Something Simple

How are you doing? Are your allergies bad right now, too? I love all the flowers in bloom this time of year, but all those blossoms also mean a lot more sneezing! 🤧

Maybe my allergies are worse right now because I'm also spending more time outside. I decided that this month I would start the day in a playful way, instead of writing a to-do list, or going to my phone, computer, or even my meditation cushion. With all the stressful and un-fun things going on in the world, this has felt really grounding ~ and also a kind of subversive way to meet the day. Instead of reacting to what's happening, I'm deciding how I meet the morning.

I do eventually catch up on the news, but that's not the first thing I do. Instead, I notice what's happening in the here and now of my immediate environment. I get up around 6am most days, so the neighborhood is pretty quiet ~ except for the birds!

I go up to the roof with my coffee, and there's one bird in particular ~ a red house finch who often sits on a utility wire nearby and just sings and sings. I can't tell who he is singing to ~ the ocean? the other birds? the sky? Maybe he's just singing to sing (if you'd like to hear what it sounds like, click here)

There's a palm tree nearby that seems to have some baby crows ~ I hear a lot of chirping! And I see the adult crows land on one frond and then hop up to another ~ it's like they have a ladder that leads to the nest. It feels wonderful to notice this.

And the air smells good, too. There's a sweetness from the trees, flowers and a kind of alive saltiness from the ocean.

What I've noticed is that these things fortify me. When I'm present with myself in a more playful, generous way, I'm able to be more playful with others in a playful, generous way. And I'm so grateful for that ~ it's how I want to meet each moment.

There's a sweet poem I've been thinking of in the past few days. It captures the spirit of how paying attention to something simple can give us what we need. I want to share it with you today:

The Orange
by Wendy Cope

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange ~
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave ~
They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.

from Serious Concerns (Faber and Faber, 1992)

🍊

This poem feels so fun and light ~ until the last line! It catches me every time! "I love you, I'm glad I exist."

😭

I think this line catches me in its directness and sincerity and simplicity. Plus, if someone is saying that they're glad they exist, I imagine something else that's unsaid: that there have been other times when maybe they were not glad they existed. So this line feels very poignant.

There are times when life feels like too much ~ too stressful. When maybe we're not so glad that we exist. This poem reminds me that paying attention to something simple can deliver us from that. It's a way to have compassion for ourselves ~ body, mind and spirit. And it can happen with something as simple as a huge orange. Or a bird just singing its song, being itself.

If you’d like to explore this a little more, put a hand on your heart, and take three breaths.

With each inhale, say to yourself: maybe what I need

With each exhale, say: is something simple

When you finish, notice how you feel.

❤️

There’s something powerful about even a few intentional breaths ~ about the simple act of allowing for the possibility of simplicity.

I also know how easy it is to forget to breathe and slow down. As the year continues to unfold, I continue to hear from so many people who feel overwhelmed, stretched thin and exhausted.

So if you're feeling that way, you're not alone.

I hope this note feels supportive today. And I hope that you find some way to pay attention to something that feels good to pay attention to: the sky, a bird, the ocean, an orange ~ or something else ❤️