A hike along the Deschutes between Dillon and Benham Falls in golden October left my husband and me giddy with our good fortune in having made our home here. It’s harder to maintain that level of delight in these chilly and abruptly short days.
I was feeling the letdown one gray afternoon, running necessary errands and, I admit, being peevish about it, shoulders tight, lips pursed, maybe my teeth were even clenched, making myself feel worse and worse. The title of a science fiction story I read decades ago, The Green Hills of Earth, came to mind. Irrelevant and random, I thought, then I saw the lesson: What if these were my final moments on Earth, if I were about to die or to blast away on a space ship never to return? From that new perspective, every piece of grit in the Bigboxco parking lot, every dry blown leaf, every reflection from cars’ shiny bumpers, became precious and easy to love. Have I maintained that attitude, honestly, always? Naturally not, but it’s there within reach when I need it, another tool to use in making the reciprocal internal music that’s life on this planet. I’m sharing it with you in gratitude for your existence, that you read what I post and often reply with your own insight and wisdom.
I’ll be presenting Qigong: an Experiential Conversation at the Old Stone Church (157 NW Franklin, Bend) the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 30, 5:15pm, hosted by the Spiritual Awareness Circle. Please come to experience Qigong for the first time, or to share your Qigong knowledge, and to have some fun together.
Wishing you Thanksgiving blessings and a feast of love.