In bookstores are book after book, new and old, suggesting ways for us to move more slowly throughout the day. Books, such as the following, take us away from the hustle and bustle and bring us closer to a more balanced day: Byron Katie with Stephen Mitchell, A THOUSAND NAMES FOR JOY A GUIDE TO LIVING IN HARMONY WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE; Geri Larkin’s, The CHOCOLATE CAKE SUTRA INGREDIENTS FOR A SWEET LIFE; Cecile Andrews’s, SLOW IS BEAUTIFUL; and Eckhart Tolle’s, THE POWER OF NOW and A NEW EARTH tell us how and why.
www.thework.com
www.eckhardttolle.com
the other side of the coin tells us to cram as much as possible into the day because, the other side of the coin says, we have only one life to live. But, when our days are full with tight schedules, how much can we see, understand, feel, listen to, and appreciate in the course of a day? Stepping off the roller coaster we’ve made for ourselves gives us a chance to clear our mind. When all is said and done, will we be concerned with our schedule, or will be wondering about something more important? Maybe it’s wise to have a reality check sooner than later. It’s good to keep life in balance.
“Make the universe your companion, always bearing in mind the true nature of all creation-mountains and rivers, trees and grasses, and humankind.” -Matsuo Basho, poet-pilgrim
Is our world a world of opposites? Or is the apparent duality a product of our rational minds? I sometimes think that our other ways of knowing (spiritual, emotional, sensory) are not constrained by the rational mind’s need for the mirror of the “other,” the “not I” or “not this.”