By Calryn Aston

After a long and challenging day at work, I arrived home and found the Winter/Spring Shambhala Mountain Center catalog in my mail pile. Without energy to do much else, I sat down to browse – on the cover, resting plants blanketed with ice crystals.

I opened the cover to find a photograph of a grove of Aspen that evoked memories of times I have spent wandering the paths at SMC.

Interestingly, I found myself reading the catalog cover to cover, looking with fresh eyes at the photographs, course descriptions, and teacher bios, and feeling the armor around my heart unwind.

When I finished, about 45 minutes later, I felt refreshed, cheerful, and energized. Thank you so much for all you offer – even the catalog can be a transmission.