a moment of zen

At one place i lived there were daily 'reflection' times -- 9am and 9pm (10pm on sundays). It was an interesting part of life in our community of residents; i think most of us had a love/hate relationship with the whole thing. For me, I loved the moments of zen, the shared experience, the unexpected. The long-suffered moments of obligation and awkward attempts at meaning, less so. My job description included a requirement to lead (or to coerce to someone else to lead) twice a week without fail - and i eventually developed a repertoire of two or three reflections I was happy to deliver pretty much at the drop of a hat.

My favorite reflection to lead was one I only did in the mornings. I would hand smallish stones around to the group and invite everyone to just relax. To lay on the floor and close their eyes if they liked. To feel their muscles relax as they thought through each - starting with the toes and ending with the fingers holding the stone. To breathe.

In the quiet moment I would read aloud a statement, quote, turn of phrase. Anything that had recently inspired, motivated, relaxed me.

Here is a quote for today:
"The kind of beauty I want is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within - strength, courage, dignity" --Ruby Dee

(middle sister)