Meditating with my cat Candler

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I was checking out blogs for inspiration last night and ran across a great blog post from Kay Beaton. (The post has since disappeared from the web.)

The topic for January 5th was being mindful in 2008. After reading Kay's post and some of the comments, I decided that being mindful for me starts with daily meditation. I used to to do it, but I haven't in a while. Well, not until last night. Inspired by Kay's blog, I decided to sit for 20 minutes. Turns out I only lasted 15, but they were all great and oh so very mindful.

My cat Ferron came over to rub against me after a minute or two and then settled for her own mediation a few feet away from me. Ten minutes later or so my cat Candler (the younger and friendlier of the two -- are orange cats always the friendliest?) came calling. After rubbing his head against my hands and knees, he decided to nestle against my crossed legs.

After the 15 minutes of officially mindful vipassana meditation, I sat another five minutes and mindfully petted Candler.

So maybe I did meet my original meditation goal of 20 minutes.

www.cbrownphoto.com

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Cindy Brown

I'm an Atlanta wedding photographer who takes soulful, quirky and honest photos ...

I'm also an adventurous traveler and all-round nerd. I love to hike with my beagle/cattle dog Roux and best friend/spouse.

I was born in Atlanta, moved around a lot--30 cities and 5 states--and then came back.

After graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta, I took a job at asmall newspaper in south Georgia, where I photographedhospital teas, pecan farmers, and beauty queens.

I photographed a biker funeral, death penalty protests andTed Bundy while interning with the Associated Press.

While a photographer for two dailies in Florida, I photographed Ronald Reagan, a train derailment and the dedication of a screened-in porch.

An unexpected life turn took me to Vermont where I fell in love with Bernie Sanders and on to Indiana, where I edited photos for a major daily, and nerded out getting a master’s and PhD.

After teaching photojournalism at colleges and universities in Florida, Indiana and Mississippi, I returned to Atlanta to earn myfifth degree--a Master's of Divinity.

My passion for storytelling with my camera and my interest in religious diversity led my to the field of wedding photojournalism.

I have documented weddings large and small, Unitarian and Pagan, indoors and out, Christian and Muslim, in backyards and in churches. The most exotic wedding I have photographed took place in Mexico and was officiated by aMayan shaman.

When I'm not photographing weddings, portraits or corporate events, I work on personal photo projects, visit friends in amemory-care home, and volunteer at a recovery center.