I woke up this morning happy, something had shifted, it was a revelation. It was somewhere between 6 and 7 a.m., still dark, my two little pugs were still sleeping and snoring and snuggled in, and I knew something had changed, something huge. I thought about the fact that yes, a hurricane hit here 4 weeks ago today and there is still a lot of damage here to deal with and yesterday a tropical storm blew threw, but all throughout there have been amazing friends, and dear family, and my sweet baby pugs, and I am getting through all of this, and life is just plain too damned precious to focus on BIG TOPICS all the time and to try to make it all SO IMPORTANT AND MEANINGFUL. I just want to go moment by moment and revel in it all.
There will be glorious days like today when I walked outside with the dogs and nearly cried out “It’s FALL!!!” because it was so gloriously cool and fresh. Yes, there is still an enormous pile of debris and downed trees all along the front of my property, and my beloved green gated fence is in pieces at the edge of the road, and everywhere up and down my street there are piles of debris and evidence of the hurricane that came through here and altered our landscape forever, and yes I’m still worried about how to afford to take down trees and fix things and on and on BUT IT’S FALL AND IT’S COOL AND IT’S GLORIOUS!!!
I walked the dogs for quite a while, we came in and I fed them, and then I went around and opened every single window in the house as wide as I could. IT’S FALL AND I WANT FRESH COOL AIR IN EVERYWHERE!!!
And the people I have been waiting to come help me really cut back bushes everywhere and clean up the yard really nice and cut the grass (Yes the debris will still be at the edge of the road and yes trees and branches still have to come down but…) are coming today and my darling Noni was here yesterday and we cooked fabulous keto food and watched a movie and had such a lovely time and she’s coming back tonight and we will cook the rest of our food. AND THIS WEEKEND I’M GOING TO GET PUMPKINS FOR THE FRONT PORCH.
Now, as I change this project’s focus, and oh, I just HAVE to, and that’s okay, I’m writing every day for 365 days and that’s all that really matters to me, I know there will be hard days, sad days, likely bipolary days, days when I have to take Xanax, when “the underground river” that I wrote about a few days ago will be raging and I will need help, and support, or shed tears here as I write, but that’s okay, because “These Precious Moments” holds everything. It is about life. And yes, compassion will be part of it but it can’t be the all of it because some days, well every day, I just want to write about the moments as they come. That is enough. That is everything.
Oh gracious. I am bubbling over. The sun is shining, all this fresh cool air is coming in all 7 windows that wrap around the studio, and it is so glorious there just simply aren’t words wonderful enough to express it all. And the coffee is good and the fireplace app is popping and crackling here on my big desktop AND IT’S FALL AND IT’S GLORIOUS AND I FEEL SO HAPPY.
Something has happened, a shift has occurred, I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the next day or the next and it’s not about writing about being all blissfully happy it’s about capturing the precious moments of my life as they come. This next year I am going to record my life and maybe really see what my life really means. I don’t know where this is going but I know this shift had to happen here. I have begun. For today that’s all that matters…
I am happy for you. This helps me, too. It’s so good to acknowledge those moments, to savor them, to be mindful. I have been musing on what exactly mindfulness means, and I think you just helped with that too. Open the windows, breathe in the air, be happy with being. Bless you, Maitri <3
I’m so happy Sue, and it’s so good to see you here honey. 🙂
For a very long time I taught mindfulness, I did mindfulness mentoring, I wrote about it, and then I forgot. I was struggling so hard I forgot it all, it all just became about struggling and suffering and being afraid. But something happened to me coming through this hurricane, it broke me, it terrified me, it WOKE ME UP! Because life is so precious and so fleeting and also so BIG and if we focus on the BIGNESS of it all we can get lost and feel so overwhelmed it’s hard to cope at all but if we can be in the moment and savor the precious moments, or tend to the hard moments, IN the moment, not making them bigger than they need to be, just a moment that needs tending, then we can make it through. Or so I believe.
All I know is life is too big for me to try to cope with if I cling to the past or fear the future. Moment by moment, it’s not some big Zen concept anymore, it is simply a way to make it through life in as sane and centered a way as possible. That’s all, and isn’t that everything?
Much love and a gentle warm hug to you dear Sue…
Well done, Maitri! I love the idea of “These Precious Moments.” It’s fall here too and the leaves are cascading from the trees faster than we can sweep them up, I’ve been watching them flying past my window. I’ve just been walking in the rain, I can picture you and your pugs walking outside in the sunshine too. Having your yard cleared will make such a difference! xxx
Thank you dear Jenny, and Yes! It’s Fall! My favorite time of year. But it hadn’t FELT like it until today. It’s been so hot, way too warm for this time of year. And I walked outside with the pugs early this morning and was positively startled it was so cool! And it just filled me with joy! And all the windows are open and the birds are singing and it is just an amazing day, a great day to be alive. I’m so glad to see you here today honey. Enjoy these glorious days!
Thank you for sharing your Joy.
Onward we dance.
You lifted my spirits.
💙💜💚
Oh Darling Beverley, it’s so good to hear from you. I wish I could give you a big hug. And yes, this is a MUCH better direction for this next year here to take. We need more joy, we need to savor our moments, we need more now-ness. Let’s dance! 😀
So, no further damage from Michael? It dumped a lot of rain here, but no damage.
No fortunately it was windy and some branches came down but most of the weather and rain moved farther inland than was thought would hit here thank goodness because we’ve got so much damage and such a mess from Florence we are still piled high with trees and debris!
Maitri,
Yippee for joy. Good for you. I love precious moments.
Thank you for proposing we all do a blog.
I am cautiously optimistic that I can make it a full year.
Gentle hugs,
Lauren
Thank you Lauren, I really needed to shift my focus, it’s like a weight off my shoulders. And I’m so glad you are blogging too, it is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? And I am hugging you right back honey. And looking forward to seeing you Sunday night… 🙂
How wonderful to see you celebrating fall! Where I am, sitting on the porch feeling the cold creeping up, the wild geese fly honking high above. Went riding horseback today, all the colors of fall around us and the swish swish of hooves and leaves…
Very precious moments.
Love and Blessings from over the Sea
Yours Silke
Oh Silke, how wonderful to hear from you honey, and horseback riding! Oh my, what a lovely evocative image. I grew up on horses and have missed them terribly my whole adult life. Thank you so much for touching base. It was so good to hear from you… 🙂
Love your new theme! And, fall is one of my favorite times of the year too!
Hugs, Joan
Thank you Joan, and oh, fall, it is such a relief to have the cooler mornings. It has gotten pretty much warmer now this afternoon and I had to shut up the house and put on the AC but ah, the morning was lovely, and we will gradually begin to have cooler days too. Happy autumn dearheart…
Maitri,
I am so happy to read this blog entry. We will always have up and down days but we certainly need to enjoy the good days when they appear. I love every little word of what you shared.
We had a great day, too.
( https://fromcavewalls.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/cool-fall-days/ )
Like, Lauren, I am so thankful you inspired me to take on the 365 day blogging challenge. There really is something to say each and every day and I am really loving taking a moment to pause and enjoy it in this way.
I hope your joy continues to overflow. It is contagious!
Sending you love and hugs, my friend!
Thank you so much sweet Maggie, it felt really good.
During the night I was wakeful, and afraid. This morning I am sitting here with my coffee and I’m okay. These are our lives, they hold it all, and all moments, every one of them, are precious. I wanted to simply and gently record them all. The “Infinite Compassion” journey was causing me to strain and try to over-think things every day and I just didn’t want to try to do that for a year, it would have taken all the fun out of it. This is much better.
And I’m so glad that you are enjoying your own journey, it is truly an amazing thing to do and the longer you do it the more important it becomes. No matter what is going on, no matter how busy I am, a day is not complete without doing the blog post. It is a daily practice I don’t want to be without.
Blessings to you honey. Looking forward, even though I’m kind of scared, to seeing you all tomorrow night.
Love,
Maitri
I am looking forward to tomorrow. It may sound strange, but comfort your fear like a frightened child. I hope tomorrow will feel like coming home.
It doesn’t sound strange at all Maggie. I only hope I can learn to do that. I would love to hear your thoughts about how to do just that.
I love you honey and yes, while I am surely afraid, I look forward to re-entering the space with all of you again tomorrow night. It’s time. I’m almost ready….