Vipassana

I just found out last week that I have been accepted onto a Vipassana meditation retreat in late June/early July. From the Alberta Vipassana website:

"Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is an ancient technique of meditation which was taught by Gautama the Buddha more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for human suffering."

It's a 10-day long retreat where participants observe "noble silence" (i.e. no talking for the entire time!) and no books, music, telephones, or any other outside influences are allowed. The whole idea behind these restrictions is to focus without distraction. Participants are supposed to feel as though they are on an independent journey. I have dabbled in meditation before but haven't put a concerted effort into it. I am really looking forward to this experience.

Beautiful Day

Today started out beautifully. The sky was filled with golden-orange hues that illuminated my drive to work. As I drove, my stereo played a wonderful cd that a friend gave me back in December for a road trip that never was. The music echoed the morning perfectly and I caught myself smiling at the simple pleasure of the 15-minute commute.

Last night was a lovely evening too. I found myself laughing from my belly and smiling a wide, toothy grin that only comes from genuine happiness. I'm trying to teach myself to savour these moments and really be aware of them as they sometimes strike with less frequency than I would ideally like.

The sauna that is my home

My condo is hot. It is very hot. It is very hot every single day regardless of the temperature outside. I don't know what they did when they built my unit but somehow they achieved some sort of incredible, genius heating efficiency far beyond what is needed (or wanted). Scientists should visit my home to learn how to save the world through decreased energy consumption.

Eeeep, the pressure!

This site hasn't even been around for 12 hours yet and already someone has linked to my page. Eeeep! Thank you Marc for making me feel like I have to be interesting and witty and web-saavy all in the course of a single day : )

A poem by Irving Layton

The hills
remind me
of you

Not because
they curve soft and warm
lovely and firm
under the Greek sun

Or flow
towards the horizon
in slow limpid waves
falling away mysteriously
at the edge of the sea

So that I can only surmise
their being there
beyond my gaze
and stare into the greyness

But because
a long time ago
you stared at them
as I am staring now
--------------------------------------
I've always liked this poem because it reminds me how salient memory can be. Memory can transform an ordinary landscape into an emotion like longing or sadness or reflection. Most days memory is my friend and some days it is my foe.

An introduction

This is the second time that I've started a 'blog'. I decided to start writing online again because I always seem to be at my computer with a million thoughts racing and want a place to store them before they float away never to be remembered again.

This has been the year of transition. Some would argue that every year, every month, and every day is transition (and 'they' are right) however, some changes are more explosive than others and some take more time to digest. This blog will be an account of the transitions in my life - the quick, kaleidoscope-like changes and the slower, turtle-like ones.

Spring is around the corner and there is a feeling in the air of anticipation. People have more of a bounce in their steps, the days are getting longer, and my freckles are beginning to come out. Life is getting better all the time.