Mindfulness

Almost a haiku day. Attending a service today for one of the saints. Wearing my collar in his honor. Rest in peace, rise in glory, Bob.

Mindfulness:

It’s all the rage these days but

More often the calm.

We wait

Some times feel more full than others. I am grateful for this fullness.

I awake with the utter reality

The certainty

The authenticity of those

With whom I spent the week:

Eating

Driving back and forth

Texting single words and phrases

Caring over miles and miles.

Here I am with the cat

In our calm,

Waiting for the plane to land,

The cab to be taken,

The feet to walk through

The front door

To me and the cat

The cardinal singing its heart out

In the back yard.

Here we are in our utter realness

Our certainty

Our authenticity

Waiting to greet you

In yours.

Container

Every time I enter my office, I am reminded:  here is a container for peace and quiet.  Rather amazing, this.  Stunning, really... 

My office holds quiet,

Even with children outside the door

Most mornings,

The office holds quiet

Inside,

Contains peace and quiet

Inside.

I breathe the quiet.

I am reminded

Here there is space

For almost anything

To happen.

Even quiet.

One deadline at a time

On Iona I made a spectacular find: The Little Book of Calm by Paul Wilson.  Since then I have found the book in numerous places, and purchased copies for many friends.  In this season of quiet, I am finding this book to be quite helpful.  One page recommends taking one deadline at a time.  Only one.  It (of course) is reminiscent of the AA focus of One Day at a Time.  As with many things, sometimes it only takes a simple re-working of a common principle to hear it again.  Buried treasure.

My little book of calm

Suggests only one deadline

At a time.

This is my favorite page.

I call home to find out

What*s new.

Now that I am not dependent

On someone dropping me off

Or picking me up

From work,

I find there are six deadlines

Imposed on the system,

Today alone.

My next client

Is at 8 PM.

She is a regular.

She is my next deadline.

One at a time.                           

I will weigh in

On kitchen paint color

Before bed,

Something else

In the morning.

Toms

The kitchen renovation continues.  God willing, they will finish installing the cabinets today.  My beloved is set on a particular sink.  I care that water will run and whichever sink we end up with will work as a sink.  Thankfully, Tom, the design guy, is here to help.  He is one of the plethora of Toms involved in this process.  He is calm and centered.

The kitchen project continues

Interesting.

The workmen arrived

At 7:30.

They are all named

Tom.

The sink we wanted

Is backordered

In China,

So we look at

Alternative sinks.

More options

Always more options.

A plethora of options.

Meanwhile one of the Toms

Uses a power saw

In the kitchen.

It reverberates

Off the tile.

I contemplate,

As best as I am able,

The oatmeal at Starbucks

With all the fixings.