• #42 (no title)

Barbara Scoville, LCSW

~ Pioneers of Peace™

Barbara Scoville, LCSW

Category Archives: Inspiration

Meditating in Paris

26 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Inspiration, Meditation, Metta, Mindfulness, Pioneers of Peace, Resilience, Wellness

≈ Comments Off on Meditating in Paris


It was Bastille Day in Paris. Having just arrived the day before in that beautiful city, jetlag was weighing heavy on my bones. In an attempt to adjust to the new time-zone we took a morning walk through the vibrant Bois de Vincennes where we came upon a grove of trees with colorful prayer flags draped in the branches.  A saffron robed monk was sitting on a log offering a dharma talk to a small crowd gathered around him. As luck would have it we were on the grounds of The Grand Pagoda, the Buddhist temple which houses within its walls the largest statue of Buddha in all of Europe.

My heart leapt with joy and even though only French was being spoken, I took my seat to practice mindfulness.

For those of you new to “mindfulness,” I like to think of it as a training to settle the mind; the fruits of which are increased presence, loving awareness and kindness, clarity of mind, and better emotional regulation.

It was a beautiful morning in the park. As I listened to the knowing chuckles of those seated around me I remembered similar scenes where I had been the giggler in response to a humorous comment one of my beloved teachers had made.

Minutes passed and in the midst of feeling truly blessed by my happy circumstances, I began to feel strain in my back. Mild discomfort grew into aching and next caving, and then as if my body was saying…

You’re not listening to me!

The pain increased to an intensity I no longer chose to bear. I shifted my seat to a very tall tree for support. 

Ahhh…so much better. 

Several more minutes passed and as with all good things, my overall well-being began to transform into restlessness. The French language was beautiful but impossible to understand. The monk’s voice began to fade into a blur.

Unpleasant, tired, unpleasant, hot, I whispered to myself attempting to remain present as my mind had begun the fight to detach from my body. 

Periodically, passerby’s would stop and watch what was going on not caring to lower their outside voices, and then to my mild horror I noticed giant ants climbing up my legs.

 Creeped out, irritation, judging, annoyance, resistance

With each distraction I attempted to remain the observer and dutifully returned my attention to the monk. 

As time moved forward though, the frequency and variety of distractions had their way with me and I became overwhelmed. It was exhausting as I fought to stay present.

What to do…what to do… 

Just as thoughts of leaving began to take hold in my mind, a formation of low flying fighter jets zoomed over the park and our little gathering. It being Bastille Day, the celebrations had begun. 

With annoyance so fresh in my mind, my first thought was…

 You have to be kidding me.

Thankfully it wasn’t long before I saw it as an opportunity to practice welcoming the moment. The monk continued talking but soon stopped and joyfully watched the planes along with everyone else.

Rescued by war planes…how ironic…judging, sarcasm…

Back on track I settled once again into my breath. Breathing with my little sangha, the trees, the swans in the near-bye pond, the flowers, everyone enjoying the beautiful morning, the pigeons, and then …

SPLAT!!!

A very healthy pigeon who was perched on one of the branches above

relieved itself.

It fell first on my hair,

and then down onto my shoulder,

and because of the sheer volume,

its’ journey ended on my lap.

In a mindful state,

I heard the sound,

saw the many colors

and the slimy wet nature of the pigeon’s waste.

I was startled and disgusted but accepted the moment with a smile and the pigeon as a teacher. It helped that I was in my workout clothes and  hadn’t yet showered. 

I would like to say I stayed until the sit was over, but I didn’t. I was done; it was time to go. Not mad and only a little disgusted, I had had enough. We finished our walk in the park and then went back to the hotel for a shower and a change of clothes.

On the outside I laughed about what a great story this experience was going to make while on the inside I labored to make peace with the futility of expectations.

The Grove of Trees

Namaste,

Barbara


Share this:

  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Walking the Labryinth

11 Friday May 2018

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Inspiration, Mindfulness, Pioneers of Peace, Resilience

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Buddhism, Inspiration, Mindfulness, Peace, San Francisco, spirituality

 

 

IMG_0771

Grace Cathedral

 

Walking the Labyrinth

 

Roses on the path,

Clean shiny stone,

Color splashed across the floor.

All this and more

Make up the journey

Of the labyrinth.

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Pioneers of Peace Diapers Wipes and Onesies Drive Rocks It!!!

04 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Altruism, humanitarian service, Inspiration, making a difference, Pioneers of Peace, Refugees, Resilience, Utah Refugee Center

≈ 1 Comment

Cynthia Mills and the Blazing Needles Community donated 2240 diapers, 47 packages of wipes and 20 onesies

Cynthia Mills and the Blazing Needles Community donated 2240 diapers, 47 packages of wipes and 20 onesies

Greetings Everyone!

Here it is the beginning of May and I am just now posting about our hugely successful POP Diapers, Wipes, and Onesies Drive that took place throughout the month of March. Please forgive me for the delay… Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

What Really Matters

20 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Inspiration, Mindfulness, Resilience, Uncategorized, Wellness

≈ 5 Comments

IMG_1180

Dear Friends,

I hope wherever you are… you’re drinking in the beauty of this first day of Spring. Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Hope of Spring Within and Without

27 Saturday Feb 2016

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Imagination, Inspiration, Mindfulness, Motivation, Quotes, Resilience

≈ Leave a comment

IMG_1394Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, Grow, grow.”

~The Talmud

Share this:

  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Imagination, Risk, and Personal Growth

20 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Fear, Imagination, Inspiration, Life Mastery Skills, Resilience, The Optimism Corner

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

authentic self, Courage, Emotions

Allow a 6 year old to teach you about risk and personal growth. Enjoy

https://player.vimeo.com/video/58659769“>http://

Share this:

  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Quotes to Memorize

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Emotion School, Inspiration, Life Mastery Skills, Motivation, Quotes, Resilience, The Power to Do, Wellness

≈ Leave a comment

Miss Sophiella at the Utah Art's Festival

Miss Sophiella at the Utah Art’s Festival

We do our best work when we compete against ourselves — not others.

~Richard Lavoie

Share this:

  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts

  • Ripples on the Ocean of Kindness
  • Food for Thought
  • Meditating in Paris
  • Walking the Labryinth
  • When an Empty Basket is a Good Thing

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • April 2019
  • May 2018
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012

Categories

  • Altruism
  • Caregiver's Storyboard
  • charitable sewing
  • Compassionate Knitting
  • Emotion School
  • Fear
  • homeless
  • homeless youth
  • Homelessness
  • humanitarian service
  • Imagination
  • Inspiration
  • Life Mastery Skills
  • making a difference
  • Meditation
  • Metta
  • Mindfulness
  • Motivation
  • Pioneers of Peace
  • Quotes
  • Recipes
  • Refugees
  • Resilience
  • Self Discovery the Michelangelo Way: A Game
  • The Optimism Corner
  • The Pioneers of Peace Thanks"Giving" Cup Campaign
  • The Power to Do
  • The Thanks"giving" Cup Campaign
  • Uncategorized
  • Utah Refugee Center
  • Valentine's Day
  • VOA Homeless Youth Resource Center
  • Wellness

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 191 other followers

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Barbara Scoville, LCSW
    • Join 191 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Barbara Scoville, LCSW
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: