by Connie Habash | Dec 4, 2018 | Acknowledgement, Appreciation, Attention, Holidays, Kindness, Uncategorized
If you have been on the spiritual path a little while, you know what a blessing it is to do random acts of kindness, particularly during the holidays. I love that practice and find it makes a great difference in my life (and hopefully, that of others!). Right now, I feel it’s of utmost importance to not only “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” but to bear witness to the kindness you see happening between others, and that you yourself are receiving.
While the holidays call for celebration, merriment, and goodwill towards all, we’ve been seeing a lot of suffering and conflict in our world. We might feel less than optimistic about the nation and our relations with others, whether other countries or those we pass on the street. But I have been seeing beautiful reflections of kindness and love all around me, and find that the willingness and ability to see human benevolence bolsters not only my world view, but my perception of myself.
It’s easy to become caught up in what everyone else is doing wrong, or how unpleasant or rude they are. We’ve all experienced that. It can get me into a grumpy mood when someone roughly bumps into me or snaps a retort. How do we shift out of that kind of frustration and annoyance?
By turning our attention to noticing when others are kind.
Recently, I was given a task that seemed daunting at first. Kinda silly to feel daunted by this, but I had to put up posters around the town I live near for a holiday dance production my daughter is in. Seems easy, but it involves going into stores and restaurants and asking permission to tape up the flyers in their windows, or leave postcards for their customers to take.
I felt invasive, going into an establishment I’ve never been in – maybe never would consider dining at – and asking for their generosity. I feared rejection – the NO, but not just a no; a rude or mean kind of no. Like, what are you asking me for? How dare you come in here and ask for that?
Pretty funny when I think about it. But going into these places and asking for kind permission made me feel vulnerable.
What’s been interesting about the process is that people, by and large, are really kind. Almost everyone says yes. Even warmly, with encouragement and a smile. The ones that say no are respectful and even a bit apologetic. Why was I afraid? Most people are kind-hearted.
Backstage during her dance performances, while my daughter was quickly changing from one costume to another, ready hands were available to help her. Girls from other dances handed her hats, zipped up her soldier outfit, helped her pin a crown into her hair. She did the same for them. Older girls fostered the younger ones, giving them encouragement before going on stage. Mothers jumped in when anyone needed another bobby pin or had lost part of a costume. Kindness was plentiful.
At the grocery store, I saw someone in line let someone with just a couple items slip in ahead of them. At a café, I saw someone bus their own table. And in our neighborhood, I saw people collecting clothing, tents, and blankets for the homeless victims of the recent fires.
I know the world isn’t perfect, and people aren’t, either. Including myself. But there is a lot of goodness out there.
Let your attention focus this month on the kindness, generosity, warmth, and compassion that you see out there in the world. In yogic philosophy, it is said that when we see someone doing acts of selflessness and benevolence, we are to respond with Mudita – Delight, Joyfulness. By attending to those benevolent acts, they will inspire us and fill us with that delight. Then, we also find ourselves expressing kindness and love more often. It awakens within us those same qualities that we perceive in others.
By looking for and seeing kindness, we are inclined to practice more kindness. What we see is a reflection of our own self. Allow this season to reflect to you all the goodness within, and share the spirit of this holiday in kindness towards yourself and others.
Have you seen some kindness lately? Share it and how it touched you here in the comments, and let’s inspire each other!
by Connie Habash | Dec 21, 2017 | Divine, Light, Seasons, Solstice, Uncategorized
Today is the winter solstice – and I did a guest podcast on David Clarke’s Different Strokes for Different Folks radio show. Learn several ways to “find your light within in the dark times”… no matter what time of year it is.
May you have a Blessed Solstice… light some candles, and let them remind you of your Divine Light within.
by Connie Habash | Nov 15, 2016 | Uncategorized
When I was in 6th grade, my girl scout troop did a boating class at the local harbor in Newport Beach, CA. It included canoeing (my favorite – I loved to steer!), rowing (I sucked at), and sailing (I equally sucked at, and also found terrifying). Although boating wasn’t my favorite activity, especially sailing, I did learn some important things from this.
One time, my friend Roseanne and I were paired for sailing. It was a small two-person boat, just big enough for us. The wind was pretty strong, and we were at about a 90 degree angle from it. This is a strong angle to be able to control. I don’t remember which one of us was pulling on the sheet (the rope that holds the sail), but the wind came on so strong that the boat tilted us up almost on its side, and we came close to capsizing. Yikes!
Lesson number 1: Do not hold the sheet too tight when a big wind comes along.
Then there was the issue of turning. Turning a bit to the left or right was not a problem. The challenge comes when you want to turn the boat significantly, like in the opposite direction. In other words, you actually want to go back to the dock at some point. When you turn the boat around, the boom, which is the bottom of the sail essentially, swings across the middle of the boat to the other side. Which means that if you don’t pay attention, it will whack the living daylights out of you.
Lesson number 2: As the boom swings over, duck.
Regardless of what political beliefs you may have, Tuesday’s election results here in the US surprised almost everyone. People wanted change, voted for it, and now it is coming, with the outcome uncertain.
Some of us may have felt like we got hit by the boom, and we may have fears that the boat we’re on will tilt and capsize. We didn’t even know to duck, we weren’t look for this big of a change coming. We just held on tighter to the sheet and believed it would keep going the way it has been going. I think a lot of people are feeling like they’re in free-fall, with the bottom of the abyss nowhere in sight.
Let’s all take a deep breath.
I’ve had to sit with this a few days. Yes, this is a big change we’re seeing here in the US. It’s going to be a challenge for those of us on the spiritual path. We don’t yet know how it will all play out, but we do know that things won’t be like they’ve been the last 8 years. And potentially, there could be a lot of positive transformation ahead, too.
Part of why we got hit by the boom is that we didn’t feel the rudder shift and the boat turning around. We didn’t watch for it. But these things happen. When a pendulum swings one way, it’s bound to swing back the other way. When you take a look at history, you’ll see this pattern.
I think what is particularly difficult is that we’re seeing a much stronger swing in the other direction than we could have anticipated. And as difficult as it is for some people, I think there’s a reason.
Many of us say that our country is polarized, that there’s too much dissent between the right and the left. That’s true. What we tend to forget is that we are part of that. Our side, whichever side that is, isn’t the “right” side. When we cling to that idea, we make the other side wrong, and we create the polarization and separation. Our judgment feeds into the system.
I think that we’ve spent too much time talking about what we think is right, and have stopped listening. We aren’t listening to each other, and we aren’t truly listening to our inner selves. Not to the degree we really need to. To me, this is pulling on the sheet too hard – holding on tight to our thoughts, beliefs, opinions, perspectives, and not allowing ourselves to see from another point of view.
We tend to believe that allowing ourselves to see how others see will turn us into “one of them”. We’ll lose our perspective and become the way we don’t want to be. We want to make them like us, because we’re right and they’re wrong. Of course, that is an example of how we’re judging and polarizing. But it is also what creates rifts between ourselves and other political persuasions, other cultures, other races, other religions – and I’ve also seen in within families, between spouses, parents and children, etc. I’ve done it myself.
We may believe that we value being open and inclusive – and that’s probably true. But if we are saying that, while pointing the finger at those people who aren’t open and inclusive from our point of view, then we’re doing the very same thing.
We may believe that if we listen to “them”, they’ll get everything they want and won’t listen to us. That’s a common fear. Personally, I have not found that to be true. I have experienced that when I listen, from my heart, and feel for their heart and what is important to them, a way opens between us. A softening happens. And when I then ask if I can share my feelings, a new receptivity begins on the other side. They are more likely to listen. They may not change, but it’s the beginning of possibilities when we are listening to each other.
I don’t know how that all plays out politically. All I do know is that pointing fingers, trying to force the opposition to be the way we want them to be, to change their minds, usually creates resistance. This is the resistance of the wind on the sail, when you’re pulling the sheet. You pull too hard, clinging to being right, trying to force the issue, and the boat capsizes. The relationship suffers, and you lose the sense of connection and trust. We see this playing out in families fighting, neighbors arguing, and countries warring.
I don’t have all the answers – I actually don’t have any right now. But my heart calls me to reach out and open up dialogue. I feel called to action in some small way, to mend some ways and cultivate greater understanding.
For me, I would like to see more understanding and healing between the races, the cultures, and the religions as a start. I have seen a lot of people reaching out to one another the last few days, and it is heartening. Do you feel called to some sort of action, too? Then here are some ideas to get you started:
- Talk with people that are different from you. Ask them respectfully if you can talk with them about their experiences. A lot of people right now are willing to talk about the election, whatever they voted. It has impacted everyone in some way. This can open up connection and new understanding.
- This includes having conversations with people of different political persuasions. We have a tendency to hang out only with people of like mind. We can learn a lot from others that have a different point of view, and they can also learn from us. It’s possible to find common ground – what views do you actually share? Focus on those perspectives as a foundation to build connection and understanding.
- Start a council in your neighborhood or town. A group of varied races, cultures, religions, that is interested in and willing to come together and talk. To talk about the difficult stuff, the misunderstandings, the hurt, the fear, the needs, and to listen. To deeply listen to each other, from your hearts. NextDoor is a great resource for bringing people together in your local area.
- Wear a safety pin to show support for people of color, immigrants, refugees, and religious minorities.
- Participate in local groups that foster cross-cultural understanding.
- Participate in groups that stand for conservation, ecology, and to heal global warming.
- Stand up for the rights of everyone, especially those without a strong voice – a good place to explore is the ACLU
- Get involved in an interfaith organization, like URI or MultiFaith Voices for Peace
Regardless of where you stand with the nation’s events in this moment, I invite you to trust the process. This is awakening us in ways we can’t see yet. Open to the possibility that some good could result from these changes; don’t hold on too tightly to the sail. And stay present and aware – you never know when there may be a change of direction. You’ll need to duck when the boom passes over, and focus on steering the new path. A beautiful vista might be just around the next bend.
by Connie Habash | Jul 5, 2014 | Let Go, Relax, Release, Uncategorized
School’s out and summer is here. I’m ready to relax – how about you?
What I realize, though, is that I really didn’t have to wait until summer. I could have learned to relax all along.
We tend to carry so much tension in our bodies – running our lives by the clock, stressing about deadlines or bills, rushing to the next appointment, working longer hours at work or on homework. Is it all really worth it?
Well, probably not. In Ethan Winning’s editorial on overtime and work, he shares a study he conducted in the early 90’s on the effects of work hours and productivity. He found that “mistakes and errors rose by about 10% after an eight hour day, and 28% after a 10 hour day.” It was also revealed that “productivity decreased by half after the eighth hour of work.”
So the saying holds true: less is sometimes more. More productive in this case.
And all that tension and stress we create by worrying, pushing ourselves, and perceiving ourselves as always behind, always needing to do more, give more, be more, isn’t helping the problem, either.
Life coach Marla Tabaka asserts that you could regain as much as 40% of your time by decreasing your stressful multi-tasking habits. That’s right – stop trying to finish that project while talking on the phone, shoveling lunch into your mouth, and sending an email (as you toss in another load of laundry). You’re actually losing time, energy, and peace of mind, gaining nothing.
I was stopped dead in my tracks several months ago when I read one of Amma‘s quotes (one of my spiritual teachers) on last year’s calendar: “Children, learn to be relaxed in all circumstances. Whatever you do and wherever you are, relax and you will see how powerful it is… Once you learn this art, everything happens spontaneously and effortlessly.”
Wow. Now that was a totally different approach to things than my bite-my-lip-and-wrinkle-my-forehead way of going about a busy schedule.
I recalled to mind so many situations I had seen Amma in over the 16 years I’ve followed her: hugging people for 16 hours or more, leading rescue and clean up efforts after the big tsunami hit south India, rebuilding their large hall at the ashram in Amritapuri, giving spiritual talks. I have never, ever, seen her look tense, stressed out, or rushed. Yet she is far, far, far more productive than I am likely ever going to be.
So I’ve been letting go. There’s nothing in this moment that I need to get tense about. OK, so I have a deadline – I can still relax while I work towards it. Yes, dinner needs to get on the table and my daughter wants my attention. When I relax and become fully present, I know the quality of my time with my family deepens, the dinner turns out better, my writing flows much more elegantly, and my classes have a greater impact.
I’m more my True Self when I relax, and I feel that Divine power flow through me. I’m more productive – but I’m also a lot happier. Isn’t that what we really want in life?
You don’t have to wait until vacation or school is out to relax. Start right now to cultivate that inner state of relaxation by letting go, being present, and trusting the process. Deep breath in… deep breath out.
by Connie Habash | May 8, 2014 | Action, Beginning, Challenges, Change, Goals, Right Action, Uncategorized
I like to walk on the treadmill at the gym, since I don’t have a nice hilly area right out the door to walk. When I say “like”, however, that may not be the most accurate description.
For the first several minutes, I constantly look at the time – how much longer? It feels like a lot of effort, my legs feel stiff, my muscles cold and complaining. I question whether I can really do this today. I don’t feel like going up those hills, or walking so fast, or expending the effort. It seems daunting, and I am tempted to stop.
But once on the treadmill, it’s easier to keep going. As they say in physics, “a body in motion tends to stay in motion.” So I try to make it easy to begin. I start with a slow speed and lower hills, and gradually build up. I make it as unintimidating as possible.
Something happens for me at about that 13 minute mark. I hit my stride. It feels easier, more comfortable, and more enjoyable. I am warm, strong, and capable! I’m ready to challenge myself. My attitude and my body shift from resistance to embracing the experience.
So it is with our goals and aspirations. The most important step is to begin. It doesn’t matter whether you begin perfectly or not; what matters is that you start getting the energy in motion. Nothing will change if you do not take a step in the direction you long for.
You do not need to worry about how it will turn out. Do not compare yourself with who is already at the finish line. Start where you are, and get the ball rolling. Just begin.
If you want to meditate more, set out a cushion or sit down on that chair and give it a try for a minute. If you want to run a marathon, put on some running shoes and run a block. If you want to learn to play the piano, see if you can plunk out Mary Had a Little Lamb. Get started, wherever you are.
Rather than trying to swallow the whole enchilada right off the bat with unrealistic expectations, choose microactions. These are teeny, tiny little steps that are so doable, you can’t be intimidated.
Recently, I was helping a friend with cleaning out her house. She had a room packed to the gills with boxes of stuff to sort through and start giving away. Looking at the whole thing was overwhelming. In fact, she really wanted to avoid the whole thing.
But I knew the best way to tackle it was with a microaction. I told her we should just start, and maybe we only get to one box today, or half a box – that’s OK. It’s one less box you have to deal with. So we began.
I picked a box, and chose three things from it to show her. Keep, give away, or throw away? When she got through them, I went for another handful of items. I tried to focus on the smallest amount possible, so it was easy for her. I made it doable. Before we knew it, we had cleared out three boxes, and I was hauling a bunch of bags off to the Goodwill to give away.
So what are your goals? What do you long to change in your life? Brainstorm some microactions you can take to set the wheels in motion, and just begin. Make it doable. Let go of your expectations and start easy. Once you hit your stride, the energy will flow, and the universe will flood you with support to keep it going.
by Connie Habash | Mar 27, 2014 | Awareness, Beauty, Being, Connection, Delight, Grounded, Mindfulness, Nature, Serendipity, Uncategorized
I love to sit in my backyard – just taking in whatever I see, hear, and feel. This practice is called the “sit-spot” – a technique used by naturalists to immerse themselves in the experience of a chosen location in nature, to get to know the flora and fauna in a much more intimate way.
My eyes captured the movement of a bird, hopping on the ground. It was clearly an insect eater – small, with a long, pointed beak. I wanted it to come closer, but it slipped through the lattice work of the fence to my neighbor’s yard. I decided that if I wanted to know this bird better, why not be like a bird?
I sat on the grass and looked down to see what a bird could eat there. Much to my surprise, several creatures gradually emerged. Two tiny black beetles with a shiny, copper iridescence on their backs; a number of gnats hovering around; some other miniscule winged insect; a tiny white winged insect; and, of course, the familiar rolly-pollies.
While fingering through the blades to discover more insects, I spied some weeds growing in my lawn, and decided to start pulling them up. Slowly I worked, my fingers digging down into grass and dead oak leaves, gently grasping and tugging. I knew I wasn’t always getting the root, but I didn’t care. I wanted to finish this trail that led me about a foot and a half away, carefully removing each renegade I found.
After finishing this area, I ambled over to the flower bed I had worked on a few days ago. A similar ground cover to baby’s tears had invaded this area, where my campanula was growing. They have very similar leaves – the baby’s tears were slightly thinner, and the spiked edges were a bit brownish. I was able to distinguish them from the Campanula also by the fact that they interconnected like a web: as I pulled up one area, it had shoots that spread over and connected to another.
As I uprooted the invasive plant, more creatures were revealed; a creamy-brown, multi-footed creature, and an earthworm, who was quite displeased, wiggling about in frustration as I had disturbed its resting place.
It took some time, but I cleared another small area of the bed, and felt pleased at the little achievement. I can see why people love to garden. It is simple, quiet, and grounding. I feel rooted and alive.
The textures, smells, sounds, the humble creatures that visit our backyard, and the new foliage unfolding every day awaken my senses and deepen my connection to this little patch of nature. When I’m willing to be like a bird, a whole new world opens up to me.
What do you experience when you allow yourself to be like a bird?
by Connie Habash | Jul 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
Aarrrrgh. There it goes again. You know, that voice that gets after you for yelling at your kids, or leaving the laundry piled on the couch for a week, or wonders if you had offended someone – weeks after you did it. Yeah, that voice.
When it arises, it seems to get front and center, doesn’t it? It just takes over whatever you were thinking about, and suddenly, like bad news on TV, it makes headlines in your thoughts. On CNN they play the disaster over and over again on the screen, and you play out what you did “wrong” just as relentlessly.
It’s as if nothing else matters in that moment except feeling guilt or shame about whatever it was you think you did wrong or didn’t do well enough. A negative thought comes up, and for some reason, it’s much more compelling than the positive ones.
The other night, my daughter was talking with me before bed. She said that sometimes she feels unhappy. I asked her about the unhappiness. She said she felt pressure from school. But as we talked, she realized it wasn’t really her teachers or anyone at school that made her feel unhappy. She became aware that she was thinking about what she hadn’t finished or didn’t do well that day. And then she felt bad – as any of us would.
Why do these thoughts get the worst of us? Well, it’s actually pretty simple. It triggers fear centers in our brains. Worrying about insulting someone causes us to fear losing that person in our life, or their anger, or telling other people what we did. Worrying about not getting enough done at school makes us feel like we’re not good enough, which makes us fear that we’ll fail or be rejected.
We imagine the worst, and it blows up into something that, unconsciously, we perceive as life-threatening. You bet I’d pay attention if a tiger were chasing me down! That’s the level that these little negative thoughts swell to when we’re unconscious of them.
Unless we notice them and then pay attention to something else.
I asked her, what could she do differently? And she realized that instead of focusing her thoughts on what she didn’t do well (yes, you can acknowledge what you can improve upon, but I’m talking about obsessive negative self-talk), she could reflect on what she did do well. She could listen to the good thoughts inside of her!
It was like a light bulb flipped on in her mind. She asked for me to write this down, so we did – we wrote down the plan that every night, she’d think of 3 things she did well or “good” that day, and write them down. She’d let those thoughts be what got her off to sleep that night. A big smile spread across her face, and she after she named those three for the day, she said “I feel much better!”
What 3 things did you do “well” or “good” today? Claim them and share them!
by Connie Habash | May 20, 2013 | Uncategorized
For the last year, I had the honor of knowing a very special being – a horse named Lokin. He was large, white with some small grey speckles, a strong build and yet unassuming. Lokin was part of a herd that I was able to visit a few times a month and get to know. This week, I learned of his passing due to a neurological condition. My heart is heavy and sad with missing him.
Lokin was (and still is in spirit) a being that I considered a friend. He had some very special qualities that touched my heart deeply, and I am grieving his loss. This post is in memory of Lokin.
Lokin, from the day I met you, you taught me generosity.
Never was there a day that I came to visit that you did not welcome me in, include me in the herd. You showed me how to love and accept unconditionally.
I will always remember the day when I searched all over the field for the herd and finally found you high up on a hill. You saw me approach and tossed your head happily, as if to say “we’re up here, come on up!”
Your leadership was quiet and gentle, and yet clear and strong. Everyone in the herd respected you, yet you were simply yourself. You did not need to demonstrate your strength. Your strength came from your love of the herd and the well-being of all its members.
I will always remember the time when another horse shoved Bella away from her hay, and you invited her to come over and share some of yours.
You not only gave love, kindness, and generosity to others, but you so happily and joyfully received it, too. You were always in the mood for a scratch on the belly or behind the ears. You freely gave, and you freely received.
I will always remember the time when I had scratched you over the fence of the corral and was going to walk away, but you pulled me back by my hat strings for more!
You were the one horse that I knew I’d be safe with. I never feared you nipping me like other horses have. When I needed a friend to rest a shoulder on and cry, you were there. You were always gentle and patient. When I simply wanted to know that someone was there and was with me, you stood by me and let me lean against your strength.
I wish I could have said goodbye, to let you know how much you have touched my life. Know that you are always loved, dear Lokin, and your presence here is missed. Thank you for all you have given me.
I see you free and happy with your Divine herd in the Spirit world – many blessings to you, Lokin
by Connie Habash | May 9, 2013 | Uncategorized
I happen to be a fan of Sudoku. I’ve always loved logic puzzles, and when I discovered Sudoku about 10 years ago, I was hooked. The essence of the game is that you have numbers 1-9 to fill in to the squares, without repeating any of them in any row, column, or 9-square section.
Sometimes, I think the Divine likes to play with me while I play the game. I’ve had some interesting spiritual lessons through the medium of Sudoku.
One lesson was to have a method or particular approach to solving the puzzle. Unless it’s a super-easy puzzle, going about it hap-hazardly won’t get you very far.
This is true of many things in life. We may try something and if it doesn’t work right away, we give up. We jump around from one thing to another.
How about stick with one path for a while, and see where it leads? It could be just around the bend that you’ll have a lovely vista. Or a part of the puzzle will finally come together.
It’s also true of meditation. You may sit down and start with focusing on your breath. But after a few seconds, you’re bored. So you switch to a mantra. Then you wonder if the breath wasn’t perhaps a better idea, so you go back to that. But maybe you just didn’t pick the right mantra. Before you know it, your mind has flip-flopped all around and within five minutes you decide you’re just too restless and give up.
Pick a particular method and stick with it. Follow the path it leads you on. It doesn’t matter so much which method, just hold steady to it. That will do a lot more for quieting your mind than continually changing it.
Then, there are times when I’m working on a difficult puzzle and I get terribly stuck. I’m frustrated. I think I just can’t solve it. So I set it aside for a while. I mean like for days or weeks.
Recently, I had just finished up a Sudoku book of puzzles, and was going to toss it (in recycle, of course). I remembered, though, that I still had several difficult puzzles that were half-solved, given up on a couple months ago. I decided to give it a go again.
That night, I solved two of them in short order!
Many great scientists have discovered this gift… that letting go of the problem sometimes allows the solution to show up spontaneously. Letting go for a while allows us to relax, which is half of the battle.
Additionally, when we step away for a bit, we step into a different perspective. From another point of view, we may more easily see the solution to a dilemma – or a puzzle.
Better yet, sometimes letting go and being patient allows problems to solve themselves. Maybe we’ll see that they weren’t really a problem in the first place.
That’s something beyond a puzzle of logic – that’s letting go and letting God!
Do you have Sacred Sudoku stories, too?
by Connie Habash | Mar 16, 2013 | Action, Birth, Manifestation, Movement, Play, Rebirth, Spring, Transformation, Uncategorized
As winter comes to an end, I find that I’m a bit antsy. I’ve been sitting with what is all winter, and now the time to sit has come to an end. Spring calls us to come out of our wintering nests and get on the move!
If you’ve been working with the winter energies of listening to the stillness, seeking your inner wisdom, and letting things gestate, then reflect on what you’ve discovered from that process. Notice what is taking shape, uncovered beneath the melting snows of inner reflection. Are some ideas knocking at your door, longing for you to get them started? Is a project that you shelved over the holidays now ready to be completed? Are friends beckoning you to come out of your rabbit hole again and play?
Spring is all about birth, allowing the new and fresh to become manifest. Feel your body. Listen to its impulses. How does it want to move? Where does it want to go? Follow your body’s lead, for its wisdom will take you in the directions of growth and transformation right now, in alignment with the energies of spring. Led your body and your Divine Self spring forth!
What have you got to lose?
If you have been on the spiritual path a little while, you know what a blessing it is to do random acts of kindness, particularly during the holidays. I love that practice and find it makes a great difference in my life (and hopefully, that of others!). Right now, I feel it’s of utmost importance to not only “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” but to bear witness to the kindness you see happening between others, and that you yourself are receiving.
Today is the winter solstice – and I did a guest podcast on 
School’s out and summer is here. I’m ready to relax – how about you?
I like to walk on the treadmill at the gym, since I don’t have a nice hilly area right out the door to walk. When I say “like”, however, that may not be the most accurate description.
I love to sit in my backyard – just taking in whatever I see, hear, and feel. This practice is called the “sit-spot” – a technique used by naturalists to immerse themselves in the experience of a chosen location in nature, to get to know the flora and fauna in a much more intimate way.
For the last year, I had the honor of knowing a very special being – a horse named Lokin. He was large, white with some small grey speckles, a strong build and yet unassuming. Lokin was part of a herd that I was able to visit a few times a month and get to know. This week, I learned of his passing due to a neurological condition. My heart is heavy and sad with missing him.
I happen to be a fan of Sudoku. I’ve always loved logic puzzles, and when I discovered Sudoku about 10 years ago, I was hooked. The essence of the game is that you have numbers 1-9 to fill in to the squares, without repeating any of them in any row, column, or 9-square section.
As winter comes to an end, I find that I’m a bit antsy. I’ve been sitting with what is all winter, and now the time to sit has come to an end. Spring calls us to come out of our wintering nests and get on the move!
