Mindfulness

Some of you have heard about my struggles with yoga and the ease of my meditation practice.

The path of purposeful living is, ultimately, a spiritual journey. From birth onward, we are all getting older. But we are, hopefully, also growing whole – maturing spiritually.

“One of the reasons that old age is so disconcerting to many people is that they feel as if they’re stripped of their roles. As we enter old age and face physical frailty, the departure of children, retirement, and the deaths of loved ones, we see the lights fading, the audience dwindles, and we are overwhelmed by a loss of purpose, and by the fear of not knowing how to behave or where we now fit in this play.

"It is possible the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. And the practice can be carried out as a group, as a city, as a nation." - Thich Nhat Hanh

It was raining. My 9-year-old granddaughter said, “Hey PopPop, let’s dance in the rain.” I responded with, “No, Parker. We’ll get soaking wet.” She responded, “Please, PopPop.” In my 79-year-old wisdom, I said, “No, Parker. You’ll catch your death of cold.”

From May 23-28, 2022, I’m excited to be offering a weeklong Mastery Week at the Modern Elder Academy, called “The One Life We’re Given: Saying Yes to Life.” I’d like to share more deeply what this topic opens up for me, in hopes, if moved, you’ll join me in this empowering exploration.

1975 was quite the year. I was nervous about starting high school in the inner city, where I became the "curious white boy." And the country was having a passing fancy with sticks (Styx and Space Food Sticks) and stones (Pet Rocks and Mood Rings).

We are so proud to be hosting Matthieu Ricard at MEA this spring. He is a beloved Buddhist monk, author, and photographer.

The word mindfulness is profoundly contradictory. I suffer from mind-fullness. Apparently that will get better if I practice mindfulness.

Recently, I saw this poem by Arden Mahlberg in the newsletter for The Center for Conscious Eldering.