Snow Day
This weekend is turning out to be a ghastly one, work-wise. Two of my classmates and I have been tossing around puns all day about how we are being absolutely inundated by this Environmental Policy class on water scarcity, and it's completely drowning our dreams. The assignments we have to prepare for this week seem to have no beginning and no end and no clear directions on what to do. Welcome to policy-making, I guess. (The last thing this brain-baffling I encountered had to be something assigned to me by Trish Deveneau junior year of high school.) Don't get me wrong -- I've taken hard classes before. But I'd rather translate Ancient Greek for hours or even do calculus over this nebulous (for lack of a better or more alliterative word) nonsense. It really has been quite disheartening.
But walking back from the cafeteria and a lunch spent grunting and groaning, two small but wonderfully heartening observations struck me about my weekend:
1. I'll be starting each of these uber-stressful days with meditation. Before our environmental marathon, Reylon and I re-read the beginning of The Power of Now to center ourselves before diving in, and then meditated for 20 minutes before reading the instructions for the policy memo we have to write. Tomorrow, I'll start my day with reading for my expository writing on Indian Philosophy, with the words of the Buddha himself. Quite a luxury to have this reflection built (or fit) into such crammed days.
2. The SNOW. Oh my goodness it's so beautiful outside. I've never seen this much snow before. Trekking to obligations is just so much more exciting and dream-like in this post-apocalyptic paradise that our campus has become for the weekend. Some more daring (imprudent) northeasterners will even needlessly brave the nor'easter seeking out their favorite caffeine fix (only to find Starbucks intelligently closed).
I guess I just thought maybe a fourth coffee today would help me finally see what the heck I can do to help Australia solve all of its water problems. But I think my point in this post is to find your meditation -- through your music or your art or your sport -- and start your days with that if you can. And feel the crunch of the snow under your soaked pink rain boots, and enjoy it.
Or maybe I just wanted to take a break from the kind of writing I can't seem to figure out, and allow myself to be distracted by the type I sort of know how to approach.
But walking back from the cafeteria and a lunch spent grunting and groaning, two small but wonderfully heartening observations struck me about my weekend:
1. I'll be starting each of these uber-stressful days with meditation. Before our environmental marathon, Reylon and I re-read the beginning of The Power of Now to center ourselves before diving in, and then meditated for 20 minutes before reading the instructions for the policy memo we have to write. Tomorrow, I'll start my day with reading for my expository writing on Indian Philosophy, with the words of the Buddha himself. Quite a luxury to have this reflection built (or fit) into such crammed days.
2. The SNOW. Oh my goodness it's so beautiful outside. I've never seen this much snow before. Trekking to obligations is just so much more exciting and dream-like in this post-apocalyptic paradise that our campus has become for the weekend. Some more daring (imprudent) northeasterners will even needlessly brave the nor'easter seeking out their favorite caffeine fix (only to find Starbucks intelligently closed).
I guess I just thought maybe a fourth coffee today would help me finally see what the heck I can do to help Australia solve all of its water problems. But I think my point in this post is to find your meditation -- through your music or your art or your sport -- and start your days with that if you can. And feel the crunch of the snow under your soaked pink rain boots, and enjoy it.
Or maybe I just wanted to take a break from the kind of writing I can't seem to figure out, and allow myself to be distracted by the type I sort of know how to approach.
Always look forward to reading your blog.I find it really inspirational,the things you are doing for the environment,the small messages you have for everyone in your writings and your ability to multitask..keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite of your posts, Ratna. I'm glad to hear from you! Keep writing!
ReplyDeleteThank you!! That means so much coming from you! I certainly will keep writing. It's all I can always rely on. :)
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