Touch a bubble with a feather?
I'm officially taste testing pumpkin oat milk lattes.
My favorite baristas and alchemists of flavor (I think they're dating) have been brewing simple syrups. They nailed it, so I thought, and then I found a better latte layered with fresh nutmeg at NEAT coffee, tucked perfectly in a quaint Costa Mesa neighborhood.
While writing last week I found a thread from my early awakening (2002-2005) that I want to share with you.
Pema Chödrön became the first major voice in Buddhism and Zen that infiltrated my heart. I've continued to bask in her wisdom, humor and perspective over the decades.
“We hear a lot about the pain of samsara, and we also hear about liberation. But we don’t hear much about how painful it is to go from being completely stuck to becoming unstuck. The process of becoming unstuck requires tremendous bravery, because basically we are completely changing our way of perceiving reality, like changing our DNA. We are undoing a pattern that is not just our pattern. It’s the human pattern: we project onto the world a zillion possibilities of attaining resolution.
Meditation provides a way for us to train in the middle way—in staying right on the spot. We are encouraged not to judge whatever arises in our mind. In fact, we are encouraged not to even grasp whatever arises in our mind.
What we usually call good or bad we simply acknowledge as thinking, without all the usual drama that goes along with right and wrong. We are instructed to let the thoughts come and go as if touching a bubble with a feather. This straightforward discipline prepares us to stop struggling and discover a fresh, unbiased state of being.”
How do you touch a bubble with a feather?
Doesn’t it pop?
This idea has always tickled my attention.
It doesn't feel like an event but rather a process. A practice in riddle and paradox. The amount of care, precision, attention, kindness, and inclusivity required to touch a bubble with a feather inspires my tender heart, and devotion. It's my vulnerable invitation to stay in relationship with my mental and emotional life.
Truth be told, I sat down with my podcast equipment and recorded a 28-minute episode pontificating this topic while providing several examples related to grief and anxiety. It's there for you when you're ready. I'd love to know how it resonates with your map on the path.
All my love to your first weekend of October.
Yours Bluely,
Alexander
PS Rate, review and subscribe to my podcast if you haven't already. It really helps.
Harvey Rose wants to be Ariel for Halloween. Her Dads and I are all over the family costume this year. My Ursula gown, with tentacles, are getting alterations at Peggy's Perfect Fit in Westminster. She's been in business for over thirty years and I have my second fitting on October 11. Kenny and Jay have decided we'll continue to school the children and their community. Little Harvey/Ariel will have two King Tritons. We're a two-dad family, after all, with an Uncle Blue.
