Thursday, September 13, 2012

More than a Gift ... It's a Blessing

Wednesday, September 12, 2012:

I spent the entire day working at the library and, since I struggled to sleep during the night, I was worn out. During my lunch break I did a mini-TCC practice in the library yard. It was lovely.

Even though we're located in the middle of downtown Bayfield (okay, one block off main street), the street traffic was light, the library traffic was minimal, and I had a quiet, rejuvenating practice.

Again, both me and my library patrons benefited from my time of moving meditation. Why? Because I returned to work more centered, peace filled, and peaceful. By day's end I was surprised by how good I felt.

Thursday, September 13, 2012:

It took an entire day for me to arrive at my T'ai Chi Chih practice time. My daylight hours were spent in a morning meeting, shopping, running errands, canning, pesto-making, and, finally, moving meditation.

I started my practice in the porch because it was 10:30 p.m. Since the dog still lay outside on the front step, midway through practice I decided to join him. Suddenly I was 20 feet tall (the light by the front door magnified my body size tremendously) and my over-sized shadow played TCC with me.

All was quiet until I heard the slight shuffle of leaves near my feet. When I looked down, I thought I saw a living being but no movement. I continued to observe the designated area and soon saw a dark shadow moving toward the front step. It was a toad who, due to shyness, hid beneath the watering hose and then settled down under a cover of dry leaves and goose feathers right next to the concrete front step.

Normally I would never have noticed this little critter but, due to my own quiet presence, I heard the leaves rustle and stayed in one place long enough to witness a slight unexplained movement.

This is one of TCC's gifts: To keep me quietly in one place for a long enough period of time to see, hear, notice, and feel my surroundings. That's more than a gift ... it's a blessing.

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