I have long contemplated whether one could consider being simultaneously being engaged in day to day affairs and also in blissful meditation to be the ideal sense of bi-location–is that being in two places at once.
I had the privilege of seeing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She said that she followed her mother’s advice not to dwell on negative emotions; it took too much time. Better to work.
It’s unseasonably hot, we desperately need rain in my location, the air quality is poor, the air conditioning broke yesterday, the madness is on so many fronts it is easy to feel overwhelmed, but still, I pause to notice a heart-shaped cloud. And then write another email. And make another donation. And do a few calming poses.
For a garden to thrive, it takes planning, knowledge/study, and engagement. To still find joy in it, one must also surrender to the vagaries out of our control. Sure enough, every year, with variations in weather and seed/root/plant stock, some things will be especially prolific, and others —perhaps our favorites—will fail despite best efforts.
By the time I turned
Back towards home from the river
The clouds were all gone.
