Listen to Nature II

Listen to Nature II

Everybody should be quiet near a little stream and listen.

                           Ruth Krauss: Open House for Butterflies

Not everybody has a little stream nearby, but perhaps the sea, a lake or even a fountain?  

A large tree works fine, too: you can sit beneath it and listen to the wind going through its leaves.

These sounds of nature are like a reflection of the rhythm of our own hearts. They’re all part of the rhythm of life.

Listening to nature’s sounds has a profoundly calming effect on us. We relax, empty our minds, and feel connected. Slowly our anxiety and worries fall away. We somehow realise what’s important: to just sit there, breathe with nature, and smile.

Do you have a little stream or a big tree in your neighbourhood?

Homo Ludens

Homo Ludens

                                                              

”Man is only completely a man when he plays.”*

                                             Friedrich Schiller

We all know that we think too much and live too little. That we’re too much in our heads. 

The problem is that we try to stop thinking by thinking ;-) A better solution: enter your body.

When you concentrate completely on how your foot-soles touch the ground when walking, or how the toothpaste tastes when you brush your teeth, then you allow your mind a little pause.

Sometimes this concentration comes naturally, without us having to think about it: when we do something we enjoy so deeply that we’re all there, body and mind united. Like when children play!

Unfortunately most grown-ups have forgotten how to play. But some of us DO enjoy something so much, that we return to that state. Dancing, perhaps, fishing, skiing, or playing scrabble.

One definition of play is ”something done for its own sake”. It's voluntary, it's pleasurable, it offers a sense of engagement, it takes you out of time. And the act itself is more important than the outcome.

When do you play…?

*“Der Mensch ist nur da ganz Mensch, wo er spielt”

We Have Enough

AA wrote: "Another nice Monday letter!"

BB wrote: "So true! Why is it so difficult to remember this? I think you need to practice.."

We Have Enough

“We have enough conditions to be happy right here and right now.”

                                                                 Thich Nhat Hanh

How often don’t we turn towards the future in the hope to be happier then? “If only” this or that would happen, then we would finally be happy.

We are so blind! If we only open our eyes and our minds we realize that we already have all we need: we are alive. That is already the biggest reason to be happy. 

Most of us are reasonably healthy, and we live in a peaceful, wealthy society. We eat nourishing, good food, we have a bed to sleep in, and a roof over our heads. 

We only have to open our eyes to the good life we have, and be grateful for it.

You can take a deep breath, straighten your back and look up into the sky. Breathe in the huge Smile ofLiife and let it fill your face, your heart and your whole body. Do nothing else than just feeling alive and happy. Right here and right now. Happy and grateful for the one life you have. Your Life.

Kindness

Kindness is paying attention – right now. 

                                                 Tara Brach

Kindness is so badly needed in our stressed-out and alienated society, where too many people fight their own fights, regardless of others. Where accidents or assaults happen and everybody turns the other way… But it doesn’t even have to be that bad. How often don’t people sigh loudly behind the elderly lady at the cashier’s, who is struggling with coins to pay - instead of helping her out?

Yes, kindness is paying attention to what is happening around us, seeing when people need a helping hand. We’re far to closed up in our own circle, concentrating on our thoughts or our technical devices, instead of looking at others, seeing that they’re in trouble, and reaching out to them. 

To the quote above I’d add: “with a smile”. We pay attention to our fellow men not only with open eyes, but also with open hearts. 

Have a week full of attention an kindness! :-)