, "we are all connected."  I'd agree.  Some more than others.  Often with open hearts and minds.  And arms.

Just now I heard from a gentleman in Cleveland with whom I'm trying to connect to make a reservation for mid-May.  He called and left really nice message on my phone.  You'd think he was family.  He said the dates I wanted to come were perfect, and that he and his wife would get everything ready for my stay.  Plus, there was a park nearby with beautiful bicycle trails and they have an extra bike for me, too.  His tone was so welcoming, so friendly, so kind.  He went on to say there were many wonderful sights to see and experience in Cleveland and that I might enjoy staying longer or even moving there!

I listened enraptured.  With his openness---in this day and age--his sincerity, warmth and big-heartedness.  Somewhat amazed, I smiled and felt warm all over.  Just when you think there's no safety nets, no gurantees in life, no friends to go anyplace with. . . out of the blue, something wonderful happens to restore your faith.  Like this phone call from a perfect stranger.  I feel re-energized, hopeful and happy after hearing his message.  Think I'll call back, now, and reserve my room for mid-May.  Should be a wonderful visit and the start of a great new friendship.  I am constantly surprised and in awe of the human spirit and the human heart.

Enjoy the Moment

Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, 1897-1981

Indian Spiritual Teacher

True Love

FROM TODAY'S DAILY OM:

The Real Thing

Love should feel good.
Relationships that leave you feeling depleted,
sad and making excuses are not based in love.

Often in our lives, we fall prey to the idea of a thing rather than actually experiencing the thing itself. We see this at play in our love lives and in the love lives of our friends, our family, and even fictional characters. The conceptualizing, depiction, and pursuit of true love are multimillion-dollar industries in the modern world. However, very little of what is offered actually leads us to an authentic experience of love. Moreover, as we grasp for what we think we want and fail to find it, we may suffer and bring suffering to others. When this is the case, when we suffer more than we feel healed, we can be fairly certain that what we have found is not love but something else.

When we feel anxious, excited, nervous, and thrilled, we are probably experiencing romance, not love. Romance can be a lot of fun as long as we do not try to make too much of it. If we try to make more of it than it is, the romance then becomes painful. Romance may lead to love, but it may also fade without blossoming into anything more than a flirtation. If we cling to it and try to make it more, we might find ourselves pining for a fantasy, or worse, stuck in a relationship that was never meant to last.

Real love is identifiable by the way it makes us feel. Love should feel good. There is a peaceful quality to an authentic experience of love that penetrates to our core, touching a part of ourselves that has always been there. True love activates this inner being, filling us with warmth and light. An authentic experience of love does not ask us to look a certain way, drive a certain car, or have a certain job. It takes us as we are, no changes required. When people truly love us, their love for us awakens our love for ourselves. They remind us that what we seek outside of ourselves is a mirror image of the lover within. In this way, true love never makes us feel needy or lacking or anxious. Instead, true love empowers us with its implicit message that we are, always have been, and always will be, made of love.

Some Day My Prince Will Come

From my garden. When a tulip fell off its stem, I thought this little girl's lap the perfect place to set it. I bought her at Winterthur, in Delaware, on a visit there one summer. She sits in my side garden as a symbol of hopes and dreams, under a sprawling Linden Tree, surrounded by perennials and hostas of all kinds.

Winterthur, an American country estate, is the former home of Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969), an avid antiques collector and horticulturist. In the early 20th century, H. F. du Pont and his father, Henry Algernon du Pont, designed Winterthur in the spirit of 18th- and19th-century European country houses.