The weather here in North Carolina is yo-yoing between winter and spring, but the daffodils are exploding with their butter-yellow heads bobbing all over town so I’m not complaining. We went out of town for a few days, and when we came back, the pink magnolia tree in our neighborhood was in full bloom. She’s the reigning queen of all the neighborhood trees, and everyone slows their cars as they pass by or stops to stare while their dog pulls on the leash.
Our chickens are officially of breeding age and we’re all waiting with bated breath to see when the first egg appears. They are big enough to fend for themselves, so I have officially released them from their cage so they can spend their days scratching around the yard; they are thrilled and I am mesmerized. I do not tire of watching chickens being chickens.
Chickens make the best screensaver.
I attended my group meditation session yesterday and the man guiding it was Jeffrey Brantley, the same man whose voice is on all the meditation recordings that I listen to regularly, so that was a trip. His voice is just as soothing in real life as it is coming out of a speaker.
Jeff Brantley studied MBSR with Jon Kabat-Zinn and has been teaching meditation for many decades. He spoke about how, as he was driving to class, there was a song playing on the radio that had been a hit 50 years ago. Driving down the very same streets he would have driven when the song first came out, he reflected on how the world around him is vastly different than it was half a century ago. And yet, here he is, still doing the same contemplative practice of sitting in silence and attempting to be mindful.
No matter how crazy the world becomes, we still have access to that inner knowing - if we take the time to listen.
I felt strangely star-struck, sitting here with this person who has done so much to bring MBSR to this part of the world, but the feeling faded as I dropped into my meditation and allowed my consciousness to flutter towards wise mind. Artificial intelligence may have the ability to generate smear campaigns out of thin air, but they can never achieve wise mind.
Practice wise mind whenever possible, simply because you can.
Scroll Sanity Community Meeting
Last week, we were a small handful of folks at the first (!) Scroll Sanity community meeting and we had a lovely conversation. We happened to all be parents and we talked about how our children were the impetus for us to get our digital addictions under control – or try to, at least. It’s a journey; let’s be on it together!
We shared tips and tricks about what’s working for us, and we worked together to think about solutions for problems that we couldn’t seem to solve, like how to stay connected with our child’s preschool without the app.
In a world that is moving so fast towards digital supremacy, it is incredibly important to practice our autonomy when it comes to these devices, apps, and tech companies. Dr. Aditi Nerurkar spoke about the importance —now more than ever —of “finding quiet in a noisy world” during her recent interview on the 10% Happier podcast, which I highly recommend listening to (with a pen and paper in hand to take notes!!).
Today during our community meeting, I’m going to offer a moment of mindfulness that I hope will stay with you throughout your day as you navigate the digital and real worlds.
Join us!
Scroll Sanity Community Meeting
Friday, March 14 · 12:00 – 1:00pm
Time zone: America/New_York
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/qzf-awrc-rjc
And check out the new Scroll Sanity FAQ page! Let me know if there are any other questions you’d like me to add.