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Barbara Scoville, LCSW

~ Pioneers of Peace™

Barbara Scoville, LCSW

Category Archives: Mindfulness

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


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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

 

 

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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 →

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What Really Matters

20 Sunday Mar 2016

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

≈ 5 Comments

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Dear Friends,

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

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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

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Rustic Artisan Bread; Food for Your Soul

02 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Mindfulness, Recipes, Resilience

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Alice Waters, Artisan Bread Tutorial, Bread Baking, Edible Schoolyard, Slow Food

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Many summers ago a dear friend taught me the art of baking Italian bread. Stir the little yeasties gently in one direction so as to not upset them. Give them a little sugar to help them grow… After several risings, and shaping into long beautiful loaves, the bread would finally be done. We’d carefully saw slices from the delicate warm loaves and eat them, sometimes with butter and some times with chunks of cheddar cheese. That summer we made omelettes using fresh vegetables from the garden, and though my memory is fuzzy, I think we ate off of hand made plates. Little did I know way back then, the seeds of the slow food movement were being planted in my soul.

I think one of the most meditative things we can do is to slow down and prepare the food we put in our bodies. The miracle of life is in everything we eat: it nourishes us, comforts us, and sustains us. When we become mindless about essentials, we lose ourselves in the mad dash of a face paced existence.IMG_2382

ALICE WATERS, Chef: “When you eat fast food, you not only eat the food that is unhealthy for you, but you digest the values that comes with that food. And they’re really about fast, cheap and easy…Probably the greatest lesson I have learned from the Edible Schoolyard project is that, when children grow food and they cook it, they all want to eat it.Alice Waters teaches slow food values in a fast food world.”
July 23, 2015 at 6:20 PM EDT PBS News Hour.

I haven’t lost my love for baking bread and recently I have learned how to bake artisan loaves. My gift to you is this tutorial. Slow down and bake a loaf for yourself.

For one loaf you will need: 

Cast Iron enameled bakeware such as Le Creuset, 2 cups water, 2 Tablespoons of yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 1/2  teaspoon of salt, 5-6 cups flour, 2 Tablespoons of butter (optional)

My recipe: this is doubled for two loaves. The recipe I'm giving you is for one loaf

My recipe: this is doubled for two loaves. The recipe I’m giving you is for one loaf

Start by putting your ungreased bakeware into a 450 degree oven. This preheats the bakeware which is the secret to baking crusty artisan bread. Leave the bakeware in the oven until you are ready to put the bread dough in it. 

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This recipe is made in a Bosch or Kitchen Aid mixer. You can make it by hand also.

Pour 2 Cups warm water into mixing bowl. Add yeast, sugar, salt, and melted butter (optional).

Wait until the yeast is activated…

Yeast is activated when it begins to get bubbly

Yeast is activated when it begins to get bubbly

Turn mixer on and begin adding flour 1 cup at a time. You will know when you have added enough flour as soon as the dough cleans the side of the mixing bowl.

IMG_3285The second the dough cleans the side of the bowl, set the time for 5 minutes and let the mixer continue to knead. After 5 minutes turn the mixer off and put a clean towel over the bowl allowing the dough to rise for 20 minutes or until doubled.

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After the dough is doubled in size turn it out onto a floured counter or bread board and gently knead into a ball.

Carefully take you hot bakeware out of the oven and remove the lid.

Carefully take you hot bakeware out of the oven and remove the lid.

Place the ball of dough into the bakeware. You can cut deep slits in the crust for extra beauty if you’d like.

IMG_3290Put the lids on the bakeware and return to oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Take the bakeware out of the oven and remove lid.

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Return bakeware to oven for another 15 minutes.

IMG_3294Remove bread from oven and bakeware. Cool on wire racks.


Bon appétit!

Cheers!

Cheers!

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Lessons from a Hummingbird

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Life Mastery Skills, Mindfulness, Resilience

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

authentic self, Courage, Energy, Humility, Hummingbirds, Life's lessons, Mindfulness, Teachable

You can't see it, but there is a hummingbird in this tree. I promise.

You can’t see it, but there is a hummingbird in this tree. I promise.

A friend of mine had two hummingbirds fly into her house the other day. She said they had to wear themselves out before she could scoop them up and set them free. There’s a message in that isn’t there. Imagine how much more energy we could have, how much more creative we could be, how much more love we could offer…

Sending love from the beautiful Southwest 🙂

Barbara

Mr. Bingley

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Eyes to See: The Gift of Being Present

29 Friday May 2015

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Emotion School, Mindfulness, Resilience

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Compassion, Courage, Eyes to See, Mindfulness, Presence, Sacred Space, Tara Brach

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I declared today a “vacation day” and drove to one of my sacred spaces in the mountains. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to see a bald eagle perched atop a tree. It was a beautiful sight to behold; especially when it lifted off and flew away with fluffy white legs blowing in the wind.

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Today I longed to see the majestic bird again. I kept my eyes up, searching the treetops as I drove. It wasn’t meant to be.

How many other birds and wildlife did I miss searching for what I thought to be the prize?

How often in life do we search for what we believe to be the answer, when there are miracles right before our eyes…eyes that do not see because they are looking for something different.

Therein lies the gift of mindfulness; to be present for what life is offering up. Tara Brach asks us to clear a path in the forest of our mind. What might we find if we sit and wait for what appears?

Look what I found when I came home.

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Sending love,

Barbara

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Get Me Off of This Merry-Go-Round; An Introduction to Mindfulness

25 Monday May 2015

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Emotion School, Life Mastery Skills, Mindfulness, Resilience, Wellness

≈ Leave a comment

Step Off the Merry-Go-Round

Barbara Scoville, LCSW

Unknown

How many times have you heard the idiom, “ Get me off of this merry-go-round!”?

It’s an expression that conjures up a familiar, commonly shared image of someone “mindlessly” attempting to run faster than their legs can carry them; often but not always, directed by someone other than the person who is doing the real running. Around and around we go, doing, doing, doing; believing we don’t have a choice and resenting the demands placed on our time that keep us from doing what we think we would “rather” be doing.

One mother complains, “I don’t even have time to go to the bathroom.”  A college student says, “It’s like being in prison; my time is not my own; if I’m not studying, I’m working, and if I’m not working, I’m studying.” A grandfather says, “I want to write my family history, but my kids count on me to babysit…

View original post 708 more words

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Stages of Life

24 Sunday May 2015

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Caregiver's Storyboard, Emotion School, Mindfulness, Resilience

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Aging, authentic self, Compassion, Courage, Emotion, empathy

 The peony life cycle is not unlike our own

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“Every stage of life is beautiful”  

Barbara Scoville

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Walking the Labyrinth of Life

25 Saturday Apr 2015

Posted by Barbara Scoville, LCSW in Emotion School, Life Mastery Skills, Mindfulness, Resilience

≈ Leave a comment

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A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to walk this beautiful labyrinth and I learned an important lesson. If my eye was on the goal…that is reaching the middle, I got dizzy and frustrated; but when I was fully present and kept my eye on the path, I saw the beautiful rose petals laid beneath my feet along the way. I smelled the honeysuckle and heard the song of the birds.

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Sending love,

Barbara

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