Keeping commitments

Blipfoto, Wednesday 19th February

Yesterday I commented on the benefits of daily meditation. There is a lot to be said for any daily practice. If you want to achieve something, it needs regular application and commitment. I sometimes wonder just how well I would play the piano now—or the guitar, ukulele or recorder—if I had kept up a daily commitment to practice.

Knowing that you can keep a commitment is important. It enables us to respect ourselves and know that we are worthy of receiving respect. To be able to stand by your word is an aspect of the Vajrayana practice of Natural Heroism. We engage with the world and other beings with dignity and honour, as heroes and heroines.

DLP Week 8: add a flap

Currently—as well as my long-standing daily meditation practice commitment—I am keeping two others: Blipfoto and the Documented Life Project.

In January I decided to post a photograph on Blipfoto every day in 2014. This has already enhanced my awareness and appreciation of my environment. I seem more artistically attuned to my surroundings and the occurrences in my life.

The Documented Life Project offers weekly artistic challenges to keep in a journal. This means that I am engaged in artwork every week for the first time in many years. I have always continued craft work—such as knitting and sewing—but have not painted or drawn for a long, long time. It is wonderful to have rediscovered all my old art materials, and am enjoying revitalising my artistic juices (and my dried up paints!). Sometimes my creations are a little minimal, depending on how much time I can give the project – but nevertheless it is still creative, and I am so enjoying it.