It should be wetter, warmer, colder, calmer, easier. We should have more colorful sunrises still mornings less north wind. I should be less anxious, more social stronger, fit, more resilient. There should be more sparrows, flocks of ducks, winter food for my nature friends. Yet how do I know what should be? What if it's perfect just as it is? What if I made room for it all?
This week I have been practicing - practicing gratitude, practicing enjoyment, practicing compassion, practicing mindfulness and practicing meditation. So much to practice - yet so easy to think I haven’t “done” anything! All of these require consistent, long term practice to build the muscles just like the therapy exercises that are helping heal my back.
Practicing gratitude is sometimes easy. This week gratitude came easily for many things, including:
A long walk with a dear cousin I have not seen in far too long (since before the pandemic)
My nieces taking over my mom’s sewing room and producing handmade napkins for Thanksgiving dinner my mom would have loved. They set a beautiful table.
A walk through the trees listening to the flickers, robins and chickadees.
A good night’s sleep
Holding my breath while common mergansers swam around the corner, hoping they wouldn’t take off. They did, but it was still magical.
Watching a loon dive and swim through the binoculars.
Practicing gratitude helps me practice enjoyment. It is easy to let the small moments pass without taking them in and really feeling the joy. Sitting at a table with my family I took in the beauty and blessing of each one of them. My mind wants to go to what’s missing or what might come next and it’s a practice to let that go and come back to the moment. Over and over and over and over. I am constantly asking my mind to become an ally in my practice - and I’m still a novice.
Where gratitude is harder, for the “gifts” I don’t think I want, I am trying to practice self-compassion along with the holding the desire to be grateful for every gift life throws my way. Can I see the anxiety as a gift? It certainly keeps me on the path of practicing just as the injured back has put me on the path of regaining strength and balance in my body. I wouldn’t be who I am without this “gift”. Can I find gratitude for the extra practice I got when I was awake at 3 AM? (Hint: not so far, but I’m working on it.)
Besides practicing mindfulness in the moments, I’m learning mindful movement (Qi Gong and Tai Chi) through some online programs. I’m listening to meditative music and letting myself really feel the music in my body. I’m taking the time to meditate daily. I’m practicing catching myself and breathing into my tension as often as I can. The best part is, I really am practicing. For a long while I was intermittent in my practice - more intention than actual practice. Now I’m really practicing. I’m failing a lot, but hopefully I’m failing forward.
When I first picked up a camera, I didn’t know the first thing about photography or birds. A decade later I can identify most of the 200+ species of birds that wander through this place I call home. I’ve learned about habitat and watched the impact of floods, droughts, ice and heat. I’ve learned to see movement in the trees and to switch the camera settings with more speed than I could have imagined. I’ve learned that I can learn something completely from scratch and that there is always more to learn. I still take 10x more photos than I keep - lots of room for failure!
I am letting myself imagine a time in the near future though when it might be just a little easier. Like the “Ten-Percent Happier” app suggests I picture myself a few months ahead where the practices are just a little easier and the tension in my body is a little less. Change takes time. I’ve practiced being tense, hurried and anxious for a lot of years. It will take some time to start reversing the trend. The exercises for my back show me that with sustained practice, change will happen. Slowly. I’ll always be learning, as long as I keep practicing.
What are you practicing in your life?
I love this, Karen. There are an endless amount of “shoulds” in life, and it takes so much practice simply accepting and appreciating what is. It is work, even if it doesn’t feel like it!
Oh, Karen, I just love the poem you start with. I'm going to print it out, if you don't mind, and read it in class. It's so powerful.