12/16/11: I thoroughly enjoyed a Flying Star restaurant conversation with Roger Dunning. Other than his enjoying it also, I feel sure it improved my life more than his. I learned his wife is a former administrator of a Kadampa Buddhist Meditation Center in Albuquerque. She’s also a former Catholic nun.
I immediately satisfied my curiosity and drove to the center. Mary wasn’t there, but often is. I talked with a Frances who was tending the bookstore. I left a message for Mary, got some literature, and probably will go to their Sunday service at 10. The literature reminded me so much of Destiny Center (see my review of their Sunday service in helium.com) that I can easily interest myself in comparing the two. Through Roger I’ve turned myself on 12/to another church to review. I am hoping to meet his wife.
12/19/11: I went to the Kadampa Buddhist Meditation Center Sunday service from 10-11:30 yesterday. I will write a review under the title “Review: Church services.” I talked at length with a 30 year old single lady named Catherine. I feel sure we both enjoyed it thoroughly. We laughed a lot. I enjoyed her and I enjoyed the service. I had many impulses to try to be helpful to the center. I did contribute by buying coffee and dropping a few bills in the collection bowl. One other bill was in it.
Catherine helped me decide to send a suggestion, yet to be written, to the administrator’s website. Past experience makes me quite cautious about “trying to be helpful” (a rueful smile here) to an organizaton that turns me on. Catherine helped me listen to an inner mantra of “easy Rusty, take it slow, back off, there’s plenty of time.”
12/26/11: Three weeks since I submitted a “Did I Make Anyone’s Life Better Today.” Did submit, and failed to submit some to helium.com as Rusty9. Now I’m back on voices.yahoo.com.
12/27/11: Would writing my morning meditation make anyone’s life better? The meditation makes my life much better. It is different than what is recommended by practically all meditation experts, except those who write about mindfulness. My morning meditation or mindfulness begins as soon as I wake. I pay attention to, appreciate, enjoy the warmth under the covers. I deliberately do not hurry. I luxuriate under the covers until my body/mind tells me to rise. Mostly it is my mind—thoughts of what I might want to do—that gets my feet to the floor.
How many can imitate the above paragraph? How many wish they could? My mental polling says most answer no to the first question. I would like to think a considerable majority would say yes to the second.
In our hurry up culture simply enjoying one’s self, one’s body, and one’s mind to start the day may have no or little appeal. Could that possibly be true? If it is, it describes a weird, distorted culture out of touch with sensible values.
I hope any reader will stop at this point, slowly re-read the above 3 paragraphs, and spend enough time to get really clear on where they stand on these ideas and questions. If you can’t—don’t want to—do it now, simply note that, and read no further. Perhaps later you can come back and take the time to benefit from what I have written.
Next time, I’ll re-read this and continue this morning’s minuscule piece of today’s morning meditation.