Creating Calm within Crisis

"And one has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear."-Paulo Coelho

Perhaps you were as drawn to the news reports of twelve soccer players and their coach trapped in a cave in Thailand this summer, like me. A miraculous story of survival, and of the power of the practice of meditation in times of crisis.

As we learned upon their rescue, the boys' coach,  Ekapol Chantawong, had studied vipassana or mindfulness meditation as a youth in a Buddhist monastery. Under the most challenging of circumstances, he taught his young charges to observe, to slow their breath, and to remain calm in the face of the unknown. Through their meditation practice, they conserved oxygen, and avoided panic despite lack of food and uncertainty of rescue. Not many of us will have the need to practice mindfulness trapped in a flooded cave for two weeks; however we will be faced with obstacles, fear and challenges in our lives. How will we meet these challenges...with calm or chaos? The choice and the power is ours. 

Untangling Ourselves Through Tangling

 At our recent Stress Resources' Meditation Maintenance Session, I was enthralled by a meditative form of drawing or "tangling", which Meditation Maintenance regular, Ann S. generously demonstrated and taught our small group of meditators. A whole process has evolved around the use of drawing repetitive interlocking or tangling lines on paper, called Zentangle.  As each of us focused, created repetitive patterns, and anchored ourselves to the paper and pen, a sense of calm centerdness fell over the room and I was reminded of the common denominators of meditative practice: focus, awareness and bringing oneself into the present moment. How wonderful to find ourselves untangling through the tangling of lines on a small piece of paper.

Here are the finished "tangles" we made at the June Meditation Maintenance Session.

Happy Wabi-Sabi Thanksgiving

In the November Stress Resources Newsletter, I contrasted the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi, the beauty of imperfection, to our westernized view of perfection (think Hallmark card, Norman Rockwell illustration, Martha Stewart anything) continually fueling our stress levels during the holiday season. I asked readers to send in their version of what a wabi-sabi holiday in their home looks like. Thanks to my sister, Hilary Katz Gould, from Huntsville, Alabama, for sending along her thoughts....have a wabi-sabi day, little sis.

Wabi-sabi Thanksgiving table at the Gould's

The pumpkin pie will have a crack in the middle, and the crust will not be flaky or gourmet. It will be made by Sam, and her middle school recipe from 7th grade. Store bought crust and easy canned ingredients. It will be tasty though, and we will only have a few more years of Sam's pumpkin pie to enjoy before college sweeps her away.

Daniela's cranberry sauce will consist of a bag of berries, and a cup of sugar, maybe some orange zest... if we happen to have oranges around. It will end up cooling in what ever bowl is around at the time. May even end up in a plastic cup, if that is the easiest for her 11 year old hands to work with.

Derrick's turkey will be stuffed with a loaf of ripped up white bread with paprika, mushrooms and some chopped onions. His mother's recipe from her Hungarian mother.

None of these dishes will be beautiful, or gourmet, or color coordinated. But, years from now, the picture of the imperfection, or wabi-sabi table will bring back wonderful memories of our family Thanksgiving.

Wishing you all a wabi-sabi Thanksgiving...filled with mindful moments and gratitude.