It is Labor Day weekend. I’ve spent most of this Sunday afternoon sitting out on our small front porch engrossed in the book, “The Mystic Heart” by Wayne Teasdale. The humidity which has been brutal over these last weeks has taken a rest. The cloudless sky was my companion. I watched a dried, pale yellow leaf chatter across the pavement. I retrieved it for my altar as the first sign of fall.
A Cherry Blossom tree we named Chloe shaded my perch. As I read my attention was drawn away as I noticed 5 – 6 Carolina Wrens flitting from branch to branch eating the aphids off the bark. They traversed the tree with ease and every now and then one would blurt out a tweet. I was memorized watching these tiny noble creatures bend the branches with their landings as I could hear the flutter of their wings. While neighbors walked by with their thirsty dogs and the Amazon Prime truck chauffeured peoples’ packages, a whole hidden world was revealed. It is during these quiet hours of noticing nature when the doors of my monastery swing open.
Mindful Tip:
Sit in a comfortable place outside in the shade. Take a few deep breaths and feel your body settle. Allow the mind which is so labored with endless thoughts to calm. Then watch and listen as nature sings a prayer.