Wise Attention

I'm attending a weekend retreat on Zoom. The teacher is talking about Wise Attention. 

But first, a word from unwise attention. Here's my list: Facebook, impatience particularly with the person i live with, opening the refrigerator--again, on-line window shopping, not watering my houseplants.

What's on your list of unwise attention? What do you pay attention to, unwisely?

Wise Attention includes meditation and staying close to my meditation object. Being curious. Being interested. Saying "Yes" to the moment--whatever it is.

Taking a walk, a slow walk. Feeling my sit-bones on my computer chair. Relaxing.

What's on your list of Wise Attention?

Sprayer

I bought a new sprayer for the hose in my solarium yesterday. The check-out clerk said, "Now that's something you don't see every day, in January." I could hear the question in her voice.

"The sprayer on the hose in my solarium leaks, shooting water out of the handle," i said.

The coiled hose in my solarium is very handy for watering houseplants. Much handier than lifting 6 gallons of water in a watering can twice a week.

Sometimes we are called to do things out of season. Some of my friends are parenting their grandchildren. Sometimes our lives do not unfold in a so-called "normal" fashion. I am about to go on a one-month self-retreat, the mention of which makes several of my friends flinch even as they are saying "Good for you."

Life unfolds. The ego tries to control Life, but, really, that is quite useless.
Allow your life to simply unfold today--without your touching it and yet being touched by all that Life has to offer. In season or out of season.

Dried Up Houseplants

When i return from vacation, it takes me several days to re-bond with my houseplants. Sometimes, it's a week or more before i get back into the routine of regular watering. Meanwhile, the houseplants suffer. A visitor reminds me, "Your houseplants are really dry." Since my houseplants can't speak for themselves, it's good that someone is voicing their concern.

Sometimes, our meditation practice dries up, dries out. We lose our commitment. Perhaps a friend reminds us, "I think you should pick up your meditation practice again." Or perhaps, we just let our meditation practice drift away. Letting go, it's hard to pick it up again. Yet, my houseplants deserve better care. And our meditation practice deserves better care as well.

Mindfulness simply reminds us to come back to the present moment.

Fertilizing Houseplants

I'm just now feeding my houseplants for the first time since November. During the days of little light, i allow them to rest for a couple of months. But now that light is increasing both in the morning and in the evening, i add some fertilizer to the watering can.

We too need a rest period, a retreat from the go-go-go of growing our lives, our jobs, and our responsibilities.

I have a couple of retreats planned for March, before gardening season begins in earnest.

And you? How and where do you take your solitude? When do you rest your mind? When do you soak the filters so that you can see in full technicolor and hear in full surround sound again?

Photo from home.howstuffworks.com

Watering Our Meditation Practice

My sweetie watered the houseplants while i was on my 1-month retreat, and he was very happy to hand the watering can back to me the minute i walked in the door. He is a faithful waterer; i am a bit haphazard.

How do we water out meditation practice? Some of us find it relatively easy to follow through on our commitments--we are loyal and faithful in our intention. Some of us need more support. I have the support of 2 neighbors with whom i meditate every morning for 20 minutes. I also made a deal with a fellow retreatant to meditate 2 hours a day, so we are e-mailing little post-a-notes to each other every day on how we are doing. After all, we commit to sit, one sitting at a time.

Today, i have pasted together a 1 hour sit on my own at 5 a.m.; a 40-minute sit at the meditation center at 7 a.m.; and, at 8 a.m., my 20-minute sit with my neighbors. There. I've followed through on my intention for the day; i've watered my meditation practice.

With regular watering, our meditation thrives.

Watering Houseplants

While i was away on retreat last week, i relied on my sweetie to water the houseplants. He is a diligent person, so he faithfully carried out the chore. However, he was happy to hand the responsibility back to me the moment i walked in the door Sunday night.

Sometimes our meditation can feel like a chore. It's a routine task we have set for ourselves. Sometimes we go about it cheerfully; we look forward to watering our friends, the plants, or to watering our practice. Sometimes we think, "Oh, no. I don't want to do it." Anticipation has turned from pleasant to unpleasant.

Take a closer look at the unpleasant thoughts and feelings of anticipation.

Because we do know that once we have the watering can in hand and are communicating with our houseplants, or once we have actually sat ourselves down on the meditation cushion, our feelings are rather pleasant. We are growing happiness.