Priorities

This week I've been brainstorming priorities for the next month, which is a process of decision-making: What is the next most important thing? What will give meaning to my life and help the world?

When I feel scattered it might mean I am avoiding something I need to decide, what to do and what NOT to do. Once I decide, I can set everything else on the back burner. I can explain the priorities to my team, build alignment, and eliminate chaos and that feeling of overwhelm. I can be intentional.

Agenda:
1. Love cycle
2. Read "Perspective"

3. New narrative

4. Days of passion flow plan

1. Love cycle:

Years ago I wrote this month-long meditation on love, with a daily reading and work. Day 21 is Use Investigation.

One practice that leads to bodhicitta- an open heart- is investigation: the impersonal, analytical study of the true nature of all things, seeing things as they really are- in their proper perspective. 
This is a process of continually stepping into unknown territory, including the unknown territory of my own being. It’s an adventure into mystery!

Everything in me is creative energy, particularly my strong emotions. When I study my emotions with deep curiosity (like Holmes) I begin to see them clearly, honor them, taste them, smell them. When I snap at or insult someone, or repress my anger, I run away from the truth, but when I hold my seat with the feeling, let words go, let justification go, my emotions have less fire and I can see the patterns. Investigation is patient and fearless. Eventually I will have a creative shift towards wisdom and enlightenment.

“We might think that knowing ourselves is a very ego-centered thing, but by beginning to look so clearly and so honestly at ourselves—at our emotions, at our thoughts, at who we really are—we begin to dissolve the walls that separate us from others. Somehow all of these walls, these ways of feeling separate from everything else and everyone else, are made up of opinions. They are made up of dogma; they are made of prejudice. These walls come from our fear of knowing parts of ourselves.” 

~Pema Chodron

2. Read "Perspective':

I'm reading this book by Meridith Elliot Powell, subtitled Reignite, Reinvent, Reframe (2025). This is the work I am dedicating myself to this year.

I'm on Chapter four, Present Tense, which is about focus and priorities. When I set good priorities I can focus on what's most important and be more present in life. 

Most importantly, I can filter out all the stuff that is not a priority, and align my time with my values. I can close the gap between my intention and my execution. My actions then reflect my integrity and my strategies match my purpose. I can lead with consistency rather than chaos.

"Closing the gap ... happens daily, decision by decision."

3. New narrative:

My top priorities are:

1. Grandsons and family.  
2. Writing my book.
3. Earthcare action.

One of my weekly Creative Perspective tasks is to define a new narrative to re-frame a mind-set and expand my thinking. This week:

"Just say no to time-wasters ... close the gap between intention and acton."

 

4. Days of passion flow plan:

The next few days are the best block of time I have for healthy obsession. Today I make a plan for Nature-Culture flow and writing through the next week. My Nature-Culture theme this month is late winter regeneration and awareness. Today I am brainstorming the next topics in my Winter chapters, and also some garden, advocacy, and community tasks to support that work:

• Today: Write Sanctuary: Prepare for planting (potting soil); Plan native plantings 
• Begin to plan questions and a blurb for Water Talk with discussion of how to bridge the gap; season with others.
• Clean pots, boil water, make soil, buy new planting flat.
• Plant peppers.
• Sun: Write Awareness: Winter rain
• Superfund Lobby Day in Salem: Monday, Feb. 16 -  Legislation to hold polluters financially responsible for climate impacts. 
• T: Write Natural Living: Beingness; Oneness with the Earth
• Share birdwatching and listen or songs.
• W: Write Reciprocity: Network with neighbors; plant library 
• Update Interfaith Earthkeepers calendar. Add my event; Send a reminder to the email list to send events and share their Light with others.
• Write next Earth Action News
• Write plant library blurb for report and website.
• Th: Begin to plan how to blog my book to share. 
• Turtle Flats restoration work party, Sat. Feb. 21
• Attend fourth "Return to the Earth", and write about how de-colonization connects to Earthcare.