My current book group is reading Peace is Every Step. The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh. For an hour once or twice a month we spend an hour reading and discussing a section. I love it because it gives hints for how to stay present in my life. Here's a quote:
"Our senses are our windows to the world, and sometimes the wind blows through them and disturbs everything within us... We must be very careful to protect our fate and our peace. I am not suggesting that we just shut all our windows, for there are many miracles in the world we call 'outside.' We can open our windows to these miracles and look at any one of them with awareness." (from pages 13, 14)
A friend gave me this book see your way to mindfulness, Ideas and Inspiration to Open Your I by David Schiller. It has 26 exercises. The first is here:
Delaware River sit still and look until the you disappears
Sit until you become part of the silence. Chances are a bird won't land on your shoulder, but a butterful might. Then see - or hear - what the world is like without you in it.
I did this in a park facing the Delaware River a couple days ago. It was great. The river kept flowing, the birds and bugs began flying all around me as if I weren't there and I felt part of it all without disturbing any of it.
Give it a try.
~ Jean
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