Rest and sleep (lots of it).
Increased meditation (8 or 10 times more).
Silence. Stillness. Watching the sunrise.
Moving my body more (a lot more).
Beauty. And the time and space to appreciate it.
Seclusion realities
Of butterflies and spiders
The stock photo above represents the vision I have for my butterfly bush — big blossoms covered with beautiful butterflies!
In reality my bush has been slow to flower and I haven’t seen much in the way of butterflies (as in none, although bumblebees are regular visitors to other flowers in my container garden).
So, I was thrilled the other morning to notice a butterfly on my butterfly bush!
Until I realized that the reason I could get so close without it flying away is that the butterfly had been captured by a spider and was already a goner.
Oh well, I guess spiders have to eat, too.
Parco San Grato
Turns out that yesterday’s walk up the hill above our apartment was just a warmup for an excursion with Ramesha’s family today.
We went to the quite amazingly beautiful Parco San Grato, located high above Lugano, to walk the grounds and have a picnic.
There are plenty of photos to share, but I’m too pooped to deal with them tonight.
We only walked/hiked for about two hours altogether, but there was plenty of up and down, plus dealing with uneven, rocky ground. All in all, it was the most physical activity I’ve had in a while and I am definitely feeling it this evening.
Bye for now
It felt a little crazy but this morning — in the midst of packing; dropping off recycling and garbage; and learning we had to get the car smog checked today — we actually took a few minutes to visit Crystal Hermitage Gardens and witness the beauty of the tulips before heading off to Europe for four weeks.
The truth is, I was feeling a little crazy, but as I stepped into the lower gardens and literally drank in the view you see in the above photo, with its incredible beauty and palpable peace, I was able to stop. To be still. And to simply appreciate the blessing that Crystal Hermitage Gardens is to each of us and to the world.
To be honest, it made it that much harder to leave. But we’ll be back soon.
Tulips and more tulips
Yes, it’s that time of year again: the Springtime at Ananda Tulip Festival is officially underway!
Visit the Crystal Hermitage Gardens website for information, then come and immerse yourself in beauty.
Sheer beauty wins the day
It was time to write my blog post, but my mind was blank.
I reflected on my day. No ideas came.
I reviewed my notes of possible blog topics. Nothing appealed to me.
I resorted to scrolling through Facebook for inspiration. Nothing, nothing…
Until — at last! — this painting leapt out at me. I’m sharing it simply because it’s beautiful.
(I only regret that I couldn’t identify the artist in order to give them credit.)
Celebrating Yogananda’s birth
Tonight’s celebration of Master’s birthday was perfect.
It was an incredibly beautiful altar; the choir songs and Jitendra’s chanting were filled with devotion.; the meditation was deep; and Jyotish and Devi gave inspiring talks.
What more could one wish for?
A beautiful leaf
I was taking a little walk and happened upon this leaf.
I paused to note its beauty, and started to walk on. But then I stopped and went back to pick it up.
It was just too beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that I feel it deserves its own blog post!
Holding on to the peace
My seclusion has ended and I’m back in the flow of life’s busyness.
But I spent a good portion of a week in silence, by myself, meditating, seeing beauty around me on my walks, enjoying every quiet moment…and I’m going to do my best to carry that peace into my daily life.
For tonight, I’m just really grateful.
#3 – Quietly and in the moment
“Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself…” — Paramhansa Yogananda