The Faded Sleeve

“My fingers smell like citrus. How strange,” he said while sliding the cranberry curtain a smidge to his right so he could get a good look at the family across the street tossing toys into the backseat of their four-door coupe.
“They must be going to her mom’s house,” he reckoned while taking an unhurried step along the sun soaked hallway of his second story apartment. “For dinner,” he clarified.
“And I shall make asparagus with baked parmesan,” he announced while gazing downward at a dusty crate of records from the ‘70s.
“Perhaps I’ll listen to Alice Coltrane,” he declared while delicately bending a knee to browse the dated albums, patiently flipping from one to the other, but also curious about the wall map above his head: The United States of America; ripe with purple and green pushpins that formed the shape of a mushroom.
“NYC was splendid. I should jump on that Amtrak. It’s just two and a half hours and a judicious pour of dark roast. And I’ve been dying to finish ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.’ It’s a crying shame my hip is so unwilling. I need a downward dog right about now.”
He returned his gaze to the vinyl as a wailing fire truck rumbled down Druid Park Drive.
“Om to my kundalini rising, here she is,” he whispered excitedly, pushing himself up from the wooden floor into a wobbly gangsta lean, with the album “Journey in Satchidananda” tucked beneath his arm.
“It’s a full moon tonight,” he murmured while spying a folded piece of paper buried deep inside the left-hand pocket of his saffron robe. “What the hell?”
He repeated the mantra in his head: Breathing in, two, three, breathing out, five, six.
“It’s decided, I will invite the downstairs neighbor for brunch! Then I can … ask if my nag champa chaps their tranquility.”
Filled with unreliable confidence, he prudently walked to the end of the hallway, stopping at the mouth of the living room to unfold the diminutive note he found in the confines of his hooded cloak. It read: “The lemon is in the kitchen. Sprinkle it on your asparagus.”
After a mindful exhale, he gingerly lowered himself into a lotus position on the yoga mat in front of the turntable. He slid the record from the faded sleeve and reverently played the B-side first.

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Professor Wiggins: Higher Education

You read that right, but we'll get to the dirty deets later. Whoa, the last three months just whizzed by. Long of the short; all is chill in Wiggyland. Yay. I've been trying on some new clothes, taking off some used. I'm still living in Lynchburg, VA with the always inspiring Dee W. We've perfected our spicy fish-sauce sauce. Yes, I'm still vegetarian but this Thai dish we love requires the Red Boat, so we tread lightly and nom, nom, nom the bejesus outta that dish. I took photos for a wedding. My god, that was hard. Probably won't do that again. Thankfully the bride and groom are the best people on the planet. I took on a bookkeeping job for my dear friends at Riverviews. What?! Yes, I hear you screaming. It's just temporary, people. No, I'm not moving back to NYC just yet. But I miss it. Dearly. Took photos for a fundraising event. Umm, super hard. But I did it all in character, with a British accent, in striped tights—for the challenge. Makes picture taking wildly mysterious. And fun. I did a few promo videos, bought a battery powered light kit, started using my flash a bit more for stills, and I taught an Introduction to Digital Photography class and an Advanced Digital Filmmaking class at the local liberal arts joint just up the street. It's called Randolph College. Used to be all women. Then that changed in 2006. I had 19 students and 16 were women. So who knows. I began teaching in February. Unfortunately I missed the first 11 classes of the semester because I came in as a pinch-hitter. Probably won't do that again. So hard. But I would do it all again if given a full semester. I taught four classes a week for a total of nine hours. 4.5 hours on Monday and 4.5 hours on Thursday. But you know what? that shizzle was a full-time job. Seriously. Best paying gig I've had in Lynchburg, but damn, brother barely had time to rest. But I, kinda loved it? I know it's trite, but mad respect to all the teachers out there. Bring it in for a group hug! Yesterday was my last day. Graded all the students, sent each a personal note of gratitude, and then I noticed I hadn't written a blog post in three months. Whizzed by. The picture up top was taken at a show ring in Big Island, VA. I imagine myself sitting on those aluminum bleachers just taking it all in. Beautiful scenery, nice and quiet, just me and the cool breeze. What a spectacle. What a show. What a gift.

Might as well be happy.

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Values, Objectives and Results

I value love. I value light. I value momentum. I value patience. I value compassion. I value sustainable income. I value creativity. I value listening. I value happiness. I value effort. I value today.

My objective is to meditate. And here is a conversation with myself while settling into today's objective.

Objective: Sit in a comfortable position, hands interlaced resting at my belly, palms up, eyes closed. Spine straight from root to crown. Focus my awareness on the breath. Breathe in, slowly, lingering on the last inhale ever so slightly before starting to breathe out. Melting the tension in my neck and shoulders as I patiently exhale.

Me: Oh that feels good. So relaxing. I am lighter than ever. I feel loose. I wonder what that sound is? Is the radio still on? Are those water drops hitting the roof? Is that my hard drive? Is my hard drive going bad?

Objective: Listen to the sound. Smile at the sound. Don't analyze the sound. Let the sound be. Sound is like the wind. It is free. It moves. Do not try to control the sound. Focus your awareness on the breath.

Me: Breathing in. Slowly. I don't care what that sound is. It's probably the snow melting. I don't care. Hold the breath ever so lightly, now slowly breathe out. Relax the shoulders. Relax the tension in my sit muscles. Oh that feels good. Oh yes. I really need to get my act together. I should create a spreadsheet that 1) outlines my goals and 2) keeps track of my progress. Maybe weekly? Or monthly. I'm not sure. But ...

Objective: Really great thoughts. But let them go. Focus on the breath. Relax the tension in your eyes. Take a long, slow breath in. Hold it. Perfect. Now slowly breathe out while releasing all your tension. Your thoughts are tension. Let them go. Just sit comfortably and smile. Chakras aligned, shoulders loose, focusing your awareness on the breath.

Me: Wow. This seems to be working. It always seems to work. Now is not the time to do anything else but breathe in and out, gloriously. Content with simply breathing. Oh … my … god. This feels amazing. I'll make sure to take my vitamins today. Pile the good on good. What a great day! I'll write a new blog post, gosh, I might even bang out my taxes. Bloody hell. I am on fire.

Objective: Focus your awareness on the breath. Just your breath. Simple in. Simple out. That's all you need to do.

Me: Copy that. Breathing in. Slowly. Breathing out. My tension melts away. No thoughts. No sounds. Just the wind.

The meditation lasted 15 minutes. By the end I was sitting comfortably, focusing my awareness on the breath. Along the way I had a few more random thoughts which I embraced, then I smiled and happily let them go. I heard footsteps on the sidewalk, a freight train, smells of curry. I was in the world but not judging it. I let everything go for 15 minutes, except for the breath.  

I feel lighter. I'm going to build that spreadsheet. Glad I waited. I love my friends. I'm going to apply for that photojournalism job. I'm going to take pictures and write stories. I'm grateful for meditation teachers. I'm not really sure what the day will bring but I am happy to be a part of it. And when my baby gets off work we are going to read William Carlos Williams, roast cauliflower, and boogie.

Love, meditation, and happiness. Got it.

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