I have never had an easy time in the winter. I was just looking back at previous posts over the years and every winter I feel blue. I just came from the gym, so that always lifts my mood. Exercise, meditation, reading, gratitude... all of those help.
I'm listening to President Obama talk now about one of the young students, Grace, who was killed in the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. I hope that he can succeed in getting effective gun control laws passed.
Here is a quote from Pema, who always seems to be the person I turn to when I am feeling down:
"Rejoice in ordinary life"
"We can learn to rejoice in even the smallest blessings our life holds. It is easy to miss our own good fortune; often happiness comes in ways we don't even notice. It's like a cartoon I saw of an astonished-looking man saying, 'What was that?' The caption below read, 'Bob experiences a moment of well-being.' The ordinariness of our good fortune can make it hard to catch.
The key is to be here, fully connected with the moment, paying attention to the details of ordinary life. By taking care of ordinary things - our pots and pans, our clothing, our teeth - we rejoice in them. When we scrub a vegetable or brush our hair, we are expressing appreciation: friendships toward ourselves and toward the living quality that is found in everything. This combination of mindfulness and appreciation connects us fully with reality and brings us joy."
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