The Hippo

The hippo floats in swamp serene

some emerged, but most unseen

Seeing all and only blinking

Who knows what this beast is thinking.

Gliding, and of judgment clear,

Letting go and being here.

…I sit here hippo-like and breathe,

While inside I storm and seethe.

Would that I were half equanimous

As that placid hippopotamus.

By Steven Hickman

“The challenge of mindfulness is to be present for your experience as it is, rather than immediately jumping in to change it or try to force it to be different”,

Jon Kabat Zinn

“Watch your thoughts for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your life.”

Frank Outlaw

“There is an ethical foundation of the cultivation of mindfulness. Mindfulness is an orientation to reality that is highly connected with compassion, starting with yourself. It is based above all on the principle of non-harming, or ‘ahimsa’ in Sanskrit,”

Jon Kabat Zinn