The worst thing is to allow the mind to wander here and there, unattended.
As I stood on the porch this morning, doing my nature meditation, that sentence rolled through my mind, like one of those signs streaming behind small airplanes at times of public festivities.
I had just stepped onto the porch into a cool world with gray- and pink- striped skies. The bare birches were full of flitting chickadees, and I heard a song bird which I didn’t see (this is like a jewel in this location and season). The magpies were quite busy close to the ground, making a wave pattern in flight. Two pigeons were strutting on the lawn, heads down; something startled them, and off they flew. I heard the sound of their wing feathers beating the air.
When I wake up each morning, I am attentive to my breathing. However, in the time between getting up and getting myself outside, my mind begins to wander.
This morning, standing on the porch, as I led myself through my steps to greater attention— I felt how I became more embodied, clearer, and more able to see and feel the details around me– the sky, the air against my skin, the bird movements and sounds. I transitioned from a duller state to a sharper one, which included an awareness of my heart. The birdsong felt like it was playing the harp in my heart.
My intention for this year is to perceive and apprehend from the space of the Heart (there is a reason for capitalizing Heart– this Heart is the Heart of the World, which all of us have in common).
In light of this intention, the worst thing is to allow the mind to wander here and there, unattended. When that is the situation, I am not perceiving and apprehending from the space of the Heart.
I know I am entering the space of the Heart when I am aware of my body and breathing, when I am at peace, when I feel joy, and when I feel connected to the world around me.
Such a small, but regular and daily, commitment contributes to bringing me fully into this world as a Conscious human being. In order to maintain it, I must be faithful to my daily practice. I am grateful to all the others, worldwide, who are making similar efforts to wake up. I feel your presence.