It's OK to be disappointed

Sometimes things don't go the way you have every reason to believe they will -- and not in the little details but the big picture.

Sometimes nature dumps a foot of snow on your Halloween.

Does meditation mean we'll never be disappointed with what happens?

No. But it could mean that we know we are disappointed, and we sit with that. We don't blame the world for being against us or ourselves for being unlucky or expecting too much. We just feel disappointed.

And then we don't. We move on to feeling something else.

Compassion starts with accepting imperfections

Imperfection is the fuel that allows us to generate genuine compassion.
Sakyong Mipham

Let your mind be like still water

Reflecting what is ... without judgment or interpretatation

You're invited to a thought party

tonight 7:30 p.m. Samadhi Yoga Studio, 283 E. Center St., Manchester

who can turn the world on with her smile?

To smile is not to smile only for yourself; the world will change because of your smile. Thich Nhat Hahn

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My horoscope for Oct. 18: You'll enjoy what you do, mostly because you resolve to enjoy it. Your attitude is stellar. You'll receive invitations and other nifty perks as people respond to your smile.

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I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.

--Naomi Shihab Nye

If we see our thoughts as friends

Maybe they won't torment us so much.

Topic for Wednesday's meditation.

Appreciate the joyful aspect

Becoming more clearly aware of emotions and life situations and the space in which they occur might open us to a still more panoramic awareness. A compassionate attitude, a warmth, develops at this point. It is an attitude of fundamental acceptance of oneself while still retaining critical intelligence. We appreciate the joyful aspect...

-Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Stay with a broken heart

"To stay with that shakiness—to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge—that is the path of true awakening." - Pema Chodron

Mindfulness of Body

Learning to see your body as a source of wisdom and to love yourself unconditionally isn't an easy thing.

Join me Wednesday for a talk on mindfulness of body -- "Our Bodies, Our(enlightened)selves"

The exploration of the body is an opportunity to examine a marvelous and intimate aspect of nature. It's more intimate than the moon and the stars, or the planets or the animal kingdom because you're in it. And as you look into it and see its true nature, there is liberation in that seeing.
Larry Rosenberg

A bright vein of goodness that exists in everyone

Once I learned how to look deep within, I found the bright vein of goodness that exists in everyone,, including me -- the good that may be hidden and hard to trust but is never entirely destroyed. I came to believe that I deserve to be happy and so does everyone else. Now when I meet a stranger, I feel more connected, knowing how much we share. And when I meet myself in meditation,I no longer feel I'm encountering a stranger.

-- Sharon Salzberg
Real Happiness

Meditation group

Meditation

Wednesdays 7:30 p.m.

Samadhi Yoga Studio

283 E. Center St., Manchester

Meditation is a way of making friends with ourselves; it gives us permission to stop doing and simply be present with what’s happening. It’s been scientifically proven to reduce anxiety and stress, and increase focus and listening skills. Through meditation, we learn to be more compassionate with ourselves and others.

Everyone welcome-- beginners to experienced practitioners. Classes will include instruction or suggested contemplations, along with 30 minutes of meditation. Free. Drop in. Led by Nancy Thompson

Friend your mind…

welcome

Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we already are. - Pema Chodron