Monthly Archives: October 2015

Gap revisited

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3 practical steps to Mindfulness
I’m watching a linear trend in the world of blogging. Seems most disseminated content is now translated in steps 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 etc. Readers, like me, go straight to the bolded caption and I dare say, rarely read the descriptive paragraph that follows. Okay, I’ll cave. Here are 3 practical steps to Mindfulness and visiting the Gap.
  1. MEDITATE – breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out – focus on breathing in and breathing out. It’s all about the breath, the breath, the breath.
  1. MEDITATE some more – build up to 5, 10, 20 minutes every day focusing on the breath, the breath, the breath. Ideally, you are seated quietly and comfortably with eyes closed. Open with a cleansing breath and notice your lung capacity. Then just breathe normally, noticing, feeling, appreciating the breath.
  1. And, did I mention MEDITATE – Meditation is the name of the game. While we focus on our breath we can hear the Universal sound AUM. AUM is everywhere – the swirl of the breeze, the chirp of the crickets, the buzz of the machine, the tone of the chakras. Warning: Voicing an auditory AUM vibration, sealing the close of your practice, may lead to bliss.
gapWe all breathe. Revisiting the Gap brings us to Mindfulness and Mindfulness is where the fun is. You cannot get meditation wrong. Just pay attention to your breath. When you notice your mind taking over in thought just bring it back to the breath. Go ahead. Tap into the Gap. Ride the wave of that AUM sound. It’s all there – love – appreciation – assistance – acknowledgement – Inspiration – guidance – awareness – upliftment.  The Gap revisited… It’s only natural.

leafs leaves

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033The cellphone camera is busy during this spectacular, almost orgasmic New England autumn. It can’t begin to do it justice by capturing the absolutely stunning radiance that surrounds me. 013 036 With the foliage now at peak, beginning to gently rain to the ground, the earthy fragrance is both musky and sweet. 008 The creatures know what’s coming. Their senses heightened as they fortify their stores. They are in perpetual mindfulness, on Nature’s wave.   As leafs leaves the branch later to return anew, so do we. Being a species of the mind we often forget our innate abilities. Our foliage just as beautiful, we have the choice of returning better than ever before. 001 022 Meditation enables us to tap into the mindfulness that offers this elegant and graceful process. 025 Leaving leafs leaves enchantment and sustainability.  Meditation does too. It’s only natural.

cameraless mindfulness

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007Since changing theClosetAcademic facebook page from ‘writer’ to ‘public figure’ and putting myself out there I have felt a distinct shift. What exactly am I portraying within the world of social media? It took thought attempting to update my linkedin profile a couple years ago. I asked myself some questions. ‘Okay self, so, what do I do for work?’ The rote answer ‘I work with Melaleuca, the Wellness Company.’ ‘Self? What do I really do?’ ‘Hmmm’ I thought. ‘I find myself writing and trekking and running in the woods, oh, and taking pictures of the beauty that is all around me. Ya, that’s what I do. I’m a freelancer! Yes, that’s it – I’m a writer/photog!’ Now, the big question. ‘What type of camera do I use?’ That’s a tough one. Years ago I started out with a Pentax. Then, life took over and, like can happen with meditation, I fell out of the practice. Then I crashed – or was crashed – it depends on your perspective. There are no accidents. During the rebuild, I was gifted a little powershot type device that zoomed X13. I made a few dollars with it writing articles for the local paper, covering stories like wine tasting and parades and soapbox races. Using that little camera reignited a love I had forgotten about. And then I drowned it. With coffee in hand seating oneself in a low riding high performance vehicle is one thing. I had the process down to an art. No longer having that beautiful car in my repertoire I was now driving a big, heavy and high, secure feeling pick-up truck. The beverage holders are the perfect size to hold a camera, cellphone and an iced coffee. The difference here is the drinks go in before the keister goes in. All was well until I reached for the drink and the cup collapsed with the cover popping off and filling the cup holders. Saving the flip-phone first, that was the end of that camera. I replaced it with another little cheapo that got used up so well that the battery would heat up in my hand. Now, I use my 21st century cellphone camera. I’m grateful to have it but really, I am essentially cameraless. It’s tough to beat the colors and beauty of this glorious New England autumn. I am mindful that I have become acutely aware of my cameralessness. This tells me that I’m on the cusp of another significant shift. Mindfulness keeps me from dwelling on the feeling of lessness and helps me to focus on what’s in front of me right now. Meditation man… it’s all here for the plucking. It’s only natural.

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