A Bath of Mindfulness

In order to make way for the Christmas tree, a few hanging plants had to find temporary homes elsewhere--the bathtub.

The bathtub on the first floor is seldom used anymore. It is extremely convenient for watering the plants. In fact, the Swedish ivy, the variegated ivy, and the arrow-leaf philodendron are looking better than they have since their summer vacation outdoors. Maybe they should just continue to live in the bathtub?

Bathing ourselves in mindfulness makes us calmer and less stressed.
Take a bath in mindfulness today.

P.S. (Yes, that plaid tile is from the 1970s.)

Lobelia Basket

I visited a friend who had a hanging basket of blue lobelia. Oh! How glorious. She told me it won't withstand the heat of August, but that she'll get about 6 weeks of joy from it.

Meanwhile, the pansies of April are leggy and languishing in the warmth of early summer.

My fiscally conservative self wants flowers that will last for months, but if my artistic self wants constant, beautiful flowers, i am going to have to pay.

Desire for more--more flowers, more beauty--keeps our attention on the pleasant and prevents us from noticing the facts of life. Pansies come to an end. Lobelia comes to an end. Our selves come to an end--in every moment. The fiscally conservative self dies, and the artistic self is born.

Photo from network54.com

Taking Our Meditation Outdoors

I took my hanging plants outdoors yesterday for their summer vacation. For the next 5 months, they'll live under a second-story deck where they'll be mostly shaded. It's so easy to care for them there; just turn on the hose and give them a shower on the days when it doesn't rain.

Perhaps it's time to take our meditation outdoors too. I love to sit on the deck in the early morning, bundled in a jacket and warm shawl. What a great opportunity to practice hearing meditation when the birds are singing their hearts out.

When our meditation is pleasant, then our hearts are happy, and for a moment, we can sit in the calm of natural meditation.