Heightened Awareness? (February 2022)

It was a lesson in awareness, struggling to finish a three-hour Seijaku teaching practice, and I’m exhausted. Frustrated and tired, I walk to a nearby park to ground. Today seems different. I feel every step, heel/toe, heel/toe. “Feel your feet on the floor” echoes in my head. My whole body feels the transition from sidewalk to street. The warm fall day penetrates my body. A case of “Heightened Awareness”? I kick off my shoes to feel the grass between my toes. I lie down in the shade of a friendly tree, and we share breaths. I hear leaves rustle as the wind blows and it calms me. Although children play, a dog barks, birds sing, and a car drives by, there is a sense of total peace and quiet. It is balance in a natural state of being. And then it happened, the words of Justin Stone — “Serenity in the midst of activity” — come to mind and my body tingles. As I lay there, with a smile on my face, the world is in perfect alignment. Another lesson learned, and with much gratitude, I give thanks to all who have influenced my TCC journey.