Found Exhortation


I took a few moments in the middle of my work day to go outside to walk and then to sit quietly.
I found it rather tranquil to watch the gentle waves on the reflecting pool on the west side of the Capitol building.
The reflecting pool was then a better tool for inner reflection when it wasn’t reflecting an image of what is outside of and next to it–as glorious as it is when it is offering up a picture perfect reflection of the Capitol dome and its surroundings. Hmm.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
On our last day of the intensive, many of us ended up talking about different upcoming events and opportunities for study, practice, and exploration. We all had many things that we would love to do. I do not think that I was alone in feeling twinges of longing when friends shared what gatherings or courses they were planning to attend or considering attending. We knew that we could not possibly fit it all into our lives.
My lovely and witty friend Emma said, “it’s just f.o.m.o.” That’s an acronym I had not heard even though I live in a town that flourishes on acronyms. “It’s ‘fear of missing out,'” Emma spelled out.
We never want to miss an opportunity to discover the secret, to learn the perfect piece of wisdom, to experience the most exquisite of delights. The reality is, though, that if we get caught up in the fear of missing out, that we undermine the possibility of experiencing the greatest possible happiness with what fits into our lives.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
A yogi might consider whether wanting to answer “yes” to this question (no matter the circumstances of our dying death) is a major goal of a steady practice.

Judy Chicago and Martha Nussbaum, Fresh Talk, at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 9/22/19