Shedding Leaves

A broom on retreat in Burma.

Sweeping teak leaves on retreat last month gave me a new attitude about the houseplants in my solarium. Just like the teak trees, my plants are constantly shedding leaves. Leaf debris is not neat and tidy like i like my home to look.

Actually, sweeping teak leaves gave me a new outlook on my broom. Now i'm much more likely to take the broom out of the closet and sweep up the houseplant detritus in the solarium. I'd rake up dead leaves if i were outdoors, so i may as well do it indoors as well.

We spend a lot of time "sweeping" our outer appearance so that it looks neat and tidy and as young as possible.

How about spending even more time "sweeping" our inner experience--sensations and thoughts in particular. Simply pay attention to your experience. Thoughts fall into the mind and are swept away. That's all.

Aaron from Redwood City at Chanmyay Myaing in Yangon