Yesterday I began the morning unable to access the internet ... by the end of the day I had a replacement modem, a new connector wire and a reinstalled driver ... it took the better part of the day and it threw some plans into a tail spin. The up side was - a very cooperative techie from MTS, delightful visits with the staff of the local library as I used the public computers there, and a wonderful pause in the day at the local computer store, along with a visit with Dany and Sandi ...
Along the way, one of my friends said - "Maybe it's a sign to stop and not be online for a while ..."
Then last night I read a passage by Thich Nhat Hanh that suggests a good lesson in our modern world would be: "Don't just do something, sit there ..."
He goes on to reflect on the importance of stopping once in a while and allowing ourselves the time to see things more clearly ...
Maybe my computer problems were a reminder to stop ... stop and rest ... stop and smell the roses ... stop and just savour the fullness of creation ...
The photo here is offered as a dual reminder ... now is the season of cygnets, goslings and ducklings ... here in Minnedosa our buffalo have had a number of babies who are playing in the fields of their pen ... around us are new lives beginning their journey. New lives that bring out the "ahhh" and "wows" that lie within our souls. Now is a good season to reflect on new life, creation and the turning of the seasons ... but you can't do that adequately flying by a slough at 100km/hr. To fully appreciate the new life around a slough you have to stop, step out of the car and leave the rest up to nature ...
The wind ... the sound ... the smells ... the sights:
In the water are goslings, musk rats, ducklings and perhaps pelicans or swans ... in the reeds are red winged and yellow headed black birds ... over under the brush you might spy a deer, or a coyote ...
You might glimpse these things hurtling by in the car at 100 km/hr, but to truly appreciate them you have to stop ... stop and savour them on their terms ...
So, like the little cygnet sitting in the shade of mom's wing - may we have the courage, the faith and the boldness to find the time today, and tomorrow and in the coming days to stop and simply enjoy the moment ... It could be out beside a prairie slough, it could be in an urban park, it could be on the sea shore ... where ever it is - take the time to just enjoy the moment ...
We live in a world that has gotten really good at saying - "Don't just sit there !! Do something!!" It's a good time to turn that around and make our mantra: "Don't just do something !! Sit There!!"
Savour the moment - savour the day - savour the gift of life !!!
(If you're still NOT entirely convinced, I invite you to check out my contribution to the Front Page at United Online ... After the hassles of yesterday I penned a piece called "The Gift of Time." Head over there and check it out ... it's not a bad piece of work:
http://www.united-online.ca
I also have a piece on living in a thankless society that I was tempted to cross post here from my United Online Blog - but it's easier to send YOU there ... so when you're at United Online, check out the Blog link and peruse my latest offering there ...)
dayenu,
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