From My View

This past Saturday I was working at the shop and during a lull I looked out

 and saw these two cyclists riding down the path near the edge on the hill.

Contemplative Monday

The following quote is from 'Heart Advice, Weekly Quotes from Pema Chodron'.

THE PATH of PAUSING

"The primary focus of this path of choosing wisely, of this training to deescalate aggression,

is learning to stay present.

Pausing very briefly, frequently throughout the day, is an almost effortless way to do this.

For just a few seconds we can be right here.

Meditation is another way to train in learning to stay, or, as one student put it more accurately,

learning to come back, to return to being present over and over again.

The truth is, anyone who's ever tried meditation learns very quickly that we are almost 

never fully present. 

I remember when I was first given meditation instruction. It sounds so simple:

Just sit down, get comfortable, and bring light awareness to your breath.

I thought, "This will be easy." Then someone hit a gong to begin and I tried it.

What I found was that I wasn't present with a single breath until they hit the gong again

to end the session. I had spent the whole time lost in thought.

Back then I believed this was because of some failing of mine, and that if I stuck

with meditation, soon I'd be perfect at it, attending to each and every breath.

Maybe occasionally I'd be distracted by something, but mostly I would just stay present.

Now it's about thirty years later. Sometimes my mind is busy. Sometimes it's still.

Sometimes the energy is agitated. Sometimes calm.

All kinds of things happen when we mediate----everything from thoughts

to shortness of breath to visual images, from physical discomfort 

to mental distress to peak experiences.

All of that happens, and the basic attitude is, "No big deal." 

The key point is that, through it all, we train in being open

and receptive to whatever arises."

Eclectic Tastes

Always liked this piece of music.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.

Saturday Morning Post

'I can see you. Can you see me?'

Sitting in 'their' spot on the Hill.

A 100-plus year old beautiful brass bed frame was the 'hot ticket' at the 50 km yard sale last weekend.

A young couple bought it and were very excited.

Ron's mother was born in this bed in 1921.

A great wrought iron garden/patio set I sold at the yard sale last Saturday.
This set was specially made for a movie here in Nova Scotia.

Ominous cloud overhead.

'We are marching off to sea'!

Cormorant on a mission. 

Sun on shed.

Sophie watching her favourite show.

Clouds.

Lines.

And as the sun sets over the western horizon......

Smile

Here are Ron and Sophie as we were waiting on the boardwalk yesterday morning

for friends....Cynthia and her dog Mocha.

Aren't they the cutest!!

Looking Down

.......you just may be amazed at what is down there!

Boardwalk reflection...

Multi-faceted rock....

Is this rock moving on its own?

Almost looks like an aerial view of a river delta.

This dragonfly's final landing....

This rock has been tumbled around a lot.

The odd couple maybe?

A sprig of seaweed.

Incredible how some plants can grow and live in rocks very close to ocean.

And It's Lift-Off.......almost

SO windy at the beach a couple days ago.
Little grains of sand were flying through the air and 'pinging' our faces.
At one point I thought Sophie was about to 'take off'!!
Take a look.....

Hey, she tried!!

You know, maybe it was Mr .Orangie keeping her grounded!

Downright Balmy, I Tell Ya

Summer, it appears, didn't want to let go and was holding on for dear-life 

for the past two days around here.

So up to our 'perch' (MacDonald Hill) we went last evening before sunset 

to catch the breeze and balmy temperature....as was this couple.

These photos, I hope, reflect the feeling of the almost tropical air.

The Golden Rod was in its glory.

The ocean was raging and frothy.

Spruce trees are a very hardy species along this coast.

The beach as seen from MacDonald Hill. I liked how the sun reflected upon the lamp posts 

along the highway.

 Nothing holds back these parasurfers.

And so ends another day along the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada.

Contemplative Monday

The following quote is from 'Heart Advice, Weekly Quotes from Pema Chodron'.

*** Trungpa Rinpoche is the person who brought Shambhala Buddhism to Halifax in 1986.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THINGS ARE UNBEARABLE?

"Trungpa Rinpoche once asked a group of students, "What do you do when you get squeezed?

What do you do when things are unbearable?"

We all sat there wondering what to say. Then he called on us one by one.

We were so scared that we answered very genuinely. 

Almost all of us said something to the effect that we just completely fell apart,

forgot about practice altogether, and become totally habitual in our reactions.

Needless to say, after that we noticed very clearly what we did when we felt attacked,

betrayed, or confused, when we found situations unbearable or unacceptable.

We began to really notice what we did.

Did we close down, or did we open up? Did we feel resentful and bitter, or did we soften?

Did we become wiser or more stupid?

As a result of our pain, did we know more about what it is to be human, or did we know less?

Were we more critical of our world or more generous?"