Update from Charm City

With a sleep-deprived Friday and an uber busy weekend, there was no time for me to sit and compose any thoughts until now.

Thursday during the day, I caught up with two former co-workers from CFC at a trade show. I must be getting used to the city because I scored $4 parking while everyone else was paying $20 for event parking. Catching up with the girls was awesome. A bit of gossip about the co-op and lots of questions about my "new" life dominated our chat.

My sweetie, daecabhir, had prepared some pasta for me to turn into dinner which allowed me to have a nice meal for us ready for when he walked through the door. Such a domestic girl, I know.  Even though it had been just a few days since we'd been together, you would think it had been weeks. Words of wisdom from the day's earlier gabfest was still ringing in my ears ... "don't ever forget the honeymoon". In our case, I reckon, that is close enough. After dinner we went to the center where I got a little insight into what the weekend would have in store for me as well as getting to attend a talk by the same teacher who I would be working with during the weekend.

Best comment of the night came out of a conversation about marriage and how third marriages must have the charm. When I replied that I wasn't sure if there be a third marriage for me, the reply came, "oh, you and daecabhir will get married, I can smell it".

Apparently marriage has an odor?

Since we stayed up far too late on Thursday, I was pretty beat on Friday. The internet was out, the BGE guys were out front off and on all day and at one point, I passed out for a 2+ hour nap.

Saturday and Sunday found us up and out of the house early (relatively speaking, of course) because I took Shambhala level 1 training this weekend at the center. This level of training focused on meditation, which is something that I have wanted to return to for quite some time now. Insight into daecabhir's path as well as ways to perhaps combine our spirituality were also much desired benefits of participating.

The most challenging thing for me (outside of my bad back) is that the first meditation we learned is an open eyes technique. Tough stuff but the concept is remaining aware throughout the entire process. The next method that was taught is a walking meditation, which at first seemed very odd, but turned out to be easy for me once I practiced it a few times. The final method that we learned is contemplation and this was more familiar to me as it is more of a (self-) guided exercise.

And just in case daecabhir and I don't get enough (friendly) teasing, it was noted that, "You two are so cute. Like an old married couple, but you just met."

Sunday afternoon once training was done, daecabhir dropped me off at dreamtigress's for a bit. My sis and I were able to catch up a bit and enjoy some dinner (and too many french fries with gravy).

Today has been a fairly productive day with lots of little projects accomplished at the city home. Seems I end up with a to do list at both houses. Fortunately, this year of eleventy should bring about the "one house" for daecabhir and I.

Stay tuned!

Contemplation

My introduction to contemplation meditation came this past Sunday as part of my Shambhala level 1 training. To help us choose our contemplation, the instructor read us the following poem by Mary Oliver and had us choose the one line or phrase that called out to us.

"Wild Geese"

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

The line that I chose was "You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves." Of course, those who know me well may find it hard to believe that I did not select the part about not being good.

Once the phrase is selected, the next step is find the actual thought/emotion that it evokes. That is what the contemplation centers around.

The "soft animal of your body" made me think of one's heart, even more so the black heart, and this led me to unconditional love; specifically that I have the basic goodness in me to both give and receive unconditional love.

Very powerful.