A yoga teacher of mine introduced me this week to Mark Nepo’s wonderful meditation on “the art of facing things.”
This is from Nepo’s The Book of Awakening, which I haven’t actually read. I plan to get a copy of the book soon, but in the meantime, I found the passage online. Please forgive any inaccuracies that I might have included in transcribing it.
I’m going to share the whole thing, because Nepo’s central metaphor is most powerful in its entirety:
What the salmon somehow know is how to turn their underside – from center to tail -into the powerful current coming at them, which hits them squarely and the impact then launches them out and further up the waterfall; to which their reaction is, again, to turn their underside back into the powerful current that, of course, again hits them squarely; and this successive impact launches them further out and up the waterfall. Their leaning into what they face bounces them further and further along their unlikely journey.
From a distance, it seems magical, as if these mighty fish are flying, conquering their element. In actuality, they are deeply at one with their element, vibrantly and thoroughly engaged in a compelling dance of turning toward- and- being hit squarely that moves them through water and air to the very source of their nature. In terms useful to the life of the spirit, the salmon are constantly faithful in exposing their underside to the current coming at them. Mysteriously, it is the physics of this courage that enables them to move through life as they know it so directly. We can learn from this very active paradox; for we, too, must be as faithful to living in the open if we are to stay real in the face of our daily experience. In order not to be swept away by what the days bring, we, too, must find a way to lean into the forces that hit us so squarely.
The salmon offer us a way to face truth without shutting down. They show us how leaning into our experience, though we don’t like the hit, moves us on. Time and again, though we’d rather turn away, it is the impact of being revealed, through our willingness to be vulnerable, that enables us to experience both the mystery and grace.
So beautiful, right?
Sometimes in September, I’ll observe parents who are walking their kids to school at the start of a brand new year.
I watch the kids holding onto their parents’ hands as they make their way toward a season of unknowns and new experiences.
This sight often makes me cry, or want to cry, because kids are so vulnerable. They’re also incredibly brave, which is something I learned a long time ago, when I was volunteering in pediatric oncology.
When my teacher brought up Nepo’s passage, I was reminded that we adults are super vulnerable, too. We may accumulate a little more armor as we get older, but the tenderness of our hearts beneath it doesn’t really change.
Nepo also writes,
They say that courage isn’t about fearlessness; rather, it’s about facing our fears, or persisting in spite of them.
It was another difficult week for me, but I did my best to face things.
I didn’t feel courageous at all. But Nepo’s words helped me to understand that there was some decency and strength in simply showing up.
You’re strong, too, whether you felt that way this week or not.
Here’s to a new week of facing things, of choosing life, and to turning our bellies to the unknown.
Happy Sunday, friends. Here are some recipes and reads.
Emily’s strawberry spinach salad is a simple, colorful announcement of early summer.
Cacio e pepe meets seasonal ramps in Tracey’s vegan spaghetti recipe.
How tasty (not to mention meal-prep-friendly) do Lisa’s vegan kimbap look?
I’m all about shiitake mushrooms this spring. Aysegul’s simple recipe for roasted shiitake caps will definitely be joining my rotation.
I’m a fan of all things carrot cake, and Ashlae’s energy bites look so cheerful.
1. A new study from NIH shows that Americans are developing cases of chronic pain at higher rates than new onset cases of diabetes, hypertension, or depression.
2. Such an interesting, thought-provoking essay on the lives of free dogs in India.
3. Technically, this article is aimed at parents who are helping their teens to spend less time on social media—if the teens themselves report distress or cost associated with being glued to their smartphones.
To be honest, though, I found the tips useful myself. Social media keeps me connected in a good way, but I’ve been trying to take more breaks from screens lately. I read the article at a useful time.
4. I love this refreshing article about the fertility of the older mind.
5. Sort of on the same topic as today’s reflection, this little reminder.
Here’s to a new week of swimming upstream, everyone.
Till soon,
xo
Happy Sunday, all. It’s a cold and rainy day here in Northampton, MA, where I’m currently visiting for the weekend. I hope you all took some time to read Claire’s moving green recovery post from Friday. Once you’re finished with that, you can get immersed in the following recipes and reads. This cauliflower salad with chickpeas, kale, cumin, lemon, and toasted buckwheat is so full of textural contrast! Love it. I want to drink a vat of this kale and potato soup…
Sorry to be posting weekend reading late, everyone! The last two days seem to have flown by–but not too fast for me to bookmark a couple of outstanding recipes and compelling reads. We all know that I can’t resist an avocado toast recipe. This one–slathered in homemade dukkah–looks almost too awesome to be true. While we’re on the topic of spice blends, za’atar is one that I wish I used more often, because it’s wonderful. These hemp za’atar sorghum crackers with parsley hummus…
Happy Sunday! I’m keeping this weekend reading post short and sweet, so that I can spend some time with a dear college friend who’s visiting from the west coast today. Here’s what I’ve been reading and gazing at this week. I love pretty much everything about Emily’s cocoa hazelnut overnight oats with sweet cherries, but I’m particularly intrigued by the homemade cocoa hazelnut milk itself. I’ve made hazelnut milk in the past and really enjoyed the results, and I feel sure I’d love it with chocolate!…
I think I’ve mentioned that cooking has been unpredictable this year. Sure, I’ve made dishes that were successful (as in, I liked the way they tasted, the recipes turned out more than once, they weren’t too laborious to make). But this has also been a year of recipe fails. I can’t remember the last time since I taught myself how to cook in my twenties that I’ve had so many culinary flops. Sometimes things haven’t worked out technically: odd texture, wrong cooking time,…
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Loved the salmon story, Gena, and love you.
Thank you for sharing Nebo’s words. I hope this week is a better one for you, Gena!
Thxx Gena. I always look forward to your posts. You have a way of expressing a lot directly and without a lot of excess wording. The recipes you choose are delicious. I made your zucchini hummus the other day. It freezes well so I can save always have some on-hand.
Thxx for taking your precious time to post.
These are challenging times.
Wishing you a week filled with all that will support you in ways that are meaningful to you so you can continue to share your Light with the world.