Hitting the Ground Strolling

So I had a fairly relaxing time in the mountains through the holidays and now back in the big city. I came back to LA to work on January 2 even though I’m “supposed to be” on New Year’s celebration until the 3rd with my Japanese tradition. I came back willingly on the 2nd because I was being of service to my fellow Dharma teacher who is buying a property. And the temptation is to get busy right away. It is that familiar grasping mind that wants more of whatever my mind thinks I need.

Instead, I went back up to the mountains again on Saturday. Well, I actually had to because my husband stayed on for a few more days while I ran down to the city, so I had to fetch him. I wanted to savor the cold mountain air just for another day before I’m completely back to the hustle and bustle.

While I did spend the New Year’s Day thinking about my intentions and the goals for this new year, I also reflected on the progress I made in 2019, which I shall humbly say was a lot. I was too busy being busy to see the accomplishment myself until I finally slowed down to relax at the end of the year thanks to my friends who witnessed my ardent effort in building the business reminding me.

What’s fascinating to me is that we, at least most of us, live in the culture of “the more or bigger, the better.” The world is constantly telling us how to get more money, more clients, more, more, and more. I know I have a fundamental internal conflict with that idea, yet questioning my own bias about “more and bigger.” There’s gotta be a middle way.

So at least for the first couple of weeks in January, I’m mindful not to get too busy. As I came back from the mountains again on Sunday, I hit the ground at “strolling” pace. I know that sooner than later, I will be “running” again trying to do everything I find meaningful: from greening our housings and our lives to heal our environment to deepening my Dharma practice, and everything in between. Making it a gentle transition is being kind to myself, which is one of the most important intention for the year and for life.