Come Out of Hiding

". . .are we willing to show up without the layers and 

layers of protection, . . .to not need to be “on” or right?"

This is an intense question.

Even imagining "showing up without layers" I feel uneasy.

When my layers are calm and attentive, I'd say yes.

When they're grumpy, gloomy and highly critical, I'd say no.

Who needs to hear that?  

That is the stuff for meditation and private journaling.  

"When we tell the truth.

Maybe the hardest thing is thinking our lives 

are supposed to look different than how they look, 

that we are supposed  to look different than how we look."

This is something I practice, practice, practice.

Every time I find myself fussing about what is,

a little chime goes off....remimding me loving where I am

and what I have is the way to contentment.

"How much of ourselves are we willing to be?

Our gifts are hidden in what is hidden. "

This is where creating comes in I'm thinking...

revealing myself to myself and the world by making things...

to discover the intricate, hidden parts,

the good, the bad and the ugly.  To witness them without censure.

And be grateful for their complexity.

Namaste

 

Silent Teachers

I think of crows as quite noisy so I did some research. Here's AI's response:

 Crows generally fly silently when they are trying to avoid detection by predators, moving to a nesting site, or traveling to a communal roost in high-stakes situations.  While they are known for being loud,

social, and communicative, they are capable of becoming "absolutely silent" to avoid

drawing attention to themselves.

Tree's silence is something I'm gratefully familiar with although

I have heard them murmur and sometimes roar in wind...

I've also witnessed large bits of them flung to the ground,

and heard them creak with limbs rubbing close together.

"Then, I learned of silence from the soil that holds centuries 

of our suffering without a sound."

It holds suffering and astonishment in its silence;

and every other emotion humans live through.

It hold the remains of loved ones and a miraculous

world of activity...all in silence.

"like a field of dappled light in the quiet company

of each living mystery before me."

 

The Greatest Country on Earth

"Instead of ranking countries by happiness or wealth, 

by military might or the sum of our gross wasted products, 

we could perhaps study the conditions for gratitude, 

measure the impact of tenderness, map out the many ways to grieve, 

and how to yield with humility.

This is a breath of fresh air in today's offensive atmosphere.  

What if we could banish departments of war?

No need for trillion dollar defense budgets

 while people struggle to make a simple living.

My favorite phrase is: gross wasted products.

"We could abandon comparison for acts of compassion. . .

appraise all the ways to plant trees instead of judging beauty. . .

 how often we say thank you, and just how wide 

the aperture of awe holds us in reminder 

of the astounding possibility of being here at all."

My heart aches to live in a world where leaders

attend to the needs of the people rather than charging

out with their own ego-driven agenda.  

That is how I would like "here" to be. . .

in a land of mutual respect, decency, 

and consideration for all living creatures. 

That's not reality in this moment of time.

Yet, I can live my one miraculous life

bringing the world I want to exist into focus...

planting it deeply into my heart, 

breathing it into my body and out again,

practicing, practicing, practicing...

showing up and paying attention 

with kindness and curiosity;

forgiving myself and others when intentions go awry.

Inching the world I want to inhabit into reality

by acting as if it's already here.

Namaste

The Heavy

"We are carrying the heaviest things these days."

Everyone has their own brands of heavies,

 debilitated siblings in need of our care,

growing children requiring constant attention,

demanding jobs depleting our energy banks,

volunteers filling in the gaps others can't manage,

distruptions to our well laid plans,

our own illnesses or those of family members,

unforeseen calamities that must be addressed.

The list goes on.

"All of us staggered by the weight of cruelty

and meanness of a corrupt leader and his

minions in what we used to think of as

our country, the land of the free,

the home of the brave."

We don't know how long it will be

before a strong recalibration occurs.

It might be wise to condition ourselves

in case its a longer struggle than we foresee.

So let us, just for a moment, put down

the heavy, rest our arms, take a load off.

Let us write. . . today will be my peaceful day.

Then breathe mindfully, sending

kindness and compassion into the world.

Today will be my peaceful day...

belly breathe and relax the tight muscles

on guard against the barrage.

Concentrate on kindness and compassion.

Wherever we go, breathe it into the atmosphere.

It will feel like so little. It may look

like nothing. But, the monks would

tell you, it is everything to awaken

the peace that lives within us all.

May it be so...peace like a mighty river

moving anything obstructing its path 

with gentleness and determination.

We are moving this river with our 

neighborliness, our self care, 

and our big-heartedness.

Namaste'

 

Currents

"There is, even now, a rising flood of love. 

It will move anything that tries to impede it."

I draw this thought close wrapping it around myself.

We are seeing it happen...driven by so many small, 

unheralded acts of kindness and compassion.

"When I can't hear the flood of love,

that's when I know it is up to me to share

love so someone else hears the currents I'm listening for."

So many of us sharing our love in a myriad of ways

that others can't help but hear the currents.

Can't help but feel the waves and be moved by them.

"Together we make unstoppable waves--how they roar."

May we continue to create little whirlpools and see them grow

and expand becoming the mighty thunderous flood of love 

that will move anything standing in its way.

Namaste

 

Love Big

Some of us love big....quietly, 

some of us love with heaps of complaining.

Every time I read this, I think what a gift it is

to know that loving doesn't always feel 

intoxicatingly wonderful.

Sometimes it can feel heavy and almost unbearable.

That's when the whole hearted part kicks in 

and you love anyway.

You stay and love through the hard, hard parts.

That's the wonder of it, isn't it?

It's intricate and inscrutable.

Thank you for your big love.

Namaste

 

The World Asks

What are your thoughts on this?

I confess, my first response is resentment.

Why must we always be asked for more?

And who's asking for it?

Dignity?  Decency?  Goodness?

Ok, I get that. 

And I get that we have more strength than we realize.

And we do keep giving it because we are decent people.

At the same time, I wish for good people being replenished

and respected, and rewarded for all they continue to give.

That's where things become truly amazing 

because good people don't expect or request that.

They find them in the daily delights they learn to lean on

when things are hard and heavy. They find joy 

in their generosity and know how to care for themselves and each other.

That is the marvel...the magnificence.

I am so very grateful for those who answer the call for goodness

and spread their energy to others,

no matter who is making the call.

Namaste