The power of friendship

Surprise

I was alerted to this quote by mindfulbalance today (http://mindfulbalance.org/2016/01/07/surprising/).

“We need to practice waking up to surprise. I suggest using this simple question as a kind of alarm clock: “Isn’t this surprising?” “Yes, indeed!” will be the correct answer, no matter when and where and under what circumstances you ask this question. After all, isn’t it surprising that there is anything at all, rather than nothing? Ask yourself at least twice a day, “Isn’t this surprising?” and you will soon be more awake to the surprising world in which we live.” David Steindl-Rast, Awake, Aware and Alert

It reminded me or brought to light (and life) one of the attitudes cultivated with mindful awareness practices: the beginner’s mind.  How may we cultivate this attitude of openness and freshness in each moment of our being?  As one of our basic emotions, surprise often gets lost.  Just like in the movie Inside-Out, it didn’t make the line-up.  I found this an inspiring quote that brought freshness to that attitude of ‘beginner’s mind’ and how I may cultivate it in a conscious way.  Asking the question: Isn’t this surprising?  I may learn to expect and embrace uncertainty; decondition my wired brain that seeks out certainty at each turn. And be grateful for each moment experienced just as it is.  Time to try it and see!

 

 

Darkness visible: Waiting and trusting

As we venture into the winter season, we can forget that behind the grey skies of november lies the sun, illuminating still.  If not, would we not remain in blackness?  Yet, when we sit with the blackness and observe, shades begin to appear.  And thankful for the light in whatever form it comes, offering balance and perspective. So too we can sit and reflect, with no pressure to be or to do.  Let things be for a moment.  For a change. Open to possibility.  Inspiring words today:

The darkness is natural, one of the life processes.  It’s a time of waiting and trusting. You have to sit with these things and in due time let them be revealed for what they are.  In your dark night you may have a sensation you could call “oceanic” – being in the sea, at sea, or immersed in the waters of the womb.  The night sea journey takes you back to your primordial self, not the heroic self that burns out and falls to judgment, but to your original self, yourself as a sea of possibility, your greater and deeper being.

Thomas Moore, Dark Night of the Soul