Wars and serenity
May. 11th, 2004 09:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vaneramosThe past week, apart from a weekend respite with Danny, I have felt some distress. The effort to change things has awakened the part of me that doesn't want to change. I'm highly distractible. Motivation is at a low ebb. My mind feels cluttered and the apartment has begun to resemble it.
After lunch I took myself down to a picnic pavilion in the park. Enjoying the warm air and bright sun was a bribe for me to make an entry in my handwritten journal. Might as well call them afternoon pages. I reflected on the rebellious creature inside me, wondered whether I should treat it as the enemy.
In A Path With Heart, Jack Kornfield calls for an end to the war within. I must concentrate on acceptance, not looking for enemies. We must bring all the parts of ourselves to the peace table.
The rebel is the part that loves simplicity and solitude, that criticizes our society's obsession with productivity and consumption. It seeks peace and compassion. I must honour this voice, find a place for it in whatever comes.
After writing three pages I went and meditated by the river. Journaling airs all the laundry. Meditation folds it and puts it away again. The water filled my eyes with ripples and light.
I wish I could have taken all the terrorists, politicians and victims of abuse, leading them one by one to seats by the water, telling them to be quiet and look at the Eramosa River for 15 minutes. Or close their eyes and listen to the robins, finches, vireos and rose-breasted grosbeaks calling in the woods. It might not do any good in the long run, but at least it would give us 15 minutes of serenity to process our feelings about recent world events.
Behind the cut is an even more peaceful photo taken at the pond yesterday afternoon, with rain clouds looming across the sky and, if only you could hear it, an eerie chorus of a few dozen toads. This image required a larger size.
My good news of the day: this morning I talked to the specialist. I have an appointment on May 21.
After lunch I took myself down to a picnic pavilion in the park. Enjoying the warm air and bright sun was a bribe for me to make an entry in my handwritten journal. Might as well call them afternoon pages. I reflected on the rebellious creature inside me, wondered whether I should treat it as the enemy.
In A Path With Heart, Jack Kornfield calls for an end to the war within. I must concentrate on acceptance, not looking for enemies. We must bring all the parts of ourselves to the peace table.
The rebel is the part that loves simplicity and solitude, that criticizes our society's obsession with productivity and consumption. It seeks peace and compassion. I must honour this voice, find a place for it in whatever comes.
After writing three pages I went and meditated by the river. Journaling airs all the laundry. Meditation folds it and puts it away again. The water filled my eyes with ripples and light.
I wish I could have taken all the terrorists, politicians and victims of abuse, leading them one by one to seats by the water, telling them to be quiet and look at the Eramosa River for 15 minutes. Or close their eyes and listen to the robins, finches, vireos and rose-breasted grosbeaks calling in the woods. It might not do any good in the long run, but at least it would give us 15 minutes of serenity to process our feelings about recent world events.
Behind the cut is an even more peaceful photo taken at the pond yesterday afternoon, with rain clouds looming across the sky and, if only you could hear it, an eerie chorus of a few dozen toads. This image required a larger size.
My good news of the day: this morning I talked to the specialist. I have an appointment on May 21.
