your daily rock : stop trying so hard
“Thus Gotama [Buddha] walked toward the town to gather alms, and the two samanas recognized him solely by the perfection of his repose, by the calmness of his figure, in which there was no trace of seeking, desiring, imitating, or striving, only light and peace.” -Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha You are …
your daily rock : lighten the load
(We’ve lightened the load by omitting a letter from the rock, for example. You can still read it, the little “h” gets to take a vacation, and all is well in the land of rocks.) “Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving …
your daily rock : take care of the moment
“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.” -Maria Edgeworth Author Annie Dillard has written that how we spend our days is how we spend our lives. It’s all incremental. An arc of a life is built day by day until *poof* you wake …
your daily rock : have a beginner’s mind
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind, there are few.” -Shunryu Suzuki I’m taking old-time fiddle lessons. It is an instrument about which I know nothing. I feel like a child with it, exploring and not knowing, and yet battling my desire to know, to …
your daily rock : trust your gut
“If it feels weird, it is weird. Trust your gut.” -Jamie Bell In a world hellbent on measurement and statistics and proof, we often disregard the best barometer we have: our gut. Reconnect to your body; learn from the neck down. Your body is smarter than you. Listen to it …
your daily rock : be tender
“Tender,” she said again. “Tender is kind and gentle. It’s also sore, like the skin around an injury.” -Brenna Yovanoff, The Space Between I love that quote about what it is to be tender. We often think of “tender” as kind and gentle; not so often as skin healing after …
your daily rock : hang out with happy
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” -Anne Frank Happy is not simple-minded. Happy is not oblivious. Happy is not Pollyanna-ish. Happy is aware, and joyous by choice in the face of tragedy and hardship. And you know what? Happy just feels great. Are there …
your daily rock : beauty abounds
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” -Confucius Beauty is simple. It is everywhere. In the curve of that coffee mug’s handle. In the sun on trees. In worn wood on your front porch. In the plant that died because you went away for a long weekend and forgot …
your daily rock : explore
“I prefer to explore the most intimate moments, the smaller, crystallized details we all hinge our lives on.” -Rita Dove We think of explorers as bold men and women going where no one has gone before. We think of great expeditions, sherpas, grand expanses. We think of big moments, like …
your daily rock : put on your boogie shoes!
“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” -Rumi Did you know dancing is really, really good for you? By increasing the number of neural pathways, dancing provides your brain …
