A long time ago a real estate developer decided to set fire to an old growth forest. By clearing the forest, he could then develop it and he and his friends could make more money than they ever dreamed of. We will master the forest forever.
Eventually, he started this inferno, he did not consider all the animals that made their home there.
As the fire spread the animals were trying to come up with ways to contain and stop the fire. While this intense conversation was going on amongst the animals, a tiny Hummingbird was flying furiously back and forth to the river carrying droplets of water in her beak. After a while they noticed the strange behavior.
"Hummingbird what in the world are you doing?" they asked. "Oh, I am carrying water from the river to put out the fire." The whole animal colony burst into laughter. "Hummingbird, do you know how foolish you look?"
"You may think I am foolish, but I am doing all that I can do."
"Why are you wasting your time?"
"I am doing all that I can do, instead of standing around and talking about what we should, could or needs to be done, then perhaps we could put out the forest fire!"
This lesson is taken from Ven. Wonji's book "It's All Good."
Let us start in 2022 doing all that we can do no matter how little it seems to us.

Do your little bits of good
Where you are
It's those little bits
of good put together
that overwhelms the world.
-- Desmond Tutu

In these pandemic days meditation takes place on Zoom. On a Wednesday evening in early December my teacher instructs us to sit and be in the moment by focusing on our breath. We are to practice this until the bell rings. 
In and out
In and out
In and out 
I’m concerned about Jill. She is fairly new to our practice. We just got her. I don’t want to lose her. What does “She might have had a stroke” mean anyway?  
In and out
In and out
In and out 
I spoke to my son earlier today about my colon.
“You don’t mind that I spoke to my friend (Tara, Sarah, whoever she is) about your colon?” asks my son.  “I don’t give a sh%t," I reply. 
He doesn’t think my response is as funny as I do.
In and out
In and out
In and out 
His friend SarahTara says I have to eat more fiber and drink more water. Who is this  SaraTara anyway? Oh, she’s a doctor! And she doesn’t recognize the fiber content of  Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup and and a bologna sandwich with lots of lettuce.  
In and out
In and out
In and out  
Is it selfish I want Jill to be better so I can enjoy her humor and learn from her. I do  want her better for her own sake. So, what’s going on here? Oh, it’s that Buddhism bit  about suffering, old age, and things constantly changing. Sounds like a control issue to me.  
In and out
In and out
In and out
When’s this bell ever gonna wring? How did Do’an fall down the stairs? Didn’t involve a dog, so he says. But, I wonder, was it Dahlia in the study or Tessi in the library? Wait a minute. This isn’t a British cozy mystery.  
In and out
In and out
In and out 
A softly snoring dog sleeping next to me is having a twitching dream. Did he finally catch that bunny? Earlier in the day he gave chase to a huge golden brown fluff ball of a bunny with a white pom pom tail. But, alas, the bunny hip-hopped right through the  opening in the fence. Brody was left speechless. Or is that barkless?  
In and out
In and out
In and out 
My teacher says we are to watch our breath. How on earth do I do that? Maybe the colonoscopy doc could do that…he also does endoscopies…uses a very small  camera. 
Maybe I should try counting my breath. According to my teacher we are to inhale and count one on the exhale. That’s not the way I do it. I’ll try his way. No luck. I’ll go back to my way. Inhale, exhale, one, inhale, exhale, two…
Just when I’m getting in my stride, I’m up to seven, the bell rings. My teacher thinks Jane is asleep. Hmm. Maybe I am too. 

Yours until the bell rings… 
 Wanseon Devadipa [meaning "Complete Meditation"] (Ann Campanie)