Breathing Lightly

It is early evening, there is something missing. No rain lashing at the window panes, no wind rattling the doors, no draughts coming from anywhere. Shush! Hush! I open the window; it is inky black out there. How about a walk? No, far too dark, no street lights on our country road. This is a time to just appreciate the world, breathing lightly for a change. Ahhh.

As we sat in our meditation hall this morning all was peaceful within and all manor of pandemonium was breaking loose outside. The weather was definitely happening in all its full-force glory. Walking back after morning service, bracing into the gale, one of the monks mentioned he had been advised to ‘not battle the wind’ since he would be ‘battling with a good friend’. I’ll remember that one.

We are surrounded by gales this evening No sign of them here, yet!

* * *
And here, especially for the Brits abroad, settle down under the bed clothes and listen to the Gale Warnings!

Sea area gale warnings, issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Last updated on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1732.

All gale warnings currently in force

Viking, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly.

North Utsire, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly.

South Utsire, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 soon.

Forties, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 soon.

Cromarty, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 soon.

Forth, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 soon.

Tyne, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Dogger, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Severe gale force 9 now veered westerly decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Fisher, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 soon.

German Bight, issued on Monday 8 January 2007 at 2216
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Humber, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Thames, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Dover, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Wight, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Portland, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 soon.

Plymouth, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Biscay, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1021
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 soon.

FitzRoy, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Sole, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Lundy, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Fastnet, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1335
Southwesterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent.

Rockall, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Northwesterly gale force 8 imminent, backing southwesterly later.

Malin, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Gale force 8 veering northwesterly imminent, backing southwesterly later.

Hebrides, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 later.

Bailey, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later.

Fair Isle, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1728
Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later.

Faeroes, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later.

South-east Iceland, issued on Tuesday 9 January 2007 at 1612
Southerly gale force 8 expected later.

I still can’t recite the sea areas off by heart even though I’ve listened to them hundreds of time in my life. How about you?

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Land Marks

As with body scars;
our marks upon the land
show us
the miraculous capacity
of nature
to heal

and to forgive.

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Scared for Life

This blog is a re-write of the one I did earlier, a couple or so hours ago. I’d published in haste. Perhaps because I didn’t want to think too much about the subject. Scars. That’s scars to the body, physical scars. Perhaps also in haste because I needed to get to community tea and I was already late.

Dr. Charles who writes a medical blog attended on a young woman who in the prime of her life was in a serious car crash. Her story is told and it is disturbing, yet good to read.

It just so happens I have been talking about scars with somebody. I don’t find them easy. Now I’ve had pause for thought after reading the young woman’s story. Scars are so associated in my mind with shame and blame and fury and secrets and guilt and just about every other kind of negative thought. However, it need not be this way. The good doctor sees scars as having a story, sees a way to turn around the mind. Few of us remain unscathed. One way or another we carry the marks of our lives.

Once one faces something which is disturbing or frightening it ceases to have the power it once had. That is one of the blessings of meditation.

Now here is the origin of the word scar.

The word scar was derived from the Greek word eschara, meaning fireplace. Traditionally the fireplace was in the heart of the house, and around it most domestic activities took place. It was the center of family life and an area where children gathered to be with family. It was a common setting for injuries, many of which resulted in wounds. Eventually these scars became so associated with the hearth that the language used to describe the end result of healing became indistinguishable from its cause.

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Of Our Time

So there is a good reason to visit Brighton Beach. There is now a wifi hotspot spread out between the two piers, free surfing on the beach. Not bad, not bad at all.

I’d go there as a child, to Brighton, to visit my Great Uncle who lived in a square with a very large garden with lawns in the middle. It was exactly north of the West Pier, Regency Square I think it was called. He had been in the first world war and latter he was an Oxford Don. I knew I should be impressed by this. He had a rug which was actually a tiger, the remains of a tiger that is. There was a head, I remember it’s teeth particularly, and the rest of it being the furry pelt was spread out behind and around the head. I always asked where he got it from and he said he had shot it in the square. Believe it or believe it not!

So Brighton has some memories lodged in my skull. Wonder what happened to the tiger! And if you follow that link you will discover lots of other beaches around the world with Wifi Hotspots. No, I doubt if anybody is going to rush off and visit them however it is an interesting concept. To take ones laptop to the beach! Not something I will be doing for sure.

And while on the subject of laptops there is an initiative to supply One Laptop Per Child. That’s specially developed laptops that can be mass produced at remarkably low cost. They look and sound rather good, they’re green too.

Mobility, the ability to compute and connect almost anywhere. There is something about this that catches my attention. Maybe I’m just a hopeless case, but maybe not. I heard of a women in Alaska held hostage in her home. She got on the Internet in the room where she was being held, and got help. She could have been anywhere.

I wonder what my old Great Uncle Artie would have thought about all of this. As an Oxford Don today he would no doubt embrace technology, as he embraced shooting stuff in the war.

People are of their time.

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The Bees Knees

The phone was ringing. I dive out of my room to the office down the hall where I work. It’s an old sangha friend. Just wanted to let you know I am well and doing fine. Great! I reply. I realize I’m quick enough to call you when I need help, so I thought I’d call with the good news for a change. Nice!

It was her daughter who had put her on to the concept. As a shop assistant her daughter commented how it was rare for somebody to come in and thank her or express their appreciation for some service the shop had been good at providing. She’d said how rewarding it was to have customers express their satisfaction. Satisfied customers who speak up are rare, the ones with problems all too common.

As it would happen by complete coincidence I’d had the woman’s name on a sheet of paper by my phone. I’d been intending to call her, to see how she was doing! Weeks ago when we’d talked, as a passing shot, I’d mentioned the helpful effect simply looking up can have on the spirits. Looking up at the tree tops, the sky line, roof tops, clouds anything which requires looking up to.

Our conversation continued. Seems she pulled herself through the last black-hole weeks through dint of determination, ‘being with it’ as she put it and, looking up as I’d suggested. Having a dog to walk twice a day also helped.

Yes it is good to get the good news and expressions of appreciation too. This must be true for everybody. I certainly make a point of expressing appreciation when the opportunity arises, especially to nurses while I’m hospital visiting.

I inherited an appreciation of nurses and what they do from my father. If you want medical advice, he’d say. Ask a nurse. Interestingly, and by chance, it was a nurse who first attended him as he was dying on a railway platform. He would have appreciated that.

The woman who called this evening was a nurse. Needless to say my dad thought she was the bees knees.

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Practice Within The Order of Buddhist Contemplatives