About
Yes, it’s long. . .
I’m a mom with a college age daughter, a lovely, devoted husband, and a dog that is a bit of a pain in the ass, but he’s still my dog and I love him most of the time. I admit to having the following obsessions: a God obsession, a garden obsession, a yoga obsession, a photography obsession, a book obsession. These are bolstered by numerous mini-obsessions that mutate depending on various conditions, like my mood and current level of mental health (the neuroses index).
Politics is an obsession that comes and goes depending on my mood and what’s going on in the world. I’m what is called these days “Progressive,” since liberal has become, like feminist, a dirty word (no, no, I’m not one of those). Sometimes I follow the news and political situations closely, sometimes I don’t. It really is true that “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,” but we still have a responsibility to our world, our children and God to right wrongs and be the best caretakers/role models we can be. Some family members are still waiting for me to grow out of this “phase,” which has been going on now for, oh, twenty two years. Once I grow up, I’ll be a good conservative. . ..
I am also a Progressive Christian (oh yes, there is such a thing). I converted from a mish mash of Buddhism/positive thinking/New Ageyism about six years ago. What a wonderful sense of coming home (even though I was not raised Christian). What a beautiful, deep religion, in spite of its dubious reputation in this country today. It is refreshing to not be searching. Someone said that dabbling in numerous religions is like digging a bunch of shallow wells–you never get down to the water. I begin to see this is true. The Dalai Lama often tells people they should stick to their own religion. I finally heard him.
My spiritual reading consists of various Christian-oriented books and some Buddhist books (yes, I still dip my cup into that water–I can dig my Christian well good and deep and recognize that other religions still have something to teach me; I’m a Christian, not an ostrich). I especially appreciate the Buddhist practice of mindfulness. I am trying to practice this (oh, but don’t try so hard!). I love Sharon Salzberg, Lama Surya Das, Thich Nhat Hanh, to name a few. Recent Christian authors I’ve read include Jacob Needleman (Lost Christianity–wow!), Thomas Keating, Henri Nouwen, Frederick Buechner.
I also practice Ashtanga yoga. It’s been just over two years since starting this form of yoga (I had tried various types over the past twenty years, but never found one that drew me in like Ashtanga has). Now here is a constant challenge–mostly mentally, though I would never say it is not physically difficult (or the yoga god will smite me–but wait, I believe in one God. . . ).
I meditate every morning. Ironically, after all my years of dabbling in Buddhism, it was only after becoming a Christian, and learning the Centering Prayer method of meditation that I finally was able to establish a regular practice. This is largely because of the support I received at the Contemplative Outreach classes–I learned that my mind is probably not any busier than everybody else’s, and that yes, meditation is for everyone, even me. And that it does get better! And the growth and healing that they say come from a regular meditation practice are a reality. You have to try it to believe it (believe me, it’s worth it).
I live a contemplative lifestyle. Lots of quiet. No television (I raised my daughter without one in the house), but we do get movies from the library. I love silence. I have really gotten used to being at home in a quiet house. It does create a bit of a quandary in that I also love music (another obsession)!
I love my gardens. Several years ago, we went from a house with a very large, sunny yard to a small yard with lots of shade. This has created a challenge, but a challenge like this is one I love–it just means I have to be much more picky about what I grow.
I am a writer who cannot seem to kick start myself these days and hoped a blog would help me at least get the fingers typing while enabling me to communicate with other people with similar interests (or shall I say obsessions?).
