#mindfulness

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Hey all,

I’ve been really quiet lately, mostly just sharing bits of writing from my recovery.

I’ve started to get back into the woods, even though it often feels like walking on nails.

My ankles & right knee are still like crockery.

Some days I can walk for an hour; others, I’m lucky to get 5 mins from the car.

Still, I’m incredibly grateful to even be alive. I feel very blessed.

I hope to share new work soon.

⤵️ A fond memory ❤️🌳

A lush summer forest scene in the rain, captured just as the cloud begins to lift out of the woods. It creates a beautiful atmosphere that lasts only a few moments.

The 30-minute noticing workout via Austin Kleon [Shared]

Here is a slide from my friend Bill Keaggy’s TEDx talk, “How to Find Attention, Mindfulness, and Creativity in the Ordinary.”

After going through some of his own creative work — I highly recommend his books 50 Sad Chairs and Milk, Eggs, Vodka — and the work of others, Bill suggests a very simple 30-minute workout for everyone:

Walk around. Pay attention. Take pictures.

https://welchwrite.com/blog/2025/07/09/the-30-minute-noticing-workout-via-austin-kleon-shared/

The image features a blue background with white text and drawings. At the top, the title "THE 30-MINUTE NOTICING WORKOUT" is prominently displayed. Below the title, there are three steps illustrated with arrows connecting them. The first step is a circle labeled "WALK AROUND," the second step is a triangle labeled "PAY ATTENTION," and the third step is a rectangle labeled "TAKE PICTURES." A stick figure is depicted taking a picture in the "TAKE PICTURES" step. The overall design is simple and uses a hand-drawn style, suggesting a casual and approachable method for engaging in mindful observation. Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Ovis2-8B

The most useful thing I've gotten from is peace of mind. By managing my own tech stack I know that if if my budgeting app breaks it's because the cat knocked my Raspberry Pi on the floor again, not because an investment bank bought my data and asset stripped the SaaS provider I was relying on.

The benefits to and that bringing basic computing needs back under my control has cannot be overstated.

Stuck scrolling? Try this:
Look away from the screen you are reading this on. Look around your environment and locate the farthest point away from you, look at that space and breathe, inhale and exhale three times.
Look back to the screen, did you miss anything while looking away? Look again to the farthest point away from you. Breathe for 3 breaths again.
Is there anything else you want to do NOW?

reviewed Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana

Henepola Gunaratana: Mindfulness in Plain English (1996)

Mindfulness in Plain English was first published in 1994, is one of the bestselling — …

A Classic Meditation Manual, not just for Beginners

A common refrain I have heard from several #meditation teachers is that it is good periodically to return to basic instructions for the dual reason that it tends to correct any unskillful patterns which have emerged and that the questions that arise as a result of one's own meditation practice aid in learning and allow the practitioner to absorb more from the same or similar material. This advice has definitely held true as I read this book for the second time (this time with my ears via the recorded voice of Edoardo Ballerini).

I read Mindfulness in Plain English for the first time nearly 20 years ago, and even though the basic contents of the book were familiar to me on this second read-through, nearly the whole book struck me as remarkably fresh. The introduction alone opens with wonderful force, directly addressing the #unsatisfactoriness which is likely familiar to anyone …

quoted Mindfulness in Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana

Henepola Gunaratana: Mindfulness in Plain English (AudiobookFormat, 2016, Audible Studios)

With over a quarter of a million copies sold, Mindfulness in Plain English is one …

Meditating your way through the ups and downs of daily life is the whole point of vipassana. This kind of practice is extremely rigorous and demanding, but it engenders a state of mental flexibility that is beyond comparison. A meditator keeps his mind open every second. He is constantly investigating life, inspecting his own experience, viewing existence in a detached and inquisitive way. Thus, he is constantly open to truth in any form, from any source, and at any time. This is the state of mind you need for liberation.

It is said that one may attain enlightenment at any moment if the mind is kept in a state of meditative readiness. The tiniest, most ordinary perception can be the stimulus: a view of the moon, the cry of a bird, the sound of the wind in the trees. It’s not so important what is perceived as the way in which you attend to that perception. That state of open readiness is essential. It could happen to you right now if you are ready. The tactile sensation of this book in your fingers could be the cue. The sound of these words in your head might be enough. You could attain enlightenment right now, if you are ready.

— Mindfulness in Plain English by 

What a wake-up call!

#mindfulness #enlightenment #awakening #awareness #meditation #Buddhism #vipassana #perception #attention