Tag Archives: Mindful Practice

Heading Home – Haiku Haven

Posted on July 28, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Kathy and I head home after a great month in Spokane and at Gonzaga. I enjoy my time here and find the “pause that refreshes.” Part of this is paying forward which happens and the flow of time within this relational space. I see paying forward as a circle. Yesterday, we said good-bye to a colleague on his way home. He reminded me I lent him one of my papers his first summer here and how much that meant to him at a time he was ready to pack it in. I told him my first experience here was similar and someone reached out to me. I find the same thing in virtual community. It is harder to carry on conversations and build relationships, but I find a qualities that are unmistakeably human: care, reciprocity, and trust. I am grateful for the daily support I receive in each form of relationship.

Hearts open in time

The reward is worth the wait

We listen deeply.

A place of comfort

The circle invites us in

Its safe reach shelters.

Community calls

Alchemy not formula

Companionship grows.

I found this quote at Circle Toward Wholeness and it speaks to the circular nature of life and how gifts are constantly received and returned. The quote can also be found at Unitarian Universalist and Circle Fellowship in a more linear form.

3 Comments

Posted in Community, Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged Black Elk, blogging, community, haiku, Mindful Practice, Parker Palmer, poetry. Bookmark the permalink.

Shoulders by Naomi Shihab Nye and Out of Great Need by Hafiz

Posted on July 27, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I finished reading Healing the Heart of Democracy by Parker Palmer. It is a wonderful book and, even though he wrote it from an American perspective, it has many universal messages. These poems focus on a message we are in life together-we share, reciprocate, appreciate.

I am reaching the point of settling into the dissertation process. My theme is technology, its implications in learning, mindful practices, and the role of leadership in the use of technology. Today, the responses I received from yesterday’s post, Inspiring Blog Award, was evidence that various social media offer opportunities to build digital community. Gonzaga has a journal club for its doctoral students. We find research articles, read them and summarize key points, and present our understanding as they relate to leadership. I presented one about Virtual Communities of Practice today. A key point is reciprocity or the giving and receiving of gifts. This is not a material gift, but one demonstrated through appreciation for the other when they post or say something online. I was able to share I saw the reciprocity and appreciation fully today. You are part of an emerging phenomenological study.

These poems are for you.

2 Comments

Posted in Community, Education, Leadership, Learning Organizations, Poetry, Uncategorized and tagged community, Hafiz, leadership, Mindful Practice, Naomi Shihab Nye, Parker Palmer, poetry, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Sabbaths by Wendell Berry

Posted on July 23, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

What do I gain from taking a break; disconnect to reconnect? I think this poem speaks volumes. Jay F. Smith contributed the idea for this poem along with a brief reflective essay in Leading from Within.

In his essay, Rev. Smith indicated the Sabbath mood is “a mood resulting from a deep sense of knowing that no matter what the immediate visible, tangible, measurable ‘results’ may be, [something bigger than me] God is at work in the world” (p. 114).

Whatever is foreseen in joy

Must be lived out from day to day.

Vision held open in the dark

By our ten thousand days of work.

Harvest will fill the barn; for that

The hand must ache, the face must sweat.

And yet no leaf or grain is filled

By work of ours; the field is tilled

And left to grace. That we may reap,

Great work is done while we’re sleeping.

When we work well, a Sabbath mood

Rests on our day, and finds it good.

Berry, W. (2007). Sabbaths. In S. M. Intrator and M. Scribner (Eds.), Leading from within: Poetry that sustains the courage to lead (pp. 115). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

1 Comment

Posted in Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged Mindful Practice, mindfulness, poetry, sabbath, teacher as transformer, Wendell Berry. Bookmark the permalink.

Haiku Haven

Posted on July 20, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Last year, I found I was tired and often in pain and began to look for ways to deal with these issues. Cautiously, I examined the concept of meditation and a mindful practice. This morphed into more, as I began to read about the topics and I completed an individual and directed study as part of my doctoral process. I am provided with an opportunity to explore the self who teaches and lives this life during these quiet moments. I discovered a need for a mindful life, where I was fully present and meditation serves me well.

Each morning, I get up and begin my day with a quiet, mindful space:

Each morning’s practice

I fall awake into day

Embrace the calmness.

Most days, I walk to the local coffee shop where everybody knows my name and continue my practice. Even in the noise of the place, I mindfully read and drink my tea. Part of it is the walk.

With each of life’s steps

Earth receives me graciously

And we become one.

Each afternoon, I try lay down for an hour. I rarely sleep. My neck and shoulders ache and they are asking for a break. I focus on my breath and let thoughts flow by on my stream of consciousness.

Embodied mind speaks

Rest the mind and body

Take refuge, sabbath.

Take care and have a great 21st of July, 2012.

I’m Tired, I’m Whipped by Nevin Compton Trammell

Posted on July 16, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

I spent a great day on Sunday. I read, had a major nap which caused me to struggle sleeping last night, and spent time with friends doing pizza. I was completely disconnected. It is in these moments I find my voice.

I’m tired

I’m whipped

too dumb to quit

too smart

to let life go by

I’m working hard

to find truth

in my own backyard

I’ve done everything

but die

Took the long way around

on a short ride to town

found a pass

where few have been

Gained a love

lost a friend

scraped my knees

learning to please

started out

with no choice

somewhere

somehow

found my

voice.

It is a journey; not a destination. Take care and have a great 17th of July.

2 Comments

Posted in Mindful Life, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged Mindful Practice, mindfulness, Nevin Compton Trammell, poetry, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

In My Haste to Post I Forgot the Title

Posted on July 15, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

It was an interesting day. In the midst of it, Parker Palmer posted a poem by Wendell Berry on Facebook. It is a special day when Parker posts a poem by Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver, or himself. The poem was How to Be a Poet (to remind myself). Wendell Berry is low tech and uses a typewriter to craft his words. Parker pointed to an aspect of the poem’s message: “Shun electric wire/Communicate slowly/Live a three-dimensional life.”The slow of life is worth something. It lets us be the person we are most fully.

Later, I began to think about two songs by two artists I enjoy and have seen multiple times live. Guy Clark sings The Carpenter and John Wort Hannam sings With the Grain. Both songs are rich with the metaphors of living a three-dimensional life. It is no coincidence the topic is that of a carpenter in both cases. It is about true to one’s self and living a life with value.

Sabbath

Silence, solitude, sacred

A mountain’s strength

The sky’s expanse

A lake mirrors

Words of wisdom

Spoken so softly.

Disconnect to reconnect

Listen that silent sacred space

The inner teacher beckons

Be present

Wisdom revealed

Let it heal, repair

A single thread at a time

The web of life so fragile.

Questions emerge

Hold gently

Live their mystery

They answer only when ready

Until then they lie dormant

Ready when ready

Embrace life as it is.

I salute you and take my leave for a few hours. Have a wonderful 16th of July.

3 Comments

Posted in Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Poetry, Reflective Moments, Synchronicity, Uncategorized and tagged Guy Clark, John Wort Hannam, Mary Oliver, Mindful Practice, mindfulness, nature, Parker Palmer, poetry, teacher as transformer, Wendell Berry. Bookmark the permalink.

Seasons of Clouds

Posted on July 13, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Kathy’s niece took these pictures of boomers the other night west of Edmonton. Kathy and I talked about what we saw in the clouds. There is a lot in there and yesterday, as I walked, I understood clouds meaning something different during different seasons of life.

The spring of childhood,

Clouds were homes

Where

My imagined friends

Came to life

Nursery rhymes, fairy tale, cartoons

People lived there.

A voice called: “Hurry home before it rains.”

Spring met summer

Romance arrived

A single rain drop touched us

We scrambled

Holding hands

We discovered shelter

In each other

And laughed: “Let it rain.”

The dog days of summer arrived

I looked up

Storm clouds overhead

Ominous

Please, I need to finish the lawn

Or there goes the BBQ tonight

I hear my voice: “Hurry home before it rains; so much to do.”

In autumn

A safe distance

We view

But, don’t hurry

Clouds

Real places in our imagination

Together, we share

God’s chair, a child’s face, google eyes

It may rain tonight

I hear my voice: “I am here again.”

15 Comments

Posted in Mindful Life, Nature in All Its Glory, Photography, Poetry, Reflective Moments and tagged clouds, Mindful Practice, mindfulness, nature, poetry, teacher as transformer. Bookmark the permalink.

Granite Fortress

Posted on July 11, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

This is the Rocky Mountains as I looked southwest at Pincher Creek, Alberta. They are spectacular, but as you move towards them and Waterton Lakes National Park they are more majestic. Several years ago, I drove back through Browning, Montana and crossed the border south of Cardston, Alberta. As I drove north, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the solid face of the granite rising out of the prairie floor. Seeing nature’s glory is humbling.

Rock reaches

Steel gray granite

Rises from prairie

Skyward bound.

I am insignificant

In this place.

Mountains,

Walled guardians

Impenetrable reminders of real gifts.

I am taking a short break, so have a great July 13, 2012.

There Are a Lot of Mockingbirds in This Book by Mary Oliver

Posted on July 9, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Sabbath was good. I feel rejuvenated and more at rest plus I got a lot done. Sat quietly twice during the day, went to church, and shared pizza with friends.

I read. I randomly chose a poem from Evidence by Mary Oliver called There Are Lot of Mockingbirds in This Book and read when I first got up. The last three stanzas really stood out. We plan and over plan and it is those unexpected things that reveal themselves. We just have to wait. I also read Derek Boks, Parker Palmer, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Wayne Muller, a bit of an eclectic mix.

The quiet gave me time to digest food and food for thought. I disconnected to reconnect.

this is isn’t nature

where the sweetest things, being hidden in leaves

and thorn-thick bushes

reveal themselves rarely–

this is a book

of the heart’s rapture,

of hearing and praising

and never forgetting

so that the world

is what the world is

in a long lifetime:

singer after singer

bursts from the thorn bush,

now, and again, and again,

their songs in the mind forever.

Have a great 10th of July. Smile at someone secretly.

Sabbath – A Poem

Posted on July 8, 2012 by ivonprefontaine

Recently, I posted Humility and referenced Wayne Muller’s book Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest. He suggested we all need to take time, disconnect, and do those things and be with those people in our immediate lives which bring us moments of quiet and refuge. He has offered a new awareness for me of what was missing in my life, a calm, tranquil, restful time I share with those immediately around me and my self. I am disconnected for the next 36 hours. I will just be.

I leave with a found poem of sorts. I chose words from the book that exemplified my understanding of Sabbath. I look forward to comments and likes when I return on Monday morning.

Shine the light

Reveal a next step

On the journey.

Moments of remembrance

Blessing gifts received

Delight in life

Reflect in wonder.

Uplift the spirit

Care for the body

Rest your soul

Take refuge

Take sanctuary