Sunday Journal Prompt

“Every upset is a set-up.”

– Karen Kingston, author of Creating Sacred Space

Consider using negative situations as indications that you need to change something in your life. When something isn’t going your way or when you feel bitter about a situation, try to step back and examine how you can change things. Can you quit a job? Spend less time with an energy drainer? End a relationship? Or perhaps, as is often the case with me, release your attachment to wanting things a certain way? 

What upsets you? 

What action can you take to allow the situation to serve as a bridge to a new way of life?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.”

 – Avis Burgeson Christiansen, gospel song writer

While traveling, I’ve been noticing even more about how food affects me; food is energy, and I’ve been picturing it as light. Clear, bright, streaming light enters me when I consume protein and vegetables. 

I exude more light and energy when I eat food that promotes that in me. I get cranky and tired after eating “clunkier” dishes—desserts, for instance—that spark inflammation in my body. In my case, tendinitis in my ankles flares up, not a good thing during a trip in which we’re walking 10-15 miles per day. 

How does what you eat affect your energy level? 

What changes can you make today to promote your light?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Bowing practice means that your body 

and your mind become one very quickly.” 

- Zen Master Dae Bong

I’d always thought that monks bowed to show reverence but recently learned that, for some sects of Buddhist monks, it’s a sign that their minds wandered during meditation; bowing is a way to get themselves back on track.  

Like us, monks can have “monkey mind”—a term derived from the Chinese word xinyan that means unsettled, restless and wandering. Connecting the mind and body always brings me back to the present moment, especially when I practice a new yoga routine or intentionally breathe deeply.

It’s so easy to get off track. In fact, bruises on my legs remind me of times my mind seemed disconnected from my body—bumping into a table while thinking about a new activity for my students.

I’ve set an alert on my cell phone that goes off five times a day (at 8, 11, 2, 5 and 8) to remind me to breathe deeply and take in my surroundings through each of my senses. And when I hear church bells or the tower bell on the campus where I work, I use that sound as a call to center myself too. During these times I often find myself silently expressing gratitude. Perhaps this is my version of salat, the Islamic pillar of praying five times a day.

What can you do today to connect your mind and body?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Who do you want to be?” 

– Alex Patton, age 15

My son Alex asked the question “Who do you want to be?” to his eight-year-old cousin Jake as he handed over a video game controller. It was up to Jake to decide: Mario, Luigi, Wario, Princess Peach or one of the 50 other characters?

We too get to decide who we want to be, but our choices are limitless. In many ways, we hold the controller to our own lives. Yet often I feel as if I am a victim of circumstance, not realizing that I often choose the circumstance—either by saying yes to something I shouldn’t have or by not saying no. Even when we don’t choose what happens, we do get to choose how we react to it.

Whom do you want to be today? 

What do you need to do to make that happen?