November
I’ve been on a trip to London to visit my granddaughter who just started school there and so, for the first time in many years, I’m late with my newsletter. Part of the reason for my tardiness is that I’m not sure what to write. Not because there is nothing to say but because there is so much to say that it swirls around in my head in disjointed pieces. I’ve been thinking about the power of gratitude, especially during challenging times like these, I’ve been thinking about letting go of outcome and working with what is really in front of me, rather than what I imagine things should look like, I’ve been thinking about how powerful it is to support local businesses, how hard it is to break ties with large agriculture and the other corporations that take more than their fair share, support authoritarianism, and extract money out of our communities. Leaving the ease and cost savings when buying from large corporations challenges what I’m willing to do in order to support the type of world I’d like to see.
What am I willing to give up, or pay a little more for, in order to support my values?
Annie Lamont spoke about how, as children, we abandon our own gut responses so we can feel safe. We take on our parents narrative and learn to not trust our own intuition. It’s hard to wake up from the dream of how I thought the world operates and humbly fess up to how complicit I’ve been with the mess we are now in. I have been buying from Amazon rather than supporting my local bookstore because it is easier, sometime cheaper, and I get what I want without waiting. But by not buying from my local bookstore the profits go out of my community and eventually the independent bookstore whitters up and dies leaving me no choice but to buy from a large corporation. If I can’t give up some comforts to support a healthier world and planet I have to face that I am part of the problem. This is the challenge I’m being asked to step up to now. Giving up some of my comfort for the greater good.
On another note, having been nourished by making art during this tumultuous time, I feel called to share that practice with others. We are entering a time of thanksgiving and gift giving-gratitude and generosity. That is what I love about the winter holidays. If you want to enjoy a moment of ease before all the activities of the holidays please join me in the gentle art of looking closely. This December 9th at 12PM EST (9AM PST) I’m offering a Zen drawing workshop at Zen Peacemakers International. It’s free, my gift to you. Please join me! Here’s the link to sign up:
https://hive.zenpeacemakers.org/networks/events/195149
Wishing you coziness, gratitude and generosity during this season of harvest and the inward turning of early winter