{"id":1786,"date":"2011-11-05T17:51:47","date_gmt":"2011-11-05T21:51:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=1786"},"modified":"2011-11-05T17:51:47","modified_gmt":"2011-11-05T21:51:47","slug":"climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change, Schmimite Change: Finding Beauty in the Changing Cycles of Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>There are still green leaves on the trees in Burlington, Vermont at the time of year when the leaves are typically on the ground becoming fertilizer in the cycle of life. Perhaps this late transition of foliage is evidence of climate change. Next week it is predicted to be in the high sixties at a time when snow could be blanketing the ground.<\/p>\n

There are always extremes of weather and now we pay closer attention to the vicissitudes of nature. It snowed in New York City before it snowed in Burlington this fall. The heavy, wet snow clung to the leaves still on the trees creating an unbearable weight. A thousand trees went down in Central Park; people have been without power for a week.<\/p>\n

Whether these are just random weather events or signs of climate change, they are vivid reminders of impermanence. The world is uncertain and when it seems not to be, we are not really paying attention.<\/p>\n

I drove from Burlington to Middlebury today. On much of this drive are view of the Adirondack Mountains to the west and the Green Mountains to the East. I’ve lived here for seventeen years and I never fail to undersestimate the profound beauty of this landscape. In my mind, the gentle, aged majesty of these mountains shrinks to quaintness. Brilliant sunshine and visibility shatters that quaintness, expanding the mountains to their full grandeur.<\/p>\n

How fortunate to be alive on this and every other day; to have this opportunity to see these hills across the shining lake. Indeed, climate change or no, the peak of Camel’s Hump was sporting snow. This himal, a harbinger of things to come. Despite global warming’s best efforts, the winter will still be brutally frigid. Cold Buddha will shiver soon enough.<\/p>\n

So, I will enjoy the mild sunshine while it lasts and I will embrace the cold soon enough. Landscapes such as these invite us to be mindful — providing a ready bridge to walk across to find ourselves in the moment. It’s easy to go to sleep in a flat, unchanging landscape. But no landscape is truly flat when we pay exquisite attention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are still green leaves on the trees in Burlington, Vermont at the time of year when the leaves are typically on the ground becoming fertilizer in the cycle of life. Perhaps this late transition of foliage is evidence of climate change. Next week it is predicted to be in the high sixties at a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,8],"tags":[300,299,298,297,301,244],"class_list":["post-1786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddha-101","category-mindful-living","tag-adirondack-mountains","tag-burlington","tag-climate-change","tag-global-warming","tag-green-mountains","tag-vermont"],"yoast_head":"\nClimate Change, Schmimite Change: Finding Beauty in the Changing Cycles of Nature - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Climate Change, Schmimite Change: Finding Beauty in the Changing Cycles of Nature - Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are still green leaves on the trees in Burlington, Vermont at the time of year when the leaves are typically on the ground becoming fertilizer in the cycle of life. Perhaps this late transition of foliage is evidence of climate change. Next week it is predicted to be in the high sixties at a…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-11-05T21:51:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/11\/Fall_2011-224x300.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Arnie Kozak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Climate Change, Schmimite Change: Finding Beauty in the Changing Cycles of Nature - Mindfulness Matters","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Climate Change, Schmimite Change: Finding Beauty in the Changing Cycles of Nature - Mindfulness Matters","og_description":"There are still green leaves on the trees in Burlington, Vermont at the time of year when the leaves are typically on the ground becoming fertilizer in the cycle of life. Perhaps this late transition of foliage is evidence of climate change. Next week it is predicted to be in the high sixties at a…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html","og_site_name":"Mindfulness Matters","article_published_time":"2011-11-05T21:51:47+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/11\/Fall_2011-224x300.jpg"}],"author":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html","name":"Climate Change, Schmimite Change: Finding Beauty in the Changing Cycles of Nature - Mindfulness Matters","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/11\/Fall_2011-224x300.jpg","datePublished":"2011-11-05T21:51:47+00:00","dateModified":"2011-11-05T21:51:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/11\/Fall_2011-224x300.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/files\/2011\/11\/Fall_2011-224x300.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/11\/climate-change-schmimite-change-finding-beauty-in-the-changing-cycles-of-nature.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Climate Change, Schmimite Change: Finding Beauty in the Changing Cycles of Nature"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/","name":"Mindfulness Matters","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Arnie Kozak","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/5f92cf2ae15fbe04e74ca47527ac68d8","name":"Dr. Arnie Kozak","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/6ab\/6abd6f3205265768510a13d66ac2aff7x96.jpg","caption":"Dr. Arnie Kozak"},"description":"Recognized as an innovator in the field of mindfulness-based psychology, Dr. Arnie Kozak is northern New England's leading expert in the field. Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1786"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1791,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1786\/revisions\/1791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}