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Our 2026 Program Calendar is now available. This year marks another important milestone in our history as we launch new programming, products, and more in celebration of Br. David’s 100th birthday.
When the going gets tough, I reach out to others. If I can’t get ahold of anyone, I take care of my basic needs first. Eat, shower, rest. Once I’ve gotten that, I like to free write my thoughts. Getting it out of my head and on paper makes the difference. And for that, I am grateful. 🙏🏽🧡
Pausing before acting gives me time to center myself and to remember this too shall pass. Even one deep breath gives me a moment.
A simple truth: I’ve come through many difficult things and I’m still here. Every one of those difficult things shaped who I am. They may wound; they can also teach or inspire work for change.
This question is painfully important today, after the event in Minneapolis. Each and every day something horrible happens somewhere, and we go on. It prompted me to return to a collection of poems I created over time, poems that speak to being an activist or advocate https://biketoworkbarb.blogspot.com/2023/08/we-are-ones-weve-been-waiting-for-poems.html. In these collections I create I choose a few lines, representative of the poem, and link to the full poem.
Thanks for sharing, Barb! I found this collection of poems helpful and will bookmark it to look at when feeling numb or overwhelmed by the state of the world. I also discovered that you have the same last name as my primary care physician (what she changed her last name to after getting married) 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
Your collection of poetry and quotes
is beautiful,
dear Barb,
and I love the title you have given it . . .
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
I have saved this page
and will be back to explore further.
Thank you for posting them . . .
namaste ♥
Thank you for reading, dear Sparrow. They give me strength.
I think they will give me strength too,
dear Barb . . . ♥
I am facing a lot of anxiety right now, as I think many of us are. One practice that is helping me is a phrase that was once on the Deer Park Monastery page describing walking meditation: to walk “with freedom and solidity, no longer in a hurry, allowing our body and mind to be calm” Whenever I can remember that phrase as walking— especially walking from room to room in the house between daily tasks– I find the phrase takes me out of my anxious thinking and brings me back to a feeling of empowerment. I slow my steps down and pay attention to how I am walking and feel freed for a moment from my anxiety.
This has been true for me as well,
dear Elizabeth. ♥
♥️
I need a good walking meditation app. Any suggestions?
Katrina, I love the Plum Village app. It has all kinds of stuff– beautiful, inspiring music to listen to, videos, and lots of guided meditations including for walking meditation.
Thank you for pointing out this resource,
dear Elizabeth. ♥
I let myself feel the difficult thing and evaluate its nature. Then I can reach for the medicine. Convalescence from an injury can be relaxing, but also deeply frustrating. Today, I reach for self-compassion, inner dialogue, and gentle movement to rebalance into a calmer place. I also found a book of interest: “Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence” by Gavin Francis.
This book,
dear Drea,
might just be your cup of tea today, ♥
Mindfulness, Stop, Look, Go, meditation, breath exercises, self Reiki, music, journaling, reading old journals, and always gratefulness
Through the years I have collected quotes that “hit” me at the time. Now when I feel unbalanced, I will randomly open the book and read the quote. Somehow it seems to be exactly what I need.
This is similar
to what many people do with their Bibles,
dear Yram. ♥
I collect quotes too, Yram. In my journals as I read I create pages where I write ones that strike me and highlight them in different colors so those pages stand out when I leaf back through. My “someday plan” is that I’d go back through and collect them all into a document so I can arrange them somewhat thematically and create my personal collection.
Grateful Living, prayers/meditations, inner-strength, family and friends, and the wise collective wisdom from ya’ll who participate on here.
Wishing everyone a peaceful relaxing Sunday.
Go Birds! 💚🦅
When I face something difficult, I choose to refresh my mind with my voice… I sing. I sing songs of love, motivation, and self-empathy. Thanks be to God for gifting me a voice that is capable of singing. May everyone have a wonderful Sunday! ⚘
What a beautiful thing to do, Ngoc.
My two daughters both have beautiful singing voices and one majored in musical theater. I’ve recently been identifying things I’d like more of in my life and realized I need more music. I’m not a particularly good singer but I enjoy singing and I know the more I sing, the better I’d get. I don’t play piano much these days and intend to bring that back a bit. It’s finding time to practice everything that becomes the challenge.
My Ngoc, I thank god for giving me a wife with such a natural sweet voice too.
my friends. when i lack motivation they are always there to give me some kind of boost, be it tough love or physically walking me through it.
The Texas trip was the closest thing to a difficult time for me. That was more of just an obstacle. Taking a leap of faith helped me a lot, because it led me to healthier and more compatible interests. Advocating for people with autism and mental health struggles suit me better. I already have a foundation built from years past through trial and error. It’s easier for me to be honest and work on integrity. Ethics and business ventures don’t come easy.
Business isn’t my foundation. Developing ethics and gaining benefits takes a great deal of energy to invest in mastering the many different strokes. For advocacy, it’s easier for me to move closer to my heart. I thank the people like Barb, Deann, and Carol Ann for offering their perspectives on the head and heart delemma to me on Ngoc’s answer yesterday.
Taking all the perspectives into consideration inspires me to be firm on my “Speak your head; not your heart” slogan. As a more logical person, it utilizes my strengths. I’m definitely a t on the myers brigs personality evaluation between the f and t with f stands for feeling and t stands for thinking. A fundemental understanding helps me automatically balance myself by expanding upon my strengths while working on my weaknesses.
I lean in favor of expanding upon my strengths. Nature is undefeated. Ultimately, we are who we are. Nurture and burnout fall under the same roof.
Afterall, our strengths can also be our greatest weaknesses too. For example, strategy is my strength. The main weakness with these people is string-pulling. Overthinking and string-pulling go together. Pulling strings has an evil corruptive vibe. Alligning dots sounds better, because it feels more natural rather than heavy. Therefore, I’m already nurturing my heart by working on honesty and integrity.
Prayer, listening to music, walking, sitting in it for awhile and letting the emotions trickle with the tears on my face, reading inspirational words here, in a book, on Mary Oliver’s Instagram page or wherever else seems to pop up in a mindless scroll.
Holding strong to my faith and living gratefully give me strength during challenging times.
EJP, I’m with you, because it helped me on my Texas trip.
I’ve gathered many tools and practices over the years, and they all help me when facing difficulties. I don’t necessarily need them all at once every time, but I’m grateful to have options. When a new difficulty comes along and I’m not sure what to do, that’s when a new tool appears for me to use and then place in my toolbox of life.
The meditation method of discarding all my false illusions which only have in my mind helps me face everything. I can do nothing but surrender my falseness to the universe . ( or whatever name you choose to call it- truth does not exist in names )
Each time I actively choose to discard this false narrative of pictures and stories more and more of the dirty lens of my false self is removed. So bit by bit more and more wisdom and alignment with this true universe is becoming Truth in this moment. Repenting all of myself is the way out of my false self which is the tomb/death. There is no LIFE in my false illusions-
I’m so very grateful for the universe that has provided me with that way out . The way out is in – letting go and allowing the universe to shine is life . Thank you for helping me change and grow .
Antoinette, it’s just like me letting go of my business ventures. I feel much happier. It led to my advocacy path of advocating for people on my boat with mental health struggles and autism through my LT1192 foundation. I feel more balanced and compatent. The foundation is already there from years past and building through trials and errors. I feel closer to my heart while still being able to speak my head too. This automatic balance helps me empathize with others while speaking my mind easier.
Todays photo w/reflection and the question of the day are well situated for me today. Given the overwhelming circumstances in Minneapolis this past week, I know I’m on overload. Practices I engage in include pausing here in the morning. Sometimes I just don’t have the words to respond and I know that’s ok. I reach out to support group friends and have made some lunch plans with them. Switching the radio to classical music is soothing. Prayer and meditation is also a staple, just like engaging in extra calming breathing techniques. The simple task of washing the dishes at days end is also helpful. On days when I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished much at work or life, I can see an empty sink and clean dishes nearby, and I can smile saying “good job!” Peace to all this day ☮️🫶🏽We’ll get through this rough patch. Be well, stay strong.
For me it is to immerse my hands in the warm soapy water. Feel and savor. The dishes come and go next.
I too,
have found, dear Carla,
that doing simple household tasks with mindfulness
helps with a world of hurts,
confusion, and pain.
Thank you. ♥
The mention of doing dishes reminded me of this poem by Al Zolynas, “The Zen of Housework” https://www.ayearofbeinghere.com/2013/02/al-zolynas-zen-of-housework.html.
I look over my own shoulder
down my arms
to where they disappear under water
into hands inside pink rubber gloves
moiling among dinner dishes.
My hands lift a wine glass,
holding it by the stem and under the bowl.
It breaks the surface
like a chalice
rising from a medieval lake.
Full of the grey wine
of domesticity, the glass floats
to the level of my eyes.
Behind it, through the window
above the sink, the sun, among
a ceremony of sparrows and bare branches,
is setting in Western America.
I can see thousands of droplets
of steam—each a tiny spectrum—rising
from my goblet of grey wine.
They sway, changing directions
constantly—like a school of playful fish,
or like the sheer curtain
on the window to another world.
Ah, grey sacrament of the mundane!
I love it,
dear Barb . . . 🙂
Carla,
Like Diane Butler Bass in her quote “Gratitude is the capacity to stare doubt, loss, chaos and despair right in the eye and say, ‘I am still here.’” I pray that some good can come out of this unbelievable chaos. I am encouraged by the demonstrations throughout the country. Sending loving energy your way.
Thinking about you Carla. Wishing you peace, rest, and recovery.
you too Carla – be well, stay strong ☮💗🤗