Krista Tippett, the creator and host of On Being, interviews Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber at the Wild Goose Festival.
About a month ago, my friend, Ed, and I rode the train to New York to hear Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh talk.
We arrived at Penn Station about thee hours before the dharma talk, and rushed to the Broadway theater where he would speak about slowing down to be more mindful.
That’s right, we rushed to hear about slowing down.
Since then, I have been reading “Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life” by Daniel Klein.
In his 70s, the author visited his dentist. “He said I had to get these implants over the course of a year [or] I would look older with denture plates …and my teeth would pop out once in a while,” Klein recalled. “And I thought, ‘what do I care if have a goofy old man smile? I am an old man!’”
So began his quest to find the way to grow old pleasurably. With a bag of philosophy books, he traveled to the Greek Island Hydra to study the wisdom of Epicurus and of modern day Greeks who age in grace and the pleasure of companionship.
On the island’s hills, Klein also discovered, at first by necessity, the pleasure of walking slowly.
Writing in Ladies Home Journal, Carol Mithers says, “Most of the time you walk with a destination in mind and the urge to get there as fast as possible. You hurry, head down, eyes anxiously scanning the phone for messages, fingers frantically typing a text, completely oblivious to your surroundings. But walking slowly…ambling…strolling…whether you’re going somewhere or nowhere in particular is a whole different experience. Slow walking — no iPods or cell phones allowed — isn’t a workout; it’s an exercise only in observation, a way to look at the places and people around you as a small child might, with curiosity and wonder.”
Thick Nhat Hanh frequently writes about the rewards of walking meditation. Since his talk in New York, my almost-daily hikes have become strolls, saunters. I do carry a phone because I am seeing so much more than I ever have, and I want to make photographs. And I try to follow the Zen master’s advice:
“Smile, breathe, and go slowly.”
Meadowbrook Pond in Rhode Island
“When something intolerable is in my life, I head for the water. It leaves me in some way. Some middle-most part of me is soothed and silenced by it.”
— Alice Koller
Marathon Daffodils is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations, gardeners, cities and towns, organizations, businesses, and citizens interested in preserving the spirit of the Boston Marathon and Boston Strong, while embracing the tradition of celebrating the arrival of spring to Boston.
Some of Massachusetts’ top horticultural organizations, partnering with communities and volunteers, plan to plant daffodils along the 26.5 mile Boston Marathon route, to create a new event “Marathon Daffodils.” Tower Hill Botanic Garden, The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, New England Wildflower Society, The Garden Club Federation, The Town of Brookline Parks, The Charles River Conservancy, the Master Gardeners and other groups have agreed to collaborate.
The goal is to raise $1,000 per mile for a total of $26,500 from Hopkinton to Boston.
“We want to do something to lift the spirits of the community, in support of Boston Marathon 2014 and Boston Strong,” said Diane Valle, volunteer and organizer.
“We are excited to participate,” said Kathy Abbott, Executive Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, “because we believe Marathon Daffodils represent Spring and rebirth. This is a great community building opportunity.”
Plans include outreach to supporters and volunteers from young to old; and novices to Master Gardeners; to plant daffodils. “Marathon Daffodil” donations are welcome, sent to The Cooperative Bank, 201 Main Street, Charlestown, MA 02129. Or give at gofundme.com. Without contributions this project will not be possible.
“With your support, the planting of daffodils is to commence in October we hope you do what you can to rally the private homeowners to follow our lead and plant daffodils,” said Kathy Thomas, former Garden Club Federation president and horticultural activist.
“The seas are the heart’s blood of the earth. Plucked up and kneaded by the sun and the moon, the tides are systole and diastole of earth’s veins. The rhythms of the waves beat in the sea like a pulse in living flesh. It is pure force, forever embodying itself in a succession of watery shapes which vanish on its passing.”
–Henry Beston, The Outermost House
Thanks to my friend, Ed Hughes, for sending this video.
Hope Valley RI will be “Strollin’ and Trollin’ for TaTas” Saturday, Oct. 19.
An unusual combination of fishing derby and fund-raising walk, the event aims to raise money for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, offering support to breast cancer patients and their families.
The idea for “strolling and trolling” was Shannon Tate’s and Stephanie Reynolds’s after they completed a fund-raising walk in Providence. “We had so much fun, but it was hard on some of the older ladies,” Shannon says, “so we are making our walk much shorter — a little over one-and-a-half miles.”
The day will begin with breakfast from 6 to 9:30 a.m. at American Legion Post 27 on Thelma Drive in Hope Valley. The cost is $7 per person, and 100 percent of the proceeds with go to the Gemma foundation, Shannon says.
The fishing tournament is scheduled to start at 7 a.m., and the entry fee will be between $5 and $10, depending on the number of anglers entered.
The stroll through Hope Valley is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Donations will be accepted, and T-shirts will be available for sale for $15 in advance or at the walk.
For more information or to pre-order a T-shirt, contact Stephanie Reynolds at 401-206-1916 or Shannon Tate at 401-316-6439.
Taquonck Spears touched many of our lives in the Chariho Region of Rhode Island. To mark the second anniversary of his death, his family and friends have scheduled “Taquonck’s Treasures 5K Run/Walk/Wheel” on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. in Ninigrat Park in Charlestown, RI.
The event, his mother Tina writes, “is being held on the last day of summer to bring in the Leaves of Fall to open opportunities for all children to enjoy our communities along with their families and friends, without barriers or limitation. We hope to raise enough funds to equip our community playground with handicapped playground equipment and walkways that assist those with physical limitations. The Deary’s have joined forces with their “Brave” Caleb, to host Caleb’s Challenge for Children, bringing children of all abilities together to enjoy and participate.
“Taquonck has left a lasting legacy of compassion and love to all those who new him and we hope to honor the “Treasures” he gave to so many by improving opportunities for all children along side our dear friends the Deary’s and in partnership with our Charlestown Harvest Fall Festival.”
Proceeds from the 5K will go directly to Ninigret Park in Charlestown to improve handicapped accessibility in the park including contributions to the community garden. Caleb’s Challenge for Children will bring ALL children together to participate in an event that ensures children will run and wheel along side their peers, friends and siblings.
“Nature is the living, visible garment of God.”
–Goethe
During this week, when the world remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech, it’s timely to hear the thoughts of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Rev. King nominated the monk for the Nobel Peace Prize, and Thich Nhat Hanh may have influenced Rev. King’s attitude on the American war in Vietnam. Oprah Winfrey’s interview is thoughtful and illuminating.
Robert Redford’s A River Runs Through It was so wonderfully true to Norman Maclean’s book. It’s time to watch the movie and read the book again. Remember this scene about witnessing perfection?
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