Tending: March 5 - 11

Tending is a cool word. Mindfulness is about paying attention. Notice "attending" has tending tucked into it.

Tending makes me think of gardening. How am I taking care of the garden of my life? What seeds am I planting? What areas am I nurturing? Are there any weeds that need pulling? Am I grateful for the sun and the rain? How is everything growing?

The word tending also evokes the idea of tenderness. Am I taking care of life with a sense of gentleness and kindness? Am I developing self-compassion? Am I also taking care of the garden in which I live, this home called Earth?

Tend to the garden of your life. How does an acorn become an oak tree? It doesn’t come up with a career path one day. Rather it is gifted with a spot on the earth and when the conditions are just right, the forces of nature stir from within and it becomes something it was not.

Practice

Find a peaceful spot on the earth either inside or outside your home. Plant yourself in meditation. Day in and day out, breath in sunlight, drink in silence, become rooted and embodied on the earth. Allow the forces of nature to subtly and secretly stir from within. Grow in compassion and gratitude. Breathe out that which is not needed. Let go of the false self to mysteriously and miraculously become your truest Self.