Our meditation community just held its annual spring retreat—a delightful four days for meditation at a retreat center situated in a redwood forest. Even if you are not standing near a redwood tree right now, wherever you find yourself today I hope you will take a few quiet minutes to relax—to listen to the sounds that surround you, feel the fresh spring air, sense the movements of the breath and the body, and know you are alive. Enjoy a quiet moment. We can take “mini-retreats” from the busyness of our projects and work when we collect the mind with the simple experience of being present. Just be alive, be present, rather than being “me” and “my” role or social identity. Practice doesn’t need to be complicated or fancy to be useful.
