simple, but not easy

One of the radio programs that I listen to each week, either live through public radio or on-demand as a podcast is On Being with Krista Tippett. I always come away with new perspectives about myself and the world. Accompanying the podcast is a blog that includes articles by different contributing authors. I have long been fascinated by fractals and the title of yesterday's post caught my eye: 

The Fractal Moment: An Invitation to Begin Again by Sharon Salzberg 

The short piece is about letting go, but the paragraph the really resonated with me was this:

"In actuality, meditation is simple, but not easy: you rest your attention on something like the breath in order to stay present, and, as thoughts carry you away, you begin again an incalculable number of times. That is why meditation is a practice. It is this practice of training one’s attention that makes meditation so powerful."

Everything we do can be be broken down into simple principles, and everything is improved with mindful practice. Every unseen gesture, every small decision contributes to the whole. Each small act is simple, but not necessarily easy. Practice. 

Size: 8" long
Feather: Domestic Goose, from a small farm in Pennsylvania