I listened to Joseph Goldstein at mindpod. “May my life be a benefit to all.”

Have a kind heart. “In the depth of my heart, I do not hold a grudge against anyone,” Goldstein quotes the Dalai Lama. I feel the same way. I really have no ax to grind against anyone.

“When compassion and emptiness are both present, enlightenment is unavoidable.”

I used to listen to Joseph Goldstein while I was writing. Something about his humility inspires and moves me. He seems able to set aside his ego. I took an afternoon workshop with him one afternoon near St. John the Divine. We did a walking meditation near the fountain. Feeling our feet as they hit the ground, the coming and the going. Being with ourselves. Emptying our thoughts of everything but the present moment.

Goldstein says something like, Our lives tend to revolve around self-centeredness. It’s true. And we look outside ourselves for deep meaning. But sitting quietly once a day helps me find my center. Pay attention.

I sat in the courtyard at Trinity Church after co-teaching Kindergarten. I have a bit of a cold and am starting to feel run down.

I had wanted to see the movie Bridge of Lies, but, after sitting quietly, I’d stopped by the handbag department of Century 21 — a different kind of mindfulness. So many beautiful bags. (I bought one!) I also called my doctor and scheduled my annual physical.

I came home.

The joys of emptiness — this may be why Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is so effective. And why minimalism works.

I think I should toss out an old purse since I bought a new one. I should tidy. Declutter. But I’m going to read and listen to the rest of Joseph Goldstein. More inspiration:

‘Live in the nowhere, even though we have an address.’

‘Better to stand on the firm ground of emptiness than the quicksand of something-ness.’

Tomorrow I am back in the high school, teaching my 10th Graders. In a day my students go from kindergarten to high school. Just like my own children. In a flash, they’ve grow up. I try to remain a still center.