As April begins I am reminded of some truly great pranks. Some were pranks which have fooled me* and some I just may have planned. Yet, the best known ones, such as the BBC’s Great Spaghetti Harvest and Taco Bell’s purchase of Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell continue to evoke laughter and even a little shock. Fortunately, April brings more than pranks and showers. It’s a transition month and a month of openers and beautiful refreshed beginnings.
In fact, its very name is probably derived from the Latin “aperire” which means “to open.” Many may think of baseball home openers, or the opening of windows and homes sealed shut against winter’s chills. It’s likely that "April's" first usage referred to the opening buds of the Northern Hemisphere's spring season. That resonates with me.
Welcome to spring and the inaugural Seeing Goodness newsletter! Some of us have known one another for two or three years. Others, much longer. It was two years ago this month when I ummed and ahhed my way through my first Seeing Goodness room on Clubhouse. Many of you were and continue to be tremendously supportive of its mission and of me. I offer you my deepest and warmest thanks.
In return, I want to respect your time and readership and hopefully will offer some topics that will be of interest to you. Please let me know if you have suggestions.
In this issue we celebrate the current activities of the communities from which this rendition of Seeing Goodness emerged. We include:
• A Spotlight on Our Community
• A Lens on a Mindfulness Practice
• A Community Calendar – including our calendar, a month of notable celebrations, and a few quotes
• A Mindful Moment Honoring Goodness
• An April Recipe
• A Short Poem - "April" by Sara Teasdale
• A Riddle - with a prize!
(And this issue is lengthy because its our first! You might want to read this in bite-sized pieces on a laptop rather than your phone.)
Community Spotlight
The community spotlight is long this month! Many members of the community have encouraged us all to pursue "seeing goodness." This month's spotlight is rather wide. Even if you don't already know these wonderful souls, you might want to skim this section to get a wonderful feeling about people leading mindfulness practices and doing good in the world.
• You may know Elaine Pardi from her co-founding of Animals Connect Everyone or her dedication to GratitudeSpace. I am delighted to share news of her The Mind of Curiosity project and group. Elaine's engaging group conversations and interviews can be found on The Mind of Curiosity on Clubhouse on Wednesday mornings and Sunday evenings. She's also found on Instagram here. It's a joy to listen to Elaine. So often you'll hear her talking about the gifts of the people she interviews. That's a bit rare these days, when people are often more excited to speak about themselves.
I was so happy to hear Elaine interviewed on Spotify as a guest on INSPIRED! with Caroline. Curious? Have a listen. It's a great interview! Great work, Elaine! Congratulations!
• Earlier this year Elaine interviewed the inimitable Bille Short. Many of us know Billie as a supreme caregiver for her adult daughter. She writes candidly about her struggles and joys on her helpful blog, Conversation for Change. As a former longtime caregiver, under less stressful circumstances, I know I would have benefitted immensely from Billie's observations, bright spirit, and wisdom.
One organization bolstering Billie is We Are Brave Together. Of course, she's not only a member, she helps many others in the group of caregiving moms. On the first day of May, they will release an anthology, Becoming Brave Together. I look forward to reading the chapter Billie wrote.
• In The Miracle Morning on Clubhouse (an all audio app), Lisa Mosher recently discussed the value of silence not only as an element of the morning SAVERS, but as a one of her personal practices. I can attest to that. Lisa and I have even attended a silent retreat together. (Side note: Hal Elrod, the founder of The Miracle Morning. assigned the acronym SAVERS to include Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing.)
Silent retreats are wonderful treasures offering us a counterbalance to our media crazed, too often frenetic, 21st century lives. Retreats were greatly valued in previous centuries. How much more could they benefit us now? Surely, modern scientific research agrees. If you've never sampled a silent retreat this is a perfect time to do so. (Don't let the word "silent" fool you. For starters, most are not 100% silent.)
• Michael O'Brien's early January retreat provided me with a peaceful post-holiday reset. Staples may sell an Easy Button, but it doesn't offer a Reset Button. And we wouldn't need Staples' version anyway. We have a built in reset available to us 24/7 if we learn how to use it. Michael is extremely generous in helping people learn and grow with mindfulness and meditation. Follow or contact Pause Breath Reflect for more information. He created the Pause Breathe Reflect app, leads the community, and also delivers inspiring conversations, meditations, and interviews on The Kintsugi Podcast.
This Saturday, April 6, he will lead another silent retreat. This is a great opportunity for all. Someone newer to silent retreats might find it extremely welcoming - as it won't last the whole morning and afternoon. I skipped too many decades between my first five silent retreats and my last five ones. I hope to never pass on them again. They are a beautiful gift you can give yourself. Contact Michael on Instagram or at www.pausebreathereflect.com for more information.
I am very grateful to Michael and his example in envisioning, forming and producing Pause Breathe Reflect. He made his creative hard work and extreme dedication to his mission look easy to those of attending PBR in its different venues. More than 17 years ago I had a vision for what Seeing Goodness might be. Watching Michael give rise to the Pause Breathe Reflect app, community and his many meditations and reflections has given me a great example of what is possible. He has also shone bright lights on how and why the world can benefit from more pausing, intentional breathing, reflecting, and nurturing our mindfulness in a community or like-hearted people. He's advocated for practices of more awareness, observations, retaining fewer limiting filters, and "just being." In that we become less judgmental and we're able to see the goodness in the world, and yes, the goodness in ourselves as well. Oh, and he practices what he preaches, rippling much that is worth rippling. A heart full of thanks, Michael!
• Speaking of Michael, this week I heard a podcast with two of many my pandemic era gifts: friends Donn King and Michael O'Brien. Donn was interviewed by Michael on The Kintsugi Podcast. It's amazing to hear these two talk about some truly heavy topics, yet they end the conversation leaving us with lighter hearts and brighter spirits. A few months ago The Kintsugi Podcast returned after a partial pandemic hiatus. I highly recommend it. In addition to his interviews, Michael offers a meditation on his Friday recordings.
Donn is also an engaging speaker, writer and interviewer. He could interview a paper bag and I'd find it intriguing. He, too, is extremely gifted and very generous with his insights and knowledge.
One of his recent books is The Way of the Three Year Old Why. He is the founder of the Confidence Cultivator and is a superb interviewer at his Alignment Show podcast. Another book, Medium Well, just came out! Bravo, Donn! You inspire with your words as well as your life.
•. Earlier I wrote about GratitudeSpace. With that I also think of the great work Sharon Buckler has faithfully done to promote it, the Voices of Gratitude, as well as other gratitude related projects. She's also been a wonderful help to Seeing Goodness.
When we first met Sharon, we knew for her rock star culinary skills and pre-pandemic life as a farm-to-table caterer. Yum! Sharon continues to share her skills by preparing a beautiful monthly community dinner in conjunction with her church. There's nothing like breaking bread together in real life!
Yet, retirement just delivered Sharon the opportunity to create something new. She's mindfully focusing more of her creative skills on her writing and art skills. You can follow her journey at The Painting Writer on Instagram and Substack. It's exciting and fun to watch this path unfold for her - with her - by her.
• There are so many ways to practice mindfulness and share our practices with others. Karen Hoffman created her Words that Matter inspiration card decks. Take a look. They cater to a variety of demographic groups, and were designed and made with her love and talent. I know they are a benefit to many people. Perhaps they'd help you attend to your practices.
*. Karen H, another Karen H and Karen R give the name Karen great honor! Karen Runge continues to inspire and awe her recall of the right quote at the right time. She's pretty amazing!
* Karen Hand is busy helping where help is needed right now. Life has its seasons. She's helping some people weather theirs. I hope to present a full spotlight on her next month. Meanwhile, please know that she's a wonderful acupuncturist in Connecticut, if you'd like one. She also has broad knowledge of essential oils and many other holistic modalities. She is not a McMindfulness imitator; she's very much the real deal. You can follow her on Instagram here.
•. Next, but certainly not least is our friend Kimberly Neater! Over the past few years many people got to appreciate her generous gift of presenting Yoga Nidra first with Pause Breathe Reflect in the Clubhouse years, and later occasionally with Seeing Goodness.
Kimberly continues to fine tune and expand her yoga and mindfulness practices. She frequently presents short, regular instruction on Facebook at the 5 Fit Yoga Tribe group. Her demonstrations and guidance are long enough to be of benefit but short enough to squeeze in during a work day. She is a true gift!
Though her tips are very helpful, they pale in comparison with her friendship ad the beautiful intentional acts of kindness she shares so frequently.
• As for me, Connie, I continue to disregard most who wisely suggest that I do one thing at time. My Gemini spirit has me continuing to pursue the seasoning of my mindfulness practices and development, I'm currently completing the last leg of Brown's MBSR teacher training for Level 1, which will qualify me to offer the full eight week Mind Body Stress Reduction Program. Full certification follows a global standard, taking between three to six years. I'm banking on that longevity in my genes!
Alan - Saint Alan - and I also completed moving our former photography studio to a newer one in nearby Rockland. I'll be participating in an open studios celebration on Saturday, April 27. Please confirm the date with me in advance if you might be in the area. It would be fun to see you. I hope to be well on my way to rebranding from The Welcome Gallery Photographic Services to Constance Kennedy Photography by then. The new studio will also be the physical home to Seeing Goodness gatherings.
My new post-surgical eyesight has given me a much greater appreciation of the art, practice, and magic of photography. Parts of the practices were frustratingly out of reach in recent years. I will forever be grateful for my recent teams of eye doctors who achieved far more than even they expected. Watching photos come to life on a screen is again as magical as it was when I developed my first black and white images in a darkroom. Those processes are different but each awe inspiring. So cool! And that blue in the sky, my phenomenal reduction in double vision, and newfound depth perception has me over the moon each morning when I simply open my eyes. Sight is such an invaluable gift! I have just a small leg of this journey to complete. Meanwhile, it's already seemed miraculous. I'm amazed and ever so grateful!
There is so much goodness in the hearts and lives of people dedicated to helping and healing others!
• How about you? Do you have any news, projects or accomplishments you'd like to share with the community? If so, please follow the contact or submit links, or just reach our to me privately. You are Seeing Goodness!
There are many more members of the Seeing Goodness unmentioned than mentioned. Some are doing outstanding work as employees in schools, hospitals, nonprofits, and for profits. Some volunteer, some are retired, and some are in school.
If you have anything you'd like to share about your mindfulness practice please let me know. I'd love to include you in our Community Spotlight.
A Lens on a Mindfulness Practice
Continuing with the theme of April pranks, I'm reposting this video. Have a look:
The Monkey Business Illusion
Please contemplate the questions at the end of the video. The video is well worth your time. I don't want to give anything away by asking direct questions here - in case you haven't seen the video.yet.
During the month of April we each might want to have a conversation with an associate or friend to see if we can understand or greet someone with fewer of our pre-conceived expectations. Are there notions we can each let go of? Is there more to the person than initially meets the eye?
Research confirms that we are happier when we see the goodness in others and the world. I bet the people with whom we interact are happier, too. Let's see if we all can eliminate one prejudice or previously formed judgment about just one person this month. Or how about one person a week? Or day?
I'd love to hear if this video and exercise resonate with you.
Research also indicates that our awareness and observation skills are not as strong as we think they are. The focus of Seeing Goodness is more on the practice of seeing than the desired goodness itself. Until we learn to become more aware - more mindful - observe better - we won't have the capacity to notice all that goodness that already around us and within us. Let's work on our observational skills this month.
This second video might help to convince you of our shortsightedness:
Why You Miss Big Changes Right Before Your Eyes | NOVA | Inside NOVA
I welcome any comparable studies, exercises or videos that you've found. :-)
A Look at Our April Calendars
1) Seeing Goodness will continue to resume meeting more regularly again. We'll meet the remaining Tuesday evenings in April: April 9, 16, 23 and 30. Most gatherings will be on Zoom. Yet, I've rediscovered some of Clubhouse's charms. Please let me know which you'd prefer? Look for occasional pop-ups, too.
2) What a month of celebration April is! I won't included every national celebration. Just a few to get us started.
In the interest of your time here are just ten days.
April 1 -- April Fools' Day, of course!
April 2 -- Do-over! We missed National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day!
April 7 –– World Health Day
and National No Housework Day -- coincidence?
April 8 -- The last US viewable total solar eclipse until late 2044.
There will be a partial one next year. It's not the same.
** Please be careful of your eyes! **
... and the eyes of your pets and animals!
April 10 -- National Hug Your Dog Day!
April 14 -- International Moment of Laughter Day
Ha! Just when many of us are scrambling with our taxes. Laughter will help!
April 15-26 -- The Lyrids meteor shower will grace our skies once more.
Hope it's visible where you are.
April 21 -- World Creativity and Innovation Day
April 22 -- Earth Day
April 30 -- International Jazz Day
Incidentally, Langston Hughes, sometimes referred to as a jazz poet,
was born in April. He gave us this:
April Rain Song
by Langston Hughes
Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain make running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain
A Mindful Moment Honoring Goodness
Yesterday, my friend Agnes Boyle Kane shared a story about a landlord with me.
Whoa, Neliie! A landlord story? It can't be good, right? We hear of so many stories alluding to landlord greed these days.
Truth be told, Alan and I had a wonderful landlady, Gertrude, and landlord, Albert, for many years. Although we declined Albert's kind offer to buy his home after he was widowed, we eventually named our compost bins in honor of them: Bert and Gert. (Now that's love!) And today's costs are high for all involved with real estate. So, I'm happy to shine a good light on another wonderful landlord.
I don't know the landlord's name. I know that he was renting out an apartment on the South Shore when he noticed that a newer tenant, a single mom with a couple of kids, was having a hard time providing what she wanted for her kids. One of her children was sleeping on the floor.
Our unnamed landlord hero purchased a new box spring and mattress for the family. No charge. Delivered with grace.
When I heard that I truly had a wonderfully warm peaceful feeling all over. How about you? How does it make you feel?
This "little" story still has me smiling. It wasn't captured for TikTok or IG. It was done quietly true compassion - love in action.
You probably know by now that our brains were not wired to retain these stories as much as we are wired to retain our bad, fearful and difficult moments. I'll provide you with the science at another time, but if you hear a sweet story savor it. Hold it in your heart for an extra 15 to 30 seconds. Then share it when appropriate.
Together we add more goodness in the world when we do.
Thank you, dear friend and photographer, Agnes Kane for sharing your goodness!
An April Recipe
Here's the link to a salad perfectly matching the time of year.
We just made this rendition for the first time last weekend.
Seriously Good Quinoa Recipe
I'll add the recipe itself in a future edit.
Yum! Hearty enough for winter. Light enough for spring.
We added more zip to the dressing.
I also added some roughly chopped snap peas.
Oh, spring! Oh, so good!
Also, gluten-free, dairy free, vegan, and you can make without much of a sweetener or sugar.
Do you have a favorite spring recipe?
A Short Poem
April
by Sara Teasdale
The sparrows tritter as they fly,
And with a windy April grace
The little clouds go by.
Yet the back-yards are bare and brown
With only one unchanging tree—
I could not be so sure of Spring
Save that it sings in me.
Riddle and Closing
The riddle and closing will follow in my next edit.
I hope to add a couple of photos just to break up all that text!
(And to add photos of sweet spring buds and flowers. :-) )
If you're previewing this for me -- you are quite a gem. THANK YOU!
I'm off to class!
Before realizing I’d be writing this, I did a little yard exploration of our version of "opening day." Mother Nature may not be perfectly predictable but she doesn’t fail to awe with the hardiness and splendor of spring buds and blossoms.
I hope to link to an "opening day" photography post (not prepared, yet)
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