METTA CENTER

"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself" ~ Zen Proverb "Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke As I started my day this morning, I was spell-bound by the brilliant display of flowers all around my home. In the Bay Area, spring has definitely sprung! Everywhere I looked, blossoms have burst in a profusion of colors: white, magenta, blue, purple, yellow, orange, red, and pink. Young grasses of verdant green dance in the soft breeze. Delicate new leaves are poking out of bare branches where they have slept through winter. I am witnessing life in its full splendor and spring regalia. So glorious, indeed! I invite you to allow yourself to get away from your desk, from the unfinished busy-ness in your day, and go out and greet spingtime with open arms and delighted eyes. Abandon your worries and obligations, and replace them with a sense of joy and ease, even for just a short...

(This article was first published in the January 2006 issue of Metta Center Newsletter.) When you allow yourself to be enchanted, you are saying yes to life. Saying yes to life opens doors for opportunities and inspirations. Saying yes to life means you are in alignment with the flow of life. Saying yes to life means spending less energy resisting, thus, less pain and suffering. Saying yes to life connects you to your own spirit. You experience more ease, peace and joy. When I feel stuck or restless, I recognize this as signs that I have been in resistance. My old pattern was to grit my teeth and stick it out. “Don't give up, keep at it!” I would think to myself. It was not an option to give myself 5 minutes to pause and to do something that enchant me, whether to admire a beautiful flower, or look at the sky, or feel the breeze or listen to nature. By persistently pushing, I ended up spending a lot of energy in getting myself out of whatever it was that I was stuck in, and not ...