A new week
I took a whole week off from walking which has set me back quite a bit. I'm not going to think about that and I'm going to get started again today, but with a new attitude. I don't think I can do this by sheer force of will. I have to find a way to enjoy it and to do it differently.
I spent yesterday at an all-day, silent retreat for my class on mindfullness-based stress reduction. I went to the arboretum at Gustavus at 8:30 in the morning and spent most of the day without speaking or making eye contact. We did all kinds of meditation practices that we'd learned: the body scan, seated meditation, walking meditation, and some guided meditation. At the beginning of the class, I thought this would be impossible but I enjoyed it and thought it was a profound, almost spiritual, experience. To be in a room with a dozen people, mostly strangers, and spend a day without talking makes you feel things on a different level. At the end, when we could talk, it was hard to put your voice out there, and every word had to be weighed. I wondered how much air space I fill with empty words.
It's been a wonderful weekend. Friday night, we had dinner at Whiskey River with some old friends, Jan and Anders. Michael Perry, the author of Population 458: Meeting Your Neighbors One at a Time. He talked about his writing...what a sweet and engaging man. We had Manhattans, which we always have with Jan and Anders, we sat by the window and watched the leaves fall and the deer romp and the wild turkeys strut. It was almost magical. Last night, Tiffany came down about 5 and went to Hermie's for dinner. Hermie's is a bait shop/burger joint. The bait shop always had a better bathroom than the restaurant until they remodeled. I kind of enjoyed walking by the minnow tanks and racks of fishing lures. After we ate, we went to see Ella and Bob; Emily was at work. Ella entertained us with funny noises (she's great at noises and learns them quickly) and funny faces. Tiffany adores her. When Regis got home, we watched Good Night and Good Luck, the movie about Edward R. Murrow's fight with Joe McCarthy. Interesting movie in light of the Current Occupant of the White House. You know who I mean.
I slept late this morning and Regis made breakfast so I woke to bacon, eggs, and toast. Funny how even coffee tastes better when someone else makes it. Joan is coming down later to teach me some tai chi and I thought we could go for a walk in the arboretum. I'm going out later when it warms up to plant daffodils...a hundred daffodils. If the moles don't snack on them this winter, we'll have waves of sunshine in the yard in the spring.
It's been a great weekend.
Teresa
I spent yesterday at an all-day, silent retreat for my class on mindfullness-based stress reduction. I went to the arboretum at Gustavus at 8:30 in the morning and spent most of the day without speaking or making eye contact. We did all kinds of meditation practices that we'd learned: the body scan, seated meditation, walking meditation, and some guided meditation. At the beginning of the class, I thought this would be impossible but I enjoyed it and thought it was a profound, almost spiritual, experience. To be in a room with a dozen people, mostly strangers, and spend a day without talking makes you feel things on a different level. At the end, when we could talk, it was hard to put your voice out there, and every word had to be weighed. I wondered how much air space I fill with empty words.
It's been a wonderful weekend. Friday night, we had dinner at Whiskey River with some old friends, Jan and Anders. Michael Perry, the author of Population 458: Meeting Your Neighbors One at a Time. He talked about his writing...what a sweet and engaging man. We had Manhattans, which we always have with Jan and Anders, we sat by the window and watched the leaves fall and the deer romp and the wild turkeys strut. It was almost magical. Last night, Tiffany came down about 5 and went to Hermie's for dinner. Hermie's is a bait shop/burger joint. The bait shop always had a better bathroom than the restaurant until they remodeled. I kind of enjoyed walking by the minnow tanks and racks of fishing lures. After we ate, we went to see Ella and Bob; Emily was at work. Ella entertained us with funny noises (she's great at noises and learns them quickly) and funny faces. Tiffany adores her. When Regis got home, we watched Good Night and Good Luck, the movie about Edward R. Murrow's fight with Joe McCarthy. Interesting movie in light of the Current Occupant of the White House. You know who I mean.
I slept late this morning and Regis made breakfast so I woke to bacon, eggs, and toast. Funny how even coffee tastes better when someone else makes it. Joan is coming down later to teach me some tai chi and I thought we could go for a walk in the arboretum. I'm going out later when it warms up to plant daffodils...a hundred daffodils. If the moles don't snack on them this winter, we'll have waves of sunshine in the yard in the spring.
It's been a great weekend.
Teresa
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