Our culture is defined as a consumer culture. Expanding malls and mega-stores have really become the new "candy stores". Where the front porch swing used to be a place to relax,  now the mall has become the primary escape for many. Contemplation and time with oneself sadly has been replaced by aggravated accumulation. 

 

Too often, however, shopping has become a real challenge, and especially around the holidays. The stores send out their enticing invitations  with just enough advance notice to whet consumer appetite.  Have you noticed that when you eat sugar you just want more of it?  Shopping is probably not much different from this.

 

Our addiction to spending has fueled our economy often at the expense of our personal and social sense of peace. The erosion of our communal sense of peace as well as the importance of peace in our lives has rapidly complicated our lives. So next time you get in the car to head toward the mall, consider a different purchase.

 

A porch swing really can put you back in touch with the most important things in life. See you there.

 

Peace to you this day. Peace.

This morning while in a particular state of concern for a friend and his dilemma I found myself getting caught up in the issues he was dealing with. As I drove my car to work I began to feel tense and somewhat anxious about his situation. Then, on a small bush outside the office I caught sight of  a bright yellow butterfly gently fanning its wings in the sunlight. I paused to appreciate the quiet beauty of the moment and realized that even a small butterfly can teach us something about being and becoming more peaceful. Never underestimate what may be right in front of you, ready to help you stop your busy mind and realign your awareness to experience the shift from anxious frustration to beauty and to peace. Pay attention. The teachers are there. You have only to stop and appreciate them. Don't underestimate their gifts to you. You can always return your attention to the issues at hand, but you will (in a moment of appreciation) have recognized and acknowledged these issues and concern are not the only thing there is that is important to life in this moment.

 

Peace to you this day. Peace.

Every moment you have the opportunity to make some time for your own personal space.

 

Every moment you can draw some boundaries and allow yourself some "breathing room."

 

You have the power and the ability to create that space by shifting your thoughts, by taking some deep breaths, going for a walk, or by paying attention to what it is you are overlooking or missing in this moment.

 

Claim your space. Take a moment and draw some boundaries.

 

Breathe.

 

Peace to you this day. Peace.

Sometimes its not such a bad thing to be speechless. Often, the more we talk, the less we listen and hear what is going on and being said "between the lines." There is certainly a time to put forth your own thoughts and beliefs, but there is also a time and a moment to pay better attention to what is being said, or felt. Buddhist thought and teachings invite us to watch what we are putting our attention on, and to listen deeply to "what is going on." Its more difficult to do that when you are doing all of the talking.

 

Listening well, and not speaking so much may be informative, but it may also be empowering to those to whom you are listening. By listening carefully and thoughtfully, you give others personal acknowledgement and authority as well as value. It may be the best gift you can give. Cultivate the ability to listen at many different levels.

 

Peace to you this day. Peace.