sinking into essential
Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 8:30 PM 
Last week was an amazingly full week. It was filled with lots of intentional conversation in a variety of venues and kept me away from much writing or blogging. Yesterday was spent resting and snuggled up in my studio most of the day reading and listening to the rain fall. I have been trying to capture the essence of these days without much success. The theme of lent flows in and out of my brain. Words from blogger friends help coalesce a few thoughts. Here is a response I wrote to Christine at Abbey of the Arts:
"I feel like I am in this flow of living into and letting go. Falling in the dirt and letting that be good. Jan Richardson’s words regarding paradox and mystery resonate deeply with me…”The cure for mystery? More mystery. The cure for paradox? More paradox.” Big doses of both are being served up for my Lenten (life) experience. Lent is definitely not for sissies!!! "
And so, I sit at the end of a restful weekend attempting to go with the flow and not get too much dirt in my teeth. I find myself pondering what is essential? The past couple of days, I have captured a few thoughts on paper, listened to the rain of yesterday, walked in the sunshine of today, answered some e-mails, played around on Facebook, shared Sabbath wine with friends, listened to lots of music, napped and done a little organizing on my memoir. I also read some Thomas Merton and here is what he offers tonight:
“God cannot be found by weighing the present against the future or the past, but only by sinking into the heart of the present as it is.”
Ahhh, “sinking into the heart of the present” that seems to identify essential for me. How about you? What was essential in your weekend? What is essential in your now?
Lent, Personal Reflection
Reader Comments (7)
Ahhhh ... the present, the now. So often we desert the now, in favour of pondering the past or the future.
The present, the now, that is my essential.
tinkerbell--thanks for stopping by...it is a gift, why else would we call it the present?
Your question about the essentials is one of my favorites and one I ask myself often, even daily when I am paying attention. Essentials from my weekend were Sabbath time with my beloved and Petunia, the gift of simply being, exploring a new little cafe for an incredible lunch, seeing an amazing play, going for a long walk on a brilliant day, balanced with creative outpouring into my writing projects. Life is really good. Today, I get another essential -- time with you! :-)
Ah, I was just pondering this very issue yesterday, looking at our garage, which is too small for a car (well, and we don't own a car so that is beside the point), and so it has become a storage space that I am constantly reorganizing...
And every time I stand out there, I think about the STUFF. Marcy and I live in a small (by U.S. standards) house -- 900 square feet -- so because of that we DO have to limit ourselves, but STILL...the STUFF. (Excuse my little bits of yelling -- I get so overwhelmed.)
I want to chuck it all for a monk's cell, but I know, too, that much of it is representative of our creative lives together.
Where is the balance?
At what point is the guilt of stuff in a world of so much poverty just wasted energy? We were born, very luckily, into THIS place. Of course, it's the sharing that can make all the difference.
And now I am rambling, but you understand, I'm sure. :)
Sinking into the present each day as much as I can - such a luxury this retirement is. Church and church worship was essential to my weekend. I separate church and church worship as different from my daily being in worship and meditation. One is not better than the other - just different and really, for me, both essential. Leisure time with my spouse and my great doggies. Liking the rain being a bit bummed and surprised by the early a.m. snow on Sunday. Rain is wonderful for all that's growing now so I would say that essentially I handled the rain - the snow - I'm not so sure it's one of MY essentials right now. Birdseed in the bird feeders - although it probably should be called the squirrel feeders, although Riley and I are trying to feed as many birds as possible with just a little threatening to the squirrels not to be total piggies about the seed. Painting and reading and writing - I don't know which is the most fun right now. I bounce off the three mediums with great energy and joy. I can't leave out exercise - even over the weekend, a very definite essential for me!
Thanks for spooning me some Merton in this post - his words are no less essential than the other subjects I've mentioned:)
xoxox
abbey, chick, SS--thank you for sharing and being here with me in this space!!
Oh yes, essentials...and going with the flow...I'm currently accepting the notion that what I want is not upstream...seemingly simple, allowing myself to float downstream, and yet before I know it, there I am, fighting against the current once again....