My Practice

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m trying to create a practice. I’m happy to say that it is slowly evolving.

For whatever reason, my sons are sleeping late this summer, and I am not. I have been waking around six most days. With a hot cup of coffee, I head to my office and open the window so I can watch the sun rising. I start my practice with a short reading from Fragments of Your Ancient Name: 365 Glimpse of the Divine for Daily Meditation and Your True Home: The Everyday Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hahn. These readings are no more than a few lines each. One is primarily from the Western tradition, while the other is Eastern. I like beginning my day with that balance.

Once I finish my short reading, I delve into one or two of several books:

The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom
The Rhythm of the Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons
20th Century Poetry and Poetics
Artist’s Journal Workshop: Creating Your Life in Words and Pictures
The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity
Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery
Take Ten for Writers: 1000 Writing Exercises to Build Momentum in Just 10 Minutes a Day
A Year of  Writing Dangerously: 365 Days of Inspiration and Encouragement

Something in these books speaks to me. I seem to be searching for some link between spirituality and creativity and the nature world. To be honest, I’m not sure where this is leading, but I find myself repeatedly drawn to the interplay of these themes.

At first, I was troubled by the fact that I have such a long list of books. However, this is working for me. It may take forever for me to finish any one book, but I suspect that finishing is not the point. I read a selection from whichever ones call to me on a given day. I attempt to focus on the writing in the tradition of lectio divina.

When I finish my reading, I write a bit. I hope to paint as well in the future.

I round out my time by either swimming laps for 50 minutes or working out on my elliptical for 30 minutes. Ideally, I would like to increase my time on the elliptical to 50 minutes and add in a short yoga sequence.

I’m really enjoying this routine, and I’m happier on the days that I practice. I suppose that tells me that I’m on to something.