Monday, March 12, 2012

Wind, Well-Being & Lemonade

Can You See The Fallen Trees?
The wind started flexing its large muscles around here last night, large enough that we set out pots of water on the counter before bed, just in case. (A well with an electric pump works like this- no power = no water.)We awoke at 6 am. to the sound of large branches careening around on the roof like a heard of small elk. This caused us to pull the down comforter up a little closer to our noses and appreciate our safe, warm bed.  I was reminded of a Gil Fronsdal talk on insomnia where he suggested rather than fretting about lack of sleep a person could lie there and appreciate that they were safe and comfortable, resting in the present, rather than building a story around sleeplessness. It also echoes words from the Dhammapada: "with our minds we create our world".  So often we forget  the power of our minds and let them lurch around the landscape unattended.  We are mostly unaware of how what we think affects hundreds of functions in our bodies, how it affects our outlook and ultimately our actions in the world.  All this from a simple, single thought.  Anais Nin reminded us there is no objective reality when she said: "We see the world not as it is but as we are"

As the winded revved up to 72 kmph we were treated to the flashes, beeps and sqeals from the digital phone and the itouch dancing to the power surges.  It was strangely festive!  By 7 am my thoughts turned to coffee and aiming to head that power failure off at the caffeinated pass, I set foot in the kitchen just as the power failed with a definite air of finality.  There were two sounds to the wind now, a deep underlying drone that cradled a higher pitched wooshing in the trees. By 10 am two trees had uprooted themselves and the property was littered with a carnage of naturally pruned tree bits.

View from the front door  Do I want to go out there?

Still we were reasonably warm (I wrapped in a blanket), fire glowing in the wood stove, leftover coffee reheated on the gas range.  And still the mind could turn to stories of when is the power going to come on? Last year it was out for 3 days during the snow, and no shower now, and, and and.  But I have been working with training this puppy dog mind of mine and instead I savoured the slowness of the morning start, my daughter's fine company as we sipped coffee in the bright sunroom, no computer screens to stare at, no work to preoccupy us.

It was a good time to snuggle up on the couch and read so I pulled out my notes from the "Awakening Joy" Course I am taking again (you guessed it I failed last time, ha!) and reminded myself about the importance of setting and renewing my intention during the day. Otherwise the mind simply seeks it's default setting, whatever that might be for us. What do I really want to do? What is my highest and best intention for this phone conversation, this interaction, this painting session?

Nature's Spring Pruning

As a self confessed aversive type I am much more likely to hunker down in my blanky and worry about conserving my body heat and wondering when the heck are they gonna get that power back on, they're not that reliable and blah, blah, blah, blah.  But who is the biggest loser in this little complainfest? Always me. I have the pleasure (or displeasure) of my own company.  So as a lover of harmony and tidiness I am intent on cleaning up my mind's backyard. Are there little plastic bags for that?? It is actually kind of fun to catch myself and wonder now what could I think instead?

So these are the things I've been working with.  I like to keep it simple.  While my mind is a messy workplace, it is also a tad on the simple side. I keep renewing my intention to cultivate states of well-being and appreciation in my life.  And when I get myself in a funk of worry or fear or whatever other longstanding mind habit pops up, I try to remember to be kind and compassionate to myself.  I remember Gil's response at a retreat where I became aware of the steady diet of fear in my mind.  He asked, if you found a small child that was afraid, what would you say, how would you treat them?  This is how we want to treat those tender, vulnerable spots in ourselves, with understanding and gentleness, a hug, a pep  talk and maybe a lollypop.

It is important to remember that old habits take time to change. I remember my Zen teacher talking about "chipping away" at our old habits or challenges. As we build these new habits, miraculous things happen. The brain actually changes, weakening the old neural pathways of unhelpful habits and forging new, more wholesome ones that we are seeding.  While Buddhism acknowledges the suffering that exists in this world, it is important to remember that becoming more mindful and acquainted with the teachings will help us incline our minds toward the well-being and peace that is always there for us.

So whether its the weather or your work or your family, you always have a choice in how you respond to what life brings to your doorstep. What is your recipe for lemonade?

20 comments:

  1. we have had a Lot of wind storms lately.. this morning was pretty bad. I know for myself that old habits are hard to change.. I guess I will do the same.. keep trying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes you are in the same neck of the woods (wind wise!) and of course all us humans are in the same neck of the woods, habit wise. It is that chipping away, isn't it?

      Delete
  2. wow, carole, all i can think about is how strong the wind must've been to blow so many branches off...

    my lemonade for wind is earplugs. : )

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it was the strongest wind we've seen here. I have never been able to do earplugs, well maybe once when I squashed up kleenex and put it in my ears so I could sleep in my daughter's downtown Toronto apt!

      Delete
  3. Oh my goodness! Am so sorry to hear/see this. Looks like a hurricane hit! But you turned it into a wonderful Dharma teaching! I love the "cultivating states of well-being" - staying snuggled in your comforter with gratitude, and being gentle with yourself... Lovely...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it was quite the surprise storm but truly no big deal (unless you were one of the trees :-)

      Delete
  4. Last nights storm was amazing. I woke up a couple of times to the noise from things flying around.

    I finally got out of bed at 3:30 am to sit by the window to watch and listen to the storm for a bit:)

    Thank you for sharing Gil's response and metaphor. I think I will try and keep those in mind. "Tender, vulnerable spots" and Fear are definitely my lemons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sounds like the storm made it's way up and down the coast.

      Gil is definitely worth a listen.

      Never a shortage of lemons here too!

      Delete
  5. Living in a thick forest of pine trees— beautiful. But wind can be so frightening! What a wake-up call!

    In the midst of habitual thinking it feels as tho my neural pathways are etched in stone— no plasticity in MY brain! So for now, I'll just rest in your treasure trove of thoughts here, feeling lucky to have found them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I know that forest of habitual thinking so well! And it does feel that the neural pathways are intractable sometimes. There is no denying it when we land there. And "with the darkness there is light". Are there some lines from the Sandokai like this?

      Delete
    2. " In the light there is darkness,
      but don't take it as darkness;
      In the dark there is light,
      but don't see it as light.
      Light and dark oppose one another
      like the front and back foot in walking..."

      Here's a nice complete translation:
      http://www.bamboointhewind.org/chant_sandokai.html

      Delete
  6. Wasn't that a storm! We lay in bed listening to the branches fall off the neighbour's tree and onto our roof. No damage but great entertainment! Being someone who is often awake at night I enjoy looking out the front windows to see the quiet and to give thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was the most wind we've seen in the 2 years we've lived here. Nice to be cozy and warm when it's blustery outside!

      Delete
    2. the magic of the internet! I was sure I posted a reply last night, but maybe I was 1/2 asleep.

      there is something nice about being awake when no one else is. And good to be warm and cozy while the storm rages!

      Delete
  7. What a storm, Carole! I hope you're recovered now... and having less lemons to deal with. My fave recipe for dealing with lemons, is painting. I know you'll be trying that one though. ;o)

    ReplyDelete
  8. It was truly a reminder of the power of nature. More winds and rain here but not as strong. A friend insisted on going down for a look at the rolling waves yesterday! Ah, the cleansing power of water!

    Yes to painting time!

    ReplyDelete
  9. So glad that all is well for you and yours...sustained high winds are very unnerving, says she of the east coast hurricaine zone.

    The view from your front door is lovely even with nature's pruning...

    our Earth Mother is sending messages not to be ignored...life here is after all one on-going dharma school...

    onto the joy of bending forward from the waist reaching to the earth and picking up the branches...a beautiful practice for being present'-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. These really high winds are not that common here, so I have only a tiny concept of "hurricane zone".

    It was strangely satisfying and invigorating to do the clean up!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks very much for this, needed to hear it right now: "I was reminded of a Gil Fronsdal talk on insomnia where he suggested rather than fretting about lack of sleep a person could lie there and appreciate that they were safe and comfortable, resting in the present, rather than building a story around sleeplessness."

    ReplyDelete