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It’s odd…

Lately I have been finding that the path to relaxation has been leading through a period of degeneration, and that there is no more letting go to be done. That instead I need brief periods of vipassana to re-align my energy, not much, no more than 5 minutes every once in a while. That just tells me that it’s necessary to listen to my body.

I just had some cold pumpkin soup made yesterday evening entirely from fresh ingredients, there was a little left over and I thought it might suit me for lunch. The delicate flavours of fried shallots and toasted garlic and ginger were most delicious. That too is listening to the body, that it prefers the soup to chocolate (of which I also had a little).

For the rest, I have been letting the body take a few naps during the day, sleeping when it feels like it would like a little extra sleep, such as after a meal. Which means I have been awake a little more during the night, which is fine too. It is all natural rhythms of the body, day and night.

In a way much of our rhythm is determined by living circumstances. I think of my experimental rhythm above as a ‘caveman rhythm’, going back to prehistory before nine-to-five jobs were a thing. It’s a luxury to be able to explore such a thing without pressure and anxiety.

Even the best of us have those times when we find the little gremlin has picked the lock and run out to break dishes, overturn teacups and generally create mischief and mayhem. Eventually, we are able to get our gremlin, kicking and screaming, by the scruff of the neck and toss it back into it's cage, slam the door shut and put a new lock on the door. Then we return to trying to develop our mercy and compassion - until the next time. And there will continue to be next times until we eventually get it right (maybe).
But that is just part of life, of living. After all, the gremlin and the Bodhisattva are one and the same.
Don't kick yourself when you trip or fall or momentarily step "off the path". Just get back up, reset your feet, step back on the path and move ahead. You have just learned one more way not to screw up and one more way to recover.
Welcome to the life of a Human Being.

Peace to all