• Beth Chapman
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Book
  • Blog
  • Media

08 Jan

Simply. Now. Done.

Beth Blog 0 0

2

 

Today was my day to write a comment on a book an on-line group is reading. I struggled. I laughed. The chapter was on simply experiencing the moment, our creativity and being as it is without expectation. How does one write a comment for others to read without expectation? And, is that not our fear of engaging our own creativity and expression? Without reading a word of the book, may you who have stumbled upon these little words, know the sacred perfection of this moment, your heart, and all that is…..

Opening disclaimer and confession: My assignment of this chapter has been making me laugh out loud for some time now. Even more as I try to post a written comment. Loori summarizes the principals, philosophy or aesthetics behind Zen art and creativity: still point, no mind, simplicity, ordinariness, mystery, playfulness and “thusness” or “is-ness.” Whatever the guiding label, the root is indeed being in absorbed in this one moment without expectation. Bold dancing stillness. Quiet boisterous laughter. Ordinary overwhelming awe. Unknown mysteries known. My laughter holds these contradictions as I wonder, ok little one, how do I write a simple, ordinary comment that is filled with mystery, playfulness and simply IS this moment without expectation or intent? How do I not lose the fullness of this moment by describing it?

The blizzard outside draws my eyes from the computer. Within the wind swept sheets of snow, small funnels form and the whisked snow dances and turns. The tiny lizard in my laundry room, I thought dead, has turned his head. A new Peace Lilly leaf is trying to lift the mature leaf out of its way. I type on computer keys to the rhythm and passion of the piano music playing. The other day as my fingers smeared the finger paint all over the paper, a young child asked me why I had so much gray hair. I laughed out loud. A child who could not sit still became a statue when I answered his question of how old I was – a few weeks shy of 62. I smeared paint on my cheek and laughed, “Amazing yeah?” My little dog is running here and there trying to find a place to hide her treasured sock.

And here I sit trying to avoid losing all this with the expectation of writing a comment. When I write my blog, a photograph I’ve taken tip toes into my mind. I sit at the computer and type with no mind. I hit send, bow my head, giggle, and walk away. Done. This feels different. Perhaps that is what Loori is telling us. Listen for the tip toes. Act. Hold the moment sacred as your truth. Walk into the next moment with simple joy. May every moment be honored as ‘done.’

These are my threads. The chapter is abundantly rich in more. But for now, the pianist is having a grand time running up and down the keyboard. My dog is barking at the mailman. A white curtain hides my neighbor’s house. My coffee cup warms my hands. And I am humming “row, row, row your boat…..”

Bow. Giggle. Send. Done.

 

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Related


being now simplicity
Twitter Facebook

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Walking the Earth

  • IMG_2252
  • IMG_2262
  • IMG_2259
  • IMG_2251
  • IMG_2255
  • IMG_2263
  • IMG_2256
  • IMG_2258
  • IMG_2254

Recent Posts

  • Celebrating Mama’s Day
  • Whispered Trilogy
  • Spring Equinox
  • Polarities
  • Silence Broken

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

  • Blog
  • Media

Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2020
  • August 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • September 2017
  • May 2017
  • January 2017
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014

Recent Comments

  • Deborah Mars on Celebrating Mama’s Day
  • Deborah Mars on Spring Equinox
  • Beth on Spring Equinox
  • Deborah Mars on Spring Equinox
  • Deborah Mars on Polarities


  • Home
  • Bio
  • Book
  • Blog
  • Media

Copyright © 2014. Beth Chapman. All rights reserved.
 
 

Loading Comments...