Month: November 2018

11/16/18: Early Snow

Early snow in Massachusetts. A year ago today I’d have been sweating this, holed up in my first floor #denofpositivity on the couch as I waited the long month between injury and surgery, Nov 5-Dec 5, 2007.

Today it’s annoying because it’s November, damn it, and I was just soaking in the last colors of fall to carry me through winter.

But I’m not sweating it. I have good boots. I have great core strength & balance. The hams are attached & stronger. And I have slowed wayyyy the f*** down. Looking forward to fearless sledding with the kids and the ability to climb back up the hill after each run. And maybe a day on the slopes at Loon or Bretton Woods. Healing happens.

11/8/18: Open Your Mind

“Everything that occurs in our confused mind we can regard as the path. Everything is workable.

If we find ourselves in what seems like a rotten or painful situation and we think, “Well, how is this enlightenment?” we can just remember this notion of the path, that what seems undesirable in our lives doesn’t have to put us to sleep. What seems undesirable in our lives doesn’t have to trigger habitual reactions. We can let it show us where we’re at and let it remind us that the teachings encourage precision and gentleness, with loving-kindness toward every moment. When we live this way, we feel frequently—maybe continuously—at a crossroads, never knowing what’s ahead.

It’s an insecure way to live. We often find ourselves in the middle of a dilemma—what should I do about the fact that somebody is angry with me? What should I do about the fact that I’m angry with somebody? Basically, the instruction is **not to try to solve the problem but instead to use it as a question about how to let this very situation wake us up further** rather than lull us into ignorance. We can use a difficult situation to encourage ourselves to take a leap, to step out into that ambiguity.

This teaching applies to even the most horrendous situations life can dish out. Jean-Paul Sartre said that there are two ways to go to the gas chamber, free or not free. This is our choice in every moment. Do we relate to our circumstances with bitterness or with openness?

That is why it can be said that whatever occurs can be regarded as the path and that all things, not just some things, are workable. This teaching is a fearless proclamation of what’s possible for ordinary people like you and me.”

Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart