The past several days in DC have been perfect for walking. The mornings, for me, require a winter coat and gloves and a hat or scarf. At the warmest part of the day, the air is refreshingly cool, and I can shed some layers. In spring and fall, there is little I want to do more than take long walks. And so I take to the sidewalks even more than the usual walk to work, to the Farmers’ market, to the metro, to visit with friends, to teach, to go to the nursery or the grocery store, to go to the bank and post office, to go get a massage. I make no effort to be efficient and consolidate errands; every errand is an excuse to take a walk. I add a block or seven onto an errand walk. I walk and think and then my attention is seized by the beauty of the color and the light. I have to pause and drink it in.
Today, there were to be 1,000 artists at the inauguration. I saw a few of them on this weekend’s walkabout, and studied for a morning with a dancer and movement artist who was participating (David Lakein; contact improvisation workshop at Dance Exchange). The class was thought-provoking and suitable for the weekend honoring the inauguration. On the morning of the inauguration, we, after not having made any attempt to get tickets of whatever sort, ended up being invited in to the Koshland Science Museum for free hot chocolate and a comfortable place to view it on a big screen. Not quite the power of being huddled against the cold with hundreds of thousands of other people on the Mall, but still, not too shabby for a completely impromptu way to share the event with others.
It is an essential part of any true spiritual practice to question and to doubt, to explore and discover what part of any proffered teachings are authentic for your own experience.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
