As has become custom over the past few summers (and, worse, winters) we lost power a couple of days ago. Fortunately it was only for a few hours, but on sultry and humid summer nights the heat builds back quickly, particularly when you’re burning a bunch of candles. While Andy revved up ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil‘ on his HBO Max App, I ventured into the brightest room in the house – the attic – and quickly lit the space with all the candles I could find.
There, in that quiet and in that space, I was reminded of being mindful at all times, and I took the pause in the usual noise and mad rush of evening to reconnect with the moment. When summer arrived last month in all its fanfare and excitement, attention shifted to outside garden work and pool jaunts, and my daily meditations went somewhat by the wayside. There were meditative moments to be had in the outdoors, and somehow the peace that imbues summer took the place of my more-formal meditations, but maybe I was missing them. Lately I’ve been returning to the practice, sitting quietly and doing deep breathing in the living room as I started a couple of years ago.
It’s always good to return to the basics, especially when the power is out. The universe reminds us what we need to do. We just need to stop and listen.
