Uncommon Goods ZENGUIN Cups

Would you like a little zen with your tea?  These uber cute ZENGUIN CUPS are ideal for setting the tone for a peaceful day.  Designer Patricia Carlson partnered with Uncommon Goods to offer up some sense of humor with your zen.

Each Japanese style cup has an image of a penguin engaged in different activities and a corresponding word that might be used in an affirmative way or like a mantra. The other side of the cup has an inspiring albeit cheeky message.

meditate: what is the sound of one flipper flapping?
be: do not fear the shark if your feathers are dry.
breathe: if the ice cracks and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound?
fly: flight is not confined to the sky.

The cups have a nice weight and feel wonderful in your hand and if you have children, they will love them.  My son likes penguins and since we actually do mediate together, they are extra special.  Highly recommended!  Find them HERE.


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ZEN GHOSTS by John Muth

My son and I eagerly await John Muth's Stillwater books and I'm so thrilled to have this latest effort, ZEN GHOSTS, which takes place during my favorite time of year, Autumn and Halloween.  Stillwater, the giant panda is my most adored contemporary children's book character.  But these books are obviously not just for children.

Addy, Michael and Karl, featured in the prior books, are getting ready for Halloween.  Stillwater  joins them for festivities and reads the children a story by candlelight.  The vibe of the book is both cozy and mysterious.

As you can tell from the cover, the illustrations are magical.  There is a two page spread depicting trick or treating that is magnificent, so visually the book is incredible, and perhaps the most striking one of the series to date.

The Buddhist theme is appropriate for young children as they can be even more receptive to subtle teachings than adults.  In some ways, a koan is more accessible to a child.  As with the other two Stillwater books, Zen Ties and Zen Shorts, this is a story within a story and this one goes pretty deep.  What genius to contemplate illusion in a Halloween setting!  What is real and what is not real?  "Which Senjo is the true one?  Are they one or are they two?"  This book works on many different levels and I can't get enough of it.  Find it HERE.

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Hand Wash Cold by Karen Maezen Miller

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Every now and then a book will find its way into your hands that feels like an intimate conversation with  an old friend.  For me, Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life is one of those books.

Not really all that instructional per se, this book is unassuming and comforting and lets you know you are not alone in your endeavors with spirituality, relationships, motherhood, and mundane tasks like laundry which Miller uses both literally (we need to get our hands dirty) and metaphorically.   Real, meaningful life is deeply embedded in the mundane tasks and Miller is validating and celebrating those moments which go unnoticed, begrudged,  and/or delegated to others because we think we have more important work to do.

As  a child I was painfully aware of the passage of time and since becoming a mother I ache with this awareness.  Still it's quite an effort to stay in the moment and really experience the present (cliche as it is).  Precious moments with the most important person in my life, my son, pass by at light speed.  Miller totally gets it, has struggled with it herself and offers compassion and insight.  Embrace your life as it is, right now, she encourages.  Be present in your own life.

She shares her own flaws and vulnerabilities and made me cry, more than once.  She is a Zen Buddhist priest but that doesn't come through so much in this book, and I think that's the point.  She is not cold and detached, but warm and accessible.  Never did I feel in reading this that someone more enlightened than me was telling me how it is, there's nothing lofty, just something Raw and Real.   I can't wait to read Miller's former book, Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood.

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