Tag: #Peaceful

Zen Zone

Zen Zone

Where is your Zen Zone? That is, what do you do, or what place do you go to that helps you relax, find peace and become accepting of what “is” in your life? Where do you go to bring balance to your life? I’m lucky, in that I have a place that works for me in today’s crazy world.

When I talk about a Zen Zone, I don’t really mean the full-on Buddhist Zen practice with meditation, aiming at enlightenment. I’m talking about finding a place of peace, contentment and balance in my life. A place that brings back some sanity to this mad world we live in these days.

How Do You Find a Place of Peace, Contentment and Balance?

If you go to the web and look up Zen, or Zen Zone, you find a number of descriptions, some of them not very Zen like. Many look distinctly as if they are coming from someone trying to make a buck, which isn’t particularly Zen. I did however, find a couple of definitions/comments that spoke to what I’m talking about:

  • Put simply, Zen is an orientation toward life that generates a sense of peace, equanimity, acceptance, and contentment. To be Zen is to be committed to maintaining clarity and remaining grounded in the present moment, no matter how challenging it is to do so.
  • “A space designed to be peaceful and calming. No matter what is happening outside this area, it allows me to have a small, predictable place in the world that was created specifically to comfort me.”
  • Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn’t you like to get away? (OK, kidding on this one – these are the opening lines of the old TV show Cheers, but doesn’t it sound sort of Zen like? 😉 … )

Over the years, I’ve done meditation off and on. When I was working full time, I often took a short ten-minute break in the middle of the day to meditate and re-center myself. I think it helped some, and certainly provided some grounding and calming. I wouldn’t say it was anything to do with Zen, or a Zen Zone, just taking a few minutes to find some peace and balance.

And now? Where’s my Zen Zone? Where do I relax, find peace and “meditate”? It’s an easy answer for me – on my daily walks in the woods. With my knee issues, I don’t run anymore, but I love to walk. Most afternoons you can find me, along with our dog Carmen, in the nearby woods on a three or four mile escape. Sometimes I remain attentive to nature and my surroundings, but other times, the “Zen times”, I lose track of where I am and what I’m doing. Suddenly, I come out of it a quarter mile from home. Hello!? Where am I? Oh yea, I remember now. Be thou at peace.

It’s a wonderful trick when it happens, although it doesn’t happen all of the time. And when it doesn’t happen, it’s still time well spent – a wonderful hike and enjoying what nature has to offer: the trees, animals, plants and views; wildflowers and ferns; a small stream or two; and of course, watching Carmen enjoy the walk as much as I do.

A Walk in the Woods Works for Me.

In either case, I always feel better after my walk. My mind is clearer and less stressed. Maybe I’ve solved a problem or two, or at least gained some perspective. Running and then later, walking, have always worked as exercise for me – burning off calories and trying to stay in reasonable shape. But the mental benefits aren’t to be undersold. As I become older, I am much more appreciative of those mental aspects.

What about you? Have you found such a zone? Perhaps running or walking? Working in the garden? Maybe hunting or fishing? Quilting? Yoga? Doing active meditation? What works for you? Where do you lose yourself and gain some balance in your life?

Making our way in the world today DOES take everything we’ve got. Politics, online garbage, traffic, aggressive people, health concerns, and other personal issues all raise our stress levels. Finding a Zen Zone can help make a difference, even if only for a few minutes each day. Taking a break from all our worries and reclaiming some balance and peace in our lives – I can live with that. Maybe the Cheers theme song was on to something after all.

“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. And, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.” ~ Lao Tzu

Addendum:

  • Zen is a school of Buddhism which emphasizes the practice of meditation as the key ingredient to awakening one’s inner nature, compassion and wisdom. The practice of meditation, as a means of attaining enlightenment

Justice is a Journey

Justice is a Journey

Last Saturday morning, I arrived at the Courthouse in Warrenton, Virginia. It was the tenth week in a row for our local Black Lives Matter Vigil. The Vigils started shortly after the murder of George Floyd, and have occurred every week since then. Seeking justice is a journey, and not always a short one.

Some of the Attendees in front of the Warrenton Courthouse.

I’m guessing some of you are now shaking your heads, wondering how I became part of such a radical undertaking.

… Oh my God! Max was hoodwinked by those radical BLM leftist groups! He’s calling for the destruction of America! Maybe he was a Marxist spy when he was in the Army! He always seemed like a good man, I wonder what happened?…

Except justice and equality aren’t radical undertakings, they are something we should all want to strive towards. Peaceful protest is as American as apple pie. Shouldn’t we want justice and equality for all of our citizens?

Our local vigil, Vigil for Action: Black Lives Matter, is sponsored by The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, The League of Women Voters, and The NAACP – Fauquier County Branch. These aren’t exactly communist or violence prone organizations. In fact, they are just the opposite. They are a part of the fabric of our community, and are quietly making a difference every single day with their good activities across Warrenton and Fauquier County. We should all be so radical.

Each week, somewhere between 65 and 120 people gather peacefully at the Warrenton Courthouse. The group coordinates with our local police, and there is always at least one officer in attendance providing protection. After an initial greeting, there are words of inspiration from a clergyman or speaker. Previous speakers include clergy from Baptist, Catholic, Buddhist, Episcopal, and Unitarian churches. The crowd then spreads out on the sidewalks of the four streets that intersect at the Courthouse and holds a Vigil for the next forty five minutes.

On this most recent Saturday morning, we totaled over 100 participants. We were a multi-hued and multicultural gathering. Black, brown, cream, and white. Women, men, children and dogs. Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and probably a few agnostics and atheists. Old, middle aged, young adults and toddlers. You could look around and see the America of today, and the future.

Atefeh Rokhvand welcoming the crowd.

We were greeted by Atefeh Rokhvand, who then introduced Imam Nahidian from the Manassas, Virginia Mosque. After his thoughtful and encouraging words, we moved to the streets approaching the courthouse, where we stood waving our signs. Many who drove by honked and gave a thumbs up. Some just looked straight ahead. And two (that I saw) flipped us off. Interestingly, of the two flipping us off, one drove a black pickup truck and the other a black Dodge Charger. Evidently, they thought black vehicles mattered, but their views apparently didn’t extend to black lives mattering.

People at the start of the most recent Black Lives Matter Vigil in Warrenton

What good does all of this do? Are we changing any minds? Scott Christian of The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy explained the mission for the local Black Lives Matter Vigil as fourfold:

  • To encourage an understanding of systemic racism as being both institutional and personal.
  • To promote changes in policies and laws by advocacy and elections.
  • To demonstrate peacefully, with a diverse group of participants, that ending racism is not partisan.
  • To keep this issue in the public eye through the November elections.

I can’t tell you whether we changed any minds last Saturday. I do know advocacy and bearing witness are key to effecting change for most issues. I encourage all to confront the issue of racism and consider how you can make a difference. If “Black Lives Matter” with Capital Letters causes you concern that you are somehow supporting a larger group, then simply remove the capital letters. We should all agree, black lives do matter.

For my friends who say “all lives matter”, yes, of course they do. But we have a sickness in this country that is going to kill us, if we don’t cure it. When you can be publicly suffocated to death, killed while falling asleep in a Wendy’s parking lot, murdered while sleeping in your own bed, murdered while jogging through a neighborhood, or shot in the back seven times while your three children watch, the world is not right. We are not right. If we don’t solve this problem of racism, what becomes of us?

These Vigils were originally scheduled to end Labor Day weekend. Last week, a decision was made to extend them through the November 3rd elections. As we approach the end of summer, the three organizing groups are distributing information to: help people advocate with legislators, inform them about various candidate’s policy positions in the upcoming November election, help people register to vote, and help people understand Virginia’s new laws on absentee and early voting.

Seeking justice is a journey, and not always a short one. I hope you join us on this pilgrimage.

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Addendum:

– For those who live in the area, here is the information on upcoming Vigils:- Vigil for Action: Black Lives Matter is held every Saturday,10-10:45 am at Courthouse Square Plaza, Old Town Warrenton. Wearing a mask and keeping physical distance, come stand in solidarity with your neighbors and advocate for understanding and political action to end systemic racism. There are plenty of signs available for you to hold and homemade signs are welcomed. The vigil is sponsored by the League of Women Voters, the NAACP- Fauquier County Branch and the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP). For more information, call 540.272.0483. 

– Thanks to Scott Christian, Colleen Conroy and Cathy Hall for editing assistance with this blog.

– I’ve written five other blogs about race relations. You can find them here: