Invite Equanimity

I long for equanimity, but instead I own this ongoing emotional reactivity: I'm feeling fine, maybe a little tired, and someone says something that pushes a button and I'm suddenly tense and angry; I over-react, I snap out a response, and say something I later regret. I do it to my spouse, my children, grandchildren, friends, and to complete strangers.

In that moment, my perceptions of the situation are altered. The emotional charge prevents me from seeing the situation clearly and calmly. I'm not listening, or analyzing, and I'm not aware of the love I have inside. My emotions and defenses are driving my behaviors.

I've worked and worked on this, and have definitely improved, but not enough. While I want to be accepting of myself, I also deeply desire to be a calmer person. 

I intend to continue to work at growing my equanimity by practicing a Formula for Calm (breath, name feelings, time out), using a trigger journal, and nurturing active listening skills, because I want less unnecessary emotional disturbance, a better relationship with my loved ones, and I want to understand people clearly and honestly. 

Agenda:

1. Formula for Calm

2. Trigger journal

3. Emotions list

4. Read "Comfortable with Uncertainty"

March Sabbath for Calm

Each Sunday during Lent, I like to pick a theme to give attention to; last Sunday it was forgiveness, and today it's calm. Calmness is a quality of being: At peace, relaxed in my body, steady and easy. Calmness is one aspect of resilience - if I can remain calm, I will better navigate a crisis situation, whenever it comes.

My perfect sabbath is a celebration, a holiday. I keep it holy with my attitude: I don't rush, complain, or worry. Everything I do has a flavor of peace. I schedule some work, but it's work I find fulfilling, or uplifting. Simple is a great word to describe my ideal activities for the sabbath: Simple tasks, simple foods, and an undemanding schedule.

Agenda:

1. Queries

2. Resilience reading

3. Nature journal

4.

 Plastics fast 

Forgiveness Sunday

Today is Forgiveness Sunday in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It's officially the last day of the Maslenitsa festival in Russia. Lent starts tomorrow, on Clean Monday, in both the Russian and Greek churches.

Agenda:

1. Nature Mentor

2. Resilience Practice

3. Ask forgiveness and offer forgiveness

4. Make tyropita (cheese pie)

5. Plastic fast, Week 2 - Food shopping

2023 Lent Calendar, Week One

My theme for Lent this year is Being Rooted in Creation: Being rooted means I have a secure sense of who I am and where I belong; I am firmly planted, sunk in, feet on the ground, and the earth is steady. Roots are our connection to the deeper places in our souls, to the past, and to the land we live on.

To be rooted means I belong here, strong and grounded in Love, Truth, and Creation, solidly living in the Now, connected to the Divine Whole, and radiant in peace, in health and resilience. It means I belong in my home, my family, and in my community, I'm integrated and whole.

At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I spend time each day in focused study and prayer. This Lent, I plan to study nature like I would prepare to visit a foreign country - learn the language of my bird and plant neighbors, and continue to explore my relationship to the natural world, the cycles of the seasons, and the history, culture, and ecosystem of my valley.

And I also observe Lent as a time of creative action, acting on my leading to become more rooted in Creation with small and large actions at home and in my community, and by sharing Medicine Art projects with my grandson and others.

My intentions this year are to:

• Read and Journal: I intend to learn more about the nature in my own backyard, starting with a dive into various web sites, and will also keep a daily nature journal with notes about the weather and things I notice.
• Explore resilience practices: I'm also reading from the book, "101 Mindful Ways to Build Resilience," by Donald Altman, which offers simple ideas for being more rooted in my body and mind.
• Take creative action: In the weeks of Lent, I intend to act on my leading to become more rooted in Creation by
• Tending my garden (and letting it tend me)
• Building habitat for plant and animal people
• Supporting and working directly on campaigns to defend the environment
• Witnessing to others with writing, talking, and artwork.
• Fast: This year, like last year, I intend to fast from all new single-use plastic, and continue to experiment with plastic alternatives. I'm also going to witness to why plastic production is so dangerous, and why we need to slow it down.