
The loving mind can observe peace and joy in one moment, and then grief in the next moment, and it will not be shattered by the change. A mind filled with love can be likened to the sky with a variety of clouds moving through it–some light and fluffy, others ominous and threatening. No matter what the situation, the sky is not threatened by the clouds. It is free.
~Sharon Salzberg

Maria is now a tropical storm. The National Hurricane Center advisory describes her position as “crawling northward off the North Carolina Outer Banks.” For those not in the U.S. and not familiar with our geography and where I’m located, the Outer Banks are about 3-4 hour drive south of where I live on the Eastern Shore.
Better yet, here is a screen capture from Weather Underground:

As you can see, we’re in no danger from Maria. She’s a good distance out there. Lee, off to the right, is a hurricane but he will remain out to sea, perhaps dragging Maria out with him. Or so they are predicting for now.

After about an hour of yoga and meditation, I completed my early morning ritual by stepping outside about ten minutes before sunrise. Although the sky did lighten, the cloud cover (thick and a uniform dark gray) kept the morning dark. The wind was nearly constant, the gusts much gustier than yesterday. The rain was warm, light and misty, a mizzle (mist and drizzle). The mistiness imposed a softness on the meadows and marshes, mellowing out the edges and borders. I tried to capture that with the camera, leaving the photos a little soft and blurry.

The scent was that of rain and warmth, hard to describe. Tropical might be a good word for it. If you were to stand in this morning’s mist with your eyes closed, you might expect to find yourself in the midst of a rainforest, a thick canopy of leaves and branches overhead, when you opened them again. The sounds were the usual and the familiar. Crows off in the distance, the local rooster announcing that morning had arrived, two catbirds mewing back and forth, and the wind sighing, whispering, then shhhhh’ing loudly when the gusts would come along. The dampness kept the sounds quieter than usual. No rustling of grasses and leaves. Just the quiet hissing, swishing, and shushing.

Thank you for stepping out in the rain with me. Be good, be kind, be loving. Just Be. 🙂

A few of the 10,000 reasons to be happy: 326) Green tea with jasmine. 327) Three mockingbirds sitting on the fence. I like to think one of them is Merril’s mockingbird. He’ll learn new songs here and carry them back to her in the spring. 328) Izzy Cat, my companion in yoga and meditation. You can learn a lot about relaxation from a cat. You could also learn about reflexes. Izzy will get under me when I’m in plank or attempting chaturanga (a yoga push-up), and as soon as I think about moving down towards her, she scoots out of the way. Sometimes I think she knows my body movements better than I do. Or she’s a mind reader since it’s just the thought that moves her. 329) A lovely and quiet breakfast with M. 330) The softness of misty mornings.

So, whichever way it goes you will get some wind I’m guessing. I am grateful I don’t live in a hurricane prone part of the world! Keep safe! Today we walked further and faster than normal. My daily yoga attempt (I’m still a little short of calling it ‘a practise’) is definitely having an effect on muscle strength and stamina. Also grateful to be joining in with you x
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More than likely, Pauline. They’re calling for 20-30 mph sustained winds tomorrow. It’s pretty breezy out there now.
The so-called experts say it’s all part of the “practice” (or “practise”), but I know what you mean. I think it’s wonderful how quickly we can see or feel results, even from just a small amount of yoga or exercise. I’ve had some soreness, but nothing major. In fact, it feels good to be using some of these muscles again. 🙂
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Maria still looks pretty close to me, but yes, let’s hope the cool front is strong. I figure this will be our last day in the 80s until next year. I looked at the temp forecast for the next month – 60-70s. Farewell to shorts and tank tops!
Another thing in common: Jasmine tea. Rishi is my brand – it’s wonderful!
40 min. today. I’m feeling more lithe and flexible with the daily practice, and my spouse says I’m ‘calmer,’ hehe! 😉
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It looks close to me, too, Eliza. I have to keep reminding myself that the center is still way out there and that’s where the stronger winds and rain are. I was just looking at the 10-day forecast and it looks like we’ll be in the 80’s again by the end of next week. I’ll gladly send it up your way. I’ve had enough of the heat and humidity this year. Today is unusually bad (temp is currently 86° with a “feels like” of 95°).
My spouse seems to think I’m calmer too. lol! 😀 I love Rishi tea.
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‘Silva Mind Control’ lol!
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The cold front came through here this morning. We were 80 this morning and now about 68. I love it cooler. If we have to give up summer I want fall to just move along. The sooner we get to winter the sooner it will be spring again. 🙂 Stay safe, that storm looks way too close for comfort to me.
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Thank you, Dawn. 🙂 The storm didn’t come much closer and she’s headed away now. I am looking forward to the cooler temps, if they ever arrive. It’s still in the mid-80’s here. Ugh.
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Mizzle – love that. And would like a day or so of it, which wouldn’t be enough to make me start to complain about the gray days. It seems the world is one constant storm anymore, and I’m very very tired of it all. I’d like to go into foreign worlds where there is no news and hide out for a bit.
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The occasional rainy or mizzly day is nice, Carol. It always gives me an excuse to laze around a bit. There are days when I feel the same way about hiding out. Those are the days I don’t look at the news (although it’s always tempting). I’m convinced the dotard’s main purpose to keep us in a state of chaos, and I’ve decided I will no longer participate in it. It’s my way of flashing him the middle finger.
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