Elana Rosenbaum MS, MSW, LICSW, Mindfulness Coaching, Mentor and Professional Trainer

Zoom Link for the Aging with Wisdom group
The group is typically held on the 1st Thursday of each month at 11 a.m. EST/EDT.
Meeting ID: 810 4110 5987
Passcode: 744390

If you are newly joining the group, please send me a note so that my assistant can update our mailing list. I hope to see you there!

Warmly,
Elana

Cultivating Non-Doing

Although we didn’t meet this July and August, reflections still stop or memories do end. Our dog is curled up by my feet on the patio outside as I write. It is warm and she doesn’t want to exert herself unnecessarily. At the moment, there are no geese to chase or other dogs to play with right now.

Each day, a neighbor brings her dog over, and she and Maya dash around madly. When done, she comes in panting and plops down.

I am less active than she, but I enjoy sitting outside with her and listening to the song of birds. I am cultivating the art of being peace and doing nothing but taking in the beauty of our yard and the simple joy of using my senses to take in the greenery of our lawn and watch how the shadows of the trees change position as the day unfolds. It is later in the afternoon now. The heat is not scorching and the mosquitoes are not out yet.

I have been reading a lovely book that I recommend, A Flame by Pico Iyer. There is no plot or shootouts in this book, only sentences he wrote while on retreat and in silence at a hermitage in California. I find it inspiring and refreshing. It is not an escape from the world but a description of opening to it and feeling the light that is here.

David, my husband, just opened the door and came outside to sit with me. He likes walking in the yard, and Maya follows him and then runs off to sniff some creature or investigate some new smells. The vegetables we planted in our yard are growing, and a lone goose just walked along the edge of our small pond.

It seems that each day I have something I plan to do — and time goes by — and unless important, it loses its immediacy. I brought my watercolors out today, but they still sit in their case. I am thinking of you and prefer to write instead, to encourage you to savor this moment and rest in awareness. May you enjoy the cultivation of non-doing and have many new wonders to discover.

Wishing you a wonder-filled summer,

Elana

I often wonder whether one needs to suffer to be liberated.
David’s surgery forced me to wake up to vulnerability
and how much I rely on him
and would miss him if he were gone.
I also see how I have become dependent on him,
and it is worth examining.
What can I now do that I have not been doing?
What no longer needs to be done?
What is important?

It has helped me be more comfortable admitting vulnerability and the meaningfulness of connection. All of us will be sick, have losses, and die. It is part of life and helps me remember what is important. We need each other in joy and sorrow.

I savor the flowers and the glory of nature. I give thanks to the people in my life and all givers and receivers. May the radiance of love sustain us through hard times and bring joy. It helps me live with ease, admit my vulnerability, and find peace.  May we all live in love, help each other, and rest in awareness with ease.

I appreciate the richness of our connection.  Let’s meet, support each other and acknowledge our vulnerability and wisdom.