Practice

I routinely have to begin my day with thinking of practice itself. Am I simply following a script of detailed behaviors every day? Am I retaining the creative edge that inspires growth and change? What is the health of my practice right now, today?

Bringing enthusiasm to each new day takes practice and courage after 62 years. Trying to remember that I don't really know too much about life helps. Cynicism grows from a belief that the answers are all figured out. Life is not that predictable. The questions change moment by moment, so the answers are always elusive. 

Immersing myself in the questions without obsessing on final answers is one way I manage to pay attention to life around me. What is that person trying to achieve? How does that process work in that system? How can I engage better in some process? 

Answers develop, but they often lead to more questions in the open mind. This is simply what life in practice is like. Certainty is the adversary of discovery. This is why religion, with its dogmatic answers, stifles creativity and the joy of deeper understanding of how life works.