Except: Becoming

Wanting to have something
To take seriously,
That’s worthwhile
And not finding it;

Getting irritated, agitated
And minding it,
Downright exasperated
About it;

What a contrast
To what
I was thinking about earlier,
Enjoying the leisure and the scenery,

Where did that go?
And where did
This come from,
This becoming?

Moving through
One state
To another,
From lightness to provoked,

Change the location,
Alter the frame of mind,
From home to work,
A huge transition, apparently;

From intermission,
To full of steam,
Feeding a dream,
To accomplish something important;

Seeing so clearly
The suffering of becoming,
Getting that point,
Nay, the entire quiver of arrows!

Excellent: Cheerfully

Chilly winds blow winter in
And so, it’s hot tea
And suiting up warmly
Before setting out,

Getting dressed
Takes such a long time
That one hesitates to make the effort,
Except for essential errands.

Hence, when I prepared to grocery shop,
I rolled out my bundle buggy,
The one held together
By coat hanger wire and a metal ring,

This wreck that had been abandoned,
That I fixed up as best I could
And yet has carried many a heavy load,
Over these past seven plus years;

And out into
The icy breeze I ventured,
Scarf well wrapped
And hat and gloves pulled on tight

But a refreshing change
From the rains,
Earlier in the week,
For at least twas clear and dry,

Not a cloud overhead
And the streets practically empty,
As everyone who could be
Stayed in or drove somewhere else, I suppose,

Thus I had the city walks
Mostly to myself,
Even though I shopped downtown
But that was fine with me.

Excel: Practicing Right Effort

After a short interval
Of rest and relaxation,
It’s back to
My to-do list,

Which brings up
Much anxiety
And to this
I bring,

‘Breathing in,
I calm the body,
Breathing out
I calm the body’

And the distress vanishes,
At least temporarily
And on I go
To the next task,

Which although I dislike it
I continue to
Try to bring to it,
Right effort,

For, if this is all I have,
Then, I might as well
Practice enjoyment of it,
No matter what I think of it

And this practice,
Although it does not
Make circumstances better,
Creates good feelings around circumstances,

The situation
May not change
But I’m well prepared
In case it does,
Strengthening the mind as I go.