Walking as Meditation

I sat at the bottom of the driveway waiting for the bus to pick Sarah up, listening as she talked to Nathan on the cell phone. A slug made its slimy passage across the driveway behind me, so Sarah kept squirming and checking to make sure it wasn’t coming our way. I suddenly became aware of the peacefulness of the moment: the cool morning air carrying faint summer scents, the warmth of the early morning sun caressing my skin.

The inner voice inside me whispered, “Time to take a walk.”

I went inside, put on some sunscreen, grabbed my wrist weights and began walking. I felt the rhythm of my footsteps, the beating of my heart, the sound of my breath. The road varied between manicured lawns, perfect gardens, and expanses of weeds and wilderness in its wide variety of rich green speckled with red berries, white flowers, purple buds.

I walked and I thought and I found a moment of clarity inside myself. Something shifted and I know that I will find my path, as long as I keep walking, listening, feeling, breathing, and dreaming.

Now the clouds have rolled in and the sky feels heavy. That type of weather has weighed on my heart lately, making me feel doubt, depression, and dismay. But today, something has changed, and I watch the wind blow through the trees sending me a message of hope and possibility.

Today I walked into peace.

Folding Plastic Shopping Bags

How to make a paper crane

Image by scotproof via Flickr

Washing dishes while watching another magnificent sunrise made me think of a poem I wrote several years ago. Enjoy:

 

FOLDING PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS

 

Smooth the bag

release air, release breath.

Smooth, smooth.

Breathe out and in

in and out.

Fold into a long rectangle.

Fold, fold

pause between each fold

to breath, to smooth.

Fold one corner of the bottom

up

to meet the vertical line

of the opposite side.

Create an imperfect triangle.

But perfection can be achieved

with each fold

alternating

straight up

and angled

straight up

and angled.

Find your rhythm.

Find your breath.

Up

and angled.

Up

and angled.

You reach the top

an untidy mess of leftover plastic handles.

Find an opening

tuck them in

and smooth away the lumps.

A perfect triangle,

compact and ready to store.

Holding inside it

the calmness of its creation.

The serenity continues

as you take another breath

and begin again.

 

 

 

 

 

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 866 other followers

%d bloggers like this: