Today I continue my journal on my experience at the Thich Nhat Hanh retreat in Estes Park, CO in August.  I begin with my usual gratitude list.
     I am grateful for Thich Nhat Hanh, for a beautiful day in Colorado, for the sleep this a.m., for the nourishing food, for beautiful people.  For these and all my blessings thank you Creator.
     Today is day 2 of the retreat and I've gotten off to an interesting start.  First I had trouble getting to sleep last night but I didn't allow myself to be stressed.  Everything is always fine just the way it is.  Then my roommate woke me at 5:30 a.m. because we'd overslept.  Well there was no way I was going to be able to get dressed and be at the sitting meditation in fifteen minutes so I rolled over and went back to sleep.  1 hour later, I dressed and went to breakfast.  I thought I was doing pretty good on my mindfulness eating until the coffee overflowed my cup and I spilled it everywhere.  Ah such is life :)  But the day is improving.  I'm sitting out in the sun looking at beautiful Longs Peak.  Gorgeous!!!  If there is no God I wonder who dreamed up these mountains. 
     One of the things waking up late did for me is remind me that I'm a metaphysicist, a believer in New Thought, not a Buddhist.  I don't have to get up early...I'm pausing because the teens are on a walking meditation and have paused behind me to look at the magnificent mountains...An way, back to my new thought...I believe that life doesn't have to be hard if you just go with the flow.  I'm not a morning person so getting up at 5 a.m. is grueling for me.  But I CHOOSE to get up because I love the energy of being in a room full of like-minded people who are meditating.  But then, if the alarm doesn't go off, who am I to get upset because I didn't meditate in a room full of people.  I can meditate anytime.  Which I plan to do right now...Back in a few minutes....
     Now I am in the Assembly Hall.  Like me, many people came early to get a good seat.  Of course the only really good seats are right up front where you have to sit on pillows.  Not for me.  I'll come back to my writing soon since they have started the singing.
     Teachings of Thay:
      Every home should have a bell to ring occasionally and when the bell rings everyone should stop, cease talking and breathe in and out 3 times.  In the 21st century every home should have a meditation hall with a bell, cushions & a pot of flowers.  Call it The Breathing Room:  it is the territory of the Buddha.
      Pebble Meditation (the 4 pebbles): 
      Breathing In I see myself as a flower
      Breathing out I feel free
      Breathing In I see myself as a mountain
      Breathing out I feel solid
      Breathing in I see myself as water
      Breathing out I feel myself reflecting what is true, what is real
      Breathing in I see myself as space
      Breathing out I feel freedom
Thay took a drink and said "Yesterday it was a cloud, today it is my tea."
      Sidebar:  While I was eating I would set my fork or spoon on the tray and wait while I chewed.  Crazily at first my hand kept twitching as if it wanted to touch the fork.
       Back to the teachings:
       Meditators can see many things that others can not see:  They can see the seed of corn in the tall stalk of corn.&nbs