An Awakening

On my desk, I have two Zen calendars, one from the year 2011 and the other from 2013.  Occasionally, I view some of the pages from previous years to once again ponder on the lessons that are to be learned from Buddhism about life and being in the present moment.  I must admit that often the lessons are lost on me.  I do not fully comprehend what being fully "awake" may mean from a Buddhist perspective, but I do appreciate that the need to live more in the present than in the future, or the past, is an important aspect of the faith.  

In my contemplation of my best minute, and in my "awakening" to the appreciation that my best minute may be the minute of the now wherein I can simultaneously reflect on the "best minutes" of the past while enjoying the beautiful marvels of today, I doubt that practitioners of Buddhism would approve.  And yet, there is something to the experience that seems to have merit.  I am wondering whether others have experienced their own "awakening" moment and, if so, if they would be willing to share it with us. 

What experiences have led to your "awakening" and, if you are now awake, are you more attuned to life and the beauty that surrounds us?  

Speaking for myself, it seems that by living in the now one does indeed become more "awakened" to -- more in tune with -- the beauty of the world that exists all around.  But perhaps I am mistaken.  Please "enlighten" me if I am.

In the meantime, allow me to also mention that the journey to an "awakening" is not necessarily a solitary journey.  Indeed, as indicated previously sometimes one must be "pulled from bed", to be able to see the wonders that abound in this world and beyond.   If your journey was not a solitary one, please tell us who your "guide" or "fellow traveler" was or is.       

In my case, my recent "awakening" has been made possible by my girlfriend, who pulled me out of sleep to see the stars.  Who, along your journey, has helped you also to be able to see? 

Peace.

The Best Minute of My Life

This past week (on Monday night/Tuesday morning), I was pulled from bed to go outside and witness a rare astronomical event, the first of four Blood Moons.   On Tuesday evening, I caught up on some of my television viewing by watching the third episode of Cosmos where I learned, for the first time, about the relationship between Edmond Halley, Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke, and Isaac Newton and how it was Edmond Halley who financed Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica,one of the greatest scientific treatises of all time.  And today, I am confronted with the news (see below) that a planet has been found that exists in the Goldilocks range (the habitable zone) of a nearby (500 light years away) solar system. 

As I reflect on all these celestial and scientific marvels, I am mindful that any attempt to single out the best minute of my life may actually be subject to Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty in that any attempt to observe the best minute of my life in retrospect is colored by the age and perspective of the observer at the time of observation.  Over time, the validity of the observation changes and the value of the moment can vary.  

Or perhaps it is Einstein's theory of relativity that affects my assessment of what might be the best minute of my life.  The perception of the candidate moments for such a designation varies based upon the observation of the minute at any particular space and time in my life.

However, ultimately, in going through the process of thinking about the best minute of my life, simply thinking about all the moments of joy and happiness that I have experienced brought a great smile to my face.  To realize that I have been fortunate enough to have so many moments indicated that I have had a good life ... a blessed life.   And in the process of mentally reliving all those moments and reaching the conclusion that I reached, it dawned on me that that moment of "awakening" just might be the best minute of my life.  

Peace.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/kepler-finds-new-earth-like-planet-500-light-years-away/

The Best Minute of Your Life

Last weekend I donned by charcoal grey pants and my dark navy blue shirt and resumed my "career" as a Little League baseball umpire.  The games were held at Clayton Community Park in Clayton, a quaint suburb community situated at the base of the Bay Area's highest mountain, Mount Diablo -- the "Devil Mountain."  It was a beautiful day for baseball and the setting was grand.  There was green everywhere.  Indeed, there was such a variety of green, it seemed to me that one would need the 128 crayon box to match the various shades of green that were visible at the park.  Additionally, looming over the center field was the site of the majestic Mount Diablo inspiring us with its size and green grandeur.

The field was a little damp from the previous day's rain, but that did not deter us from proceeding on with the game.  I, along with the kids, was looking forward to renewing this ritual of Spring.  And so, with a great deal of enthusiasm, I commenced the proceedings by using my "umpire voice" to yell, "Play Ball!"

The game was going along quite well without incident until about the fourth inning.  At that time, one of the young pitchers lost his control and accidentally hit the batter on his helmeted head.  I immediately called "Dead Ball!" and motioned for the coach to come over and tend to his player.  The helmet had taken the brunt of the pitch so the player appeared to be okay.  Nevertheless, I walked with him halfway to first base just to make sure that he was okay.

I was about to resume play when the pitcher's coach asked for time out.  I gave it to him and allowed him to go out to talk with his pitcher.  After all, these are 11 and 12 year old kids and, after hitting a batter in the head, it is customary for a coach to talk with his pitcher to settle him down and to get the pitcher to refocus on the task at hand.

As the coach talked to his pitcher, the next batter began to engage in some banter with some fans behind the backstop.  One of the fans noted that the hit batter was the identical twin brother of the batter on deck and asked the on deck batter which one of them was older.  The on deck batter replied, in the smart aleck way that only a twelve year old can, that he was the older one by one minute ,and ...this is were I could not help myself from cracking up ... that that one minute was the the best minute of his life.  The implication being that the best minute of his life was the minute he was in the world before the arrival of his twin brother.

That smart aleck moment was priceless fun for me... but it also got me to thinking.  What is the best minute of my life?  I mean most of us can think of our best year or even our best day, but our best minute?  The exercise that I have engaged in since pondering that question has been a rather illuminating personal experience indeed.  And, in engaging in that experience, I began to wonder what others would say was the best minute of their lives, ... and why.

And so, my friends, wherever you may be.  Please let me know what was the best minute of your life and why?  If you are like me, I think you will find the exercise a rather interesting one.  On the other hand, if you do not have a "best minute", do not despair, another minute is just a few seconds away, and it is conceivable that the next minute to come will be the best minute of your life.

Peace.

P.S. The team that the twins were on lost their game.  But it was a good game.  The next game, however, was even better with the home team winning 5-4 on a thrilling three run inside the park home run.  It was inside the park because the park had no fences and the kid had to run as fast as he could around the bases to barely beat the throw to home plate. What a great day for baseball!