While participating in a week long silent meditation retreat, here’s what occurred to me as I went on a long long walk:
1. There’s a natural beginning and time for ending if I pay close attention and listen more than speak.
2. The present is a more reliable companion than the past or future.
3. What is seen is transitory, and what is unseen is eternal.
4. There’s a time to stop planning and soar above to notice what’s going on all around.
5. Adjust to my current age in numbers by realizing that I just need to go far enough to be the flow of my life.
6. Everything I need to learn can be discovered in nature.
7. Sometimes it’s good to pause and assess the situation before moving forward (watching the salamander do that).
8. When feeling pain internally, notice and tend to it, there’s a message there, and it is transitory too.
9. Take time to notice, explore without a goal of getting something accomplished.
10. Feel profound gratitude all around me.
11. There’s a lot of life and decay and death happening all at once.
12. I don’t really need to know what other people are thinking or feeling all the time.
13. I want to send out love, health, happiness, safety, ease and love to all living beings.
14. The earth is here to support me, every step of the way.
15. I can usually answer my own questions.
16. Walk up to the edge of the hill, see what’s out there, then fly away (like the Raven).
17. When sweeping, just sweep! (Uni-tasking).
18. Look forward, look back, hang out in the present. Stop myself when I notice bouncing back and forth between past predicaments and future fears.
19. Sometimes it’s enough to be silent and take it all in.
20. Generosity feels good!
21. Animals are not afraid of you unless you give them a reason to.
22. Sometimes it’s better to walk than fly.
23. Life can be perfectly imperfect and messy at the same time.
24. Shadows and light: what more proof is there for impermanence?
25. I’m seeing a lot of seeds that I’ve planted and nourished are now ready to be harvested!
Steve Leibman 