Melissa Wastney over at Tiny Happy wrote a very thoughtful post today. She has written about the struggles she finds at the intersection of the injustices in the world and the comfortable lives so many of us are blessed with. She speaks my mind.
The small spaces here on the internet that are filled with peace, calm and beauty are a welcome oasis from the clatter and horror that is so highlighted in the media.
Balancing our desire for a centered and lovely life with a calling to help our broken world takes mindfulness and courage. Truth be told, I struggle there so often.
Here are some places I have found hope lately...
-An episode of On Being, The Inner Landscape of Beauty, with John O'Donohue.
-The Good Lie, a based-on-real-events movie about the lost boys of Sudan.
-Of course, just sitting in meditation is my "go to" place for solace.
And here are two pieces I'll be looking at this weekend, with the intention of expanding my understanding of our complicated world...
-Another episode of On Being, a conversation with Mike Rose, a research professor at UCLA
-Ta-Nehisi Coates' new book, Between the World and Me.
I plan to make some time to sit here in one of these weathered Adirondack chairs. I'll fill up my spirit with both calm and discomfort. Wish you could come by, we'd pull up another chair and dig deeply into life's greatest challenge...choosing love over fear.
What would you add to my list? Where are you finding inspiration and challenge these days?
I'm finding inspiration in the fresh beginnings of a new school year with all its comforting little rituals and activities. I felt some of that punctured a bit when I had to explain who the Syrian refuges were as our church Kids Service Team makes blankets for those arriving soon in New Haven.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, Karen. Sometimes it's hard not to get pulled down by all the ugliness.
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