Startling Life

TO LIVE IS SO STARTLING IT LEAVES
LITTLE TIME FOR ANYTHING ELSE.

~Emily Dickinson

Of Note: If we think about it, most of our days are not spent truly alive. Running around hither and yon creates a situation that is the antithesis of conscious living. But every once in awhile, Life does say HELLO to the startled observer, often during a break in the routine. What would happen if those rare moments were expanded to fill the day? It would appear that Dickinson knew what that all-consuming experience was like. Life yearns to reveal Itself so it is possible to join Dickinson and others who have transcended the "mundane." The meditative process is one way to safely accomplish this feat. Meditation presents the opportunity to "get behind" appearances and unveil Life's essence. One warning however: once experienced, there is no going back to the old way.

Today's Weather Report: The warmth of the sun is streaming through the windows in my office. What a difference the sun makes to the temperature in the house. I know since I meditate daily in an unheated area of the upstairs bedroom. Two days ago, I guessed it was 45 degrees Fahrenheit in there--turned out to be 44.7, pretty close. Jim gave me a heating blanket for my chair which has worked remarkably well to keep my body from becoming overly chilled, though the meditation process itself provides a surprising source of heat from within. One might wonder why I don't move to a warmer locale. The reason is simple: meditation in the same spot day after day is more powerful because of the energy built into that location. So I figure, what's a little cold. Marie doesn't have to worry about cold in Texas where she snapped this striking moon shot this week. Her photos provide some assurance that warmth will return north in the spring because it retreats to the south in the winter--just like a migrating bird..

Watch For Change Snippet: A year ago following the Iowa Caucus, I opined in this blog about our President-elect: "And what did Barack say of change during his campaign in Iowa? Little of substance, I thought. Thus, many, myself included, relegated him to the category of nice guy, but a young idealist not yet ready to lead the country. My attitude changed after listening to his moving acceptance speech in Iowa. I can now understand why Iowans came out in huge numbers for the man. With the advent of this transcendent speech, we may be seeing the beginning of a surprising enlightening trend of national healing, and, yes, maybe even unity:

'You know, you said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night--at this defining moment in history--you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. In lines that stretched around schools and churches, in small towns and big cities, you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come.'

If that's the kind of change this idealist is looking to bring, he may indeed carry the day in November. We will see if the time is right for the emergence of a new national attitude of cooperation and collaboration led by a potentially inspired visionary." With this visionary's inauguration quickly approaching, we will see if these words prove true.