It's Not What You Look For

"It's not what you look for but what is there ready to be revealed."

This sure has me pondering what it is I'm looking for

AND what is there ready to be revealed.

At this, (some would say late) stage in my growing,

I'm embarking on a learning adventure with art 

that has me caught in its playful grip like a giant magnet 

drawing me into a web where I am blissfully captured

and eagerly stumbling around in a confusion of wandering,

allowing myself to savor the journey no matter how lost I feel.

I trust it is softening me.

"But the sun keeps nudging us, with beauty its calling card,

and if we can bear the softening 

she will change our gaze to see what's true."

I'm reminding myself that beauty is mine to define;

as is what's true for me unsettling as this feels...

This odyssey isn't about "commercial success";

I like to think its more about priceless contribution.

Namaste'

 

We're Fascinated By the Words

I had to ask myself, is this true?

It took me a bit to realize it is.

It is always a rush when I read something that dazzles me,

 with how someone has woven words together

so beautifully it takes my breath away.

Yet, upon reflection, it is the silence inside

that hears and resonates and connects.

Like when a soft wind, you don't notice

moves something nearby and catches your attention.

It might be the silence behind the words is

where we recognize the mutual respect and dignity

existing between us? 

Namaste'

 

Art Can Enter

I believe any creative act can act as a shaman for your soul,

taking you on a journey "to places you didn't know you have."

To see this journey as a deepening relationship with yourself

and the world around you,

every incident can serve as fodder.

A way to emphasize beauty, and the gift of being alive.

Namaste'

 

The Truth Is

Can you imagine living in this kind of society?

Is it just me or is ours more of an anxiety prone, 

constantly striving, "never enough" kind of civilization? 

What is civil about living like that?

It's about balance, I'm thinking...equal measures of hard work,

vigorous play and peaceful rest and silence.

I'm also thinking there might be a majority of us

on our way to making this our reality.

Namaste'

Perhaps You Want To Do Something

This crossed my path as I was looking and listening for answers.

The guilty feeling rooted in my bones was strong

even with my determination to squelch its destructive utterances.

Interestingly enough, this echoes the quieter voice of

trust and calm I'm coming to rely on as I grow.

"if you start with the small, the particular, the individual,

the tiniest of gestures can make the biggest difference."

I believe many of us are already well on our way in doing this.  

This is an invitation to magnify who we are...

to amplify what is in our heart and soul.

To let the mantle of fear slip from our shoulders.

To stand firm in the face of potential ridicule and threats.

To always remember we are not alone.

We have a river of others traveling with us.

Namaste'

 

We All Have Important Work

First, I'd like to say whatever work you do

that brings you joy, is important, essential even.

Second of all, what if the work you do is necessary, 

but sometimes not enjoyable?

How does one find ways to shift the mood?

Folding clothes can be a meditation...so can doing dishes.

Both of these can also be a dance given the proper music.

Finding delight in the mundane can be a fun game.

If you've discovered work you love,

no matter what it is, embrace it with everything you are!

Never, never let the gloomers and doomers, 

the critics and complainers,

 the bullies and tyrants,

 rob you of your joy.

That's the way you prove them wrong.

Namaste'

 

Never, Never Be Afraid

"...especially if the well-being 

of a person or an animal is at stake."

 (I would add the well-being of our planet to this list.)

"Society's punishment's are small compared to the wounds

we inflict on our soul when we look the other way."

This is when doing something is called for.

I am pondering the best way to "do something" 

when so many things are amiss.

It requires discernment and common sense, doesn't it?

It is overwhelming to encounter what is needed.  

It seems each of us must narrow our focus to right where we are.

Beginning inside our own body in our current landscape,

at the center of our being with compassion and encouragement.

If we listen closely, we will hear our unique call to action.

We are in this together.  We can do this!

We can keep growing in dignity, true justice and mutual respect.

Namaste'

 

Spell Against Indifference

This entire piece touches me 

with its poignancy and paradox.

"we are still here with our love songs and our wars"

Tears actually threaten at this thought.

And the last stanza?

..."half a. shell of a robin's egg shimmers

blue as a newborn star

fragile as a world."

This makes me want to calm my breath and  tiptoe for the rest of my life,

in case I might break something priceless and irreplaceable.

Namaste'

 

I Can Imagine

Isn't this an amazing way to think?

Laying down the burdens of the past?

Not the joys and delights...the burdens.

I want to carry those joys and delights next to my skin like tattoos.

But the burdens can be laid down on the earth and swept away 

or buried where they can become soil for nourishing growing things 

or washed away by the river.

Nothing really goes "away" does it?  It relocates and transforms.

Hopefully into something more beneficial.

It's also true that valuable lessons can be learned from burdens,

before we lay them down.

Cheers to what we can imagine,

from the lessons learned and released to the past.

Namaste'

 

All Walls Are Destined To Fall

This quote reflects our world today quite well, in my opinion.

There are forces wanting us to believe in building walls.

I am struck by the last line as it describes what I consider to be

our best course of action.

"It is his/our job to insert a crack in the one

most visible to him/us."

I'm asking myself what walls I'm witnessing inside and out?

Searching for the crack most visible to me.

Concentrating on listening for the whisper and noticing the crack.

Trusting on guidance to my next best step.

Namaste'

 

What I'm Trying To Say

At times when it feels like vital matters are going irretrievably awry,

I have to strong arm myself into gratitude.

I have to push hard against the guilt that wants to shadow every move.

"How can I "bathe my life in gratitude" when others are suffering?

How can I be thankful when our Earth is in peril? It's crucial to do so.

To hold on tight to what is good and beautiful in the gravest of circumstances,

is the pinnacle of being human, isn't it?

To treat ourself and each other with respect and dignity;

to forgive ourself and others for failings

while constantly striving to be and do better?

This is what I seek to magnify in my thoughts and my actions.

It's a choice to make in every moment.

Namaste'

 

The People Are What Matter

While I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment,

people are not the only living beings who matter.

I would exchange the word people with creatures.

The key word for me is "all".

The more I grow, the more I see how

arduous and how simple this attitude is.

If your decision is harmful to our waterways, 

the air we breathe, the food we eat, the trees and plants...

then its harmful to all living creatures. 

Those who are incapable of seeing this need to be corrected.

There is much needing correction in our world. 

This is our mission...those of us who recognize this point of view.

  We're moving toward this...together.

Temporary setbacks will not stop our progress.

Namaste'

PS:  Frances Perkins with thanks to Heather Cox Richardson

 

I Would Like To Say

"The more I was right where I was, the more I felt the mystery around

and inside me, swirling until I was bigger somehow, 

no less afraid but more spacious."

I wonder if this describes animism...the "aliveness"

of everything in this universe we're swimming in?

I don't think you can conjure it on your own.

Don't you think it requires a sense of relationship 

and connectedness with all that is in order to tap into its force?

It is a gift when you experience the wonder of it.

"I felt myself soften as I flowed toward the inevitable--

flowed the way a river flows."

There are times flowing with the river

is really, really difficult.

Especially when you feel she is not being

properly cared for and respected.

I wonder if there's a way to flow with the river

and create alternative measures for honoring her? 

Namaste' 

 

The Heart Was Not Made

I'm not sure there's anything I can add to this thought.

Our hearts are made to grow...to thrive in the light,

to offer their beauty wordlessly,

 to bear fruit and/or pollen to share with others.

It's really simple, isn't it? 

Namaste'

 

I Am My Own Muse

This is the third mention of Muse in two days.

Sharon Blackie, Wen Redmond, and now Frida Kahlo's

quote resurfaces saved a long time ago.

I like to think of her as the most creative and coherent 

part of the cast of characters living inside.

The one to seek out earnestly for clues

as to how to proceed when things get murky or robotic.

I find its helpful to listen closely; and pay attention

to those fleeting ideas I often ignore.

If its blurry and out of focus, no worries,

it will come clear when the time is right.

May we each deepen our relationship with

this wondrous, mysterious creature 

living within.

Namaste'

 

Joy Doesn't Betray

"joy is a fine initial act of insurrection."

My appreciation for those with the ability

to foster and enhance joy is growing as

I experience its power in real time.

Now the question is, what is the next step

after this initial act of joy?

How can it be nurtured and sustained right now?

How can we keep it strong in our bones for the long run?

How can we keep it alive when things are tough?

How can we share it with those who are fearful?

It's no small matter.

We've got this!

Namaste"

What If My Joy?

Sophie Strand impresses me with her ability to

express original and compelling thoughts and ideas. 

It often requires two or three readings to let her view sink in.

My "joy, ease, bodily ecstasy" contained 

"somewhere past my skin silhouette". . . ?

This idea dazzles me.  

Of course, I think.  Why not?

How often have I found joy through a rainbow,

a waterfall, the call of  barred owl, 

a shaft of light slanting through the forest?

"What if the ways our bodies adjusted to trauma,

trespass and illness. . .was often deeply creative?

See what I mean?

She turns things around and upside down...

giving a fresh perspective

brimming with possibility and potential.

Thanks be for folks like her who alter our 

neural pathways into better ways of thinking and being.

Namaste'

 

I Remember

"I think of how much time it takes to nurture a place. 

I tell myself, sometimes goodness grows in the world if we wait."

We wait in joyful anticipation, 

is a phrase I've always loved and appreciate more and more as I grow.

Isn't it remarkable how one person, and now two

can bring about such a giant shift in our atmosphere?

It's a mystery to me how it happens.

It's not that they're better than anyone else.

It's that some invisible but palpable energy is activated.

Hope replaces dread...dignity shows up.

Excitement and enthusiasm enter the room.

And it's contagious.  

A pandemic of joy and decency.

Namaste'

 

How Many Times

 This quote rattled me a bit

with the reference to what I interpret as violence.

When I saw who said it, I felt it was worthy of sharing.

The idea of using pen or paintbrush or whatever implement of originality one uses,

to correct what is wrong in the world reminds me

how incredibly beautiful and powerful human potential is.

May our pens, paintbrushes and every instrument of creativity

move us toward more dignity, equality and decency.

Namaste'

Matter Is Spirit

And I would say, human matter is typically moving so quickly

it fails to notice spirit.

Another reason it's beneficial to slow down.

Namaste'

The River

Is it true that the river is everywhere?

I'm thinking of the middle of the Sahara desert for example.

It is if you consider the different forms water takes, doesn't it?

That alone seems rather miraculous, yet it is true, isn't it?

Right now, in this moment of time,

I believe a river of goodness exists.

You can conjure it anywhere, anytime.

Namaste'

 

The Only Thing

"An uncertainty that gestates miracles 

I could never have expected or authored."

How beautiful to consider the uncertainty we're feeling

is gestating miracles. Aren't we catching a glimpse of this?

It's still uncertainty, no doubt about it, only now it

contains a measure of optimism previously missing.

"I have found that the space I hold for being wrong

acts like a freshly mulched garden."

I love, love, love the idea of a freshly mulched garden

as the holding space for where I'm incomplete in my thinking.

Anything could sprout up from that fertile understory.

Imagine what seeds of unforeseen nourishment 

are about to break dormancy and flourish.

My outside garden may not be of a high caliber;

however, I'm counting on my inner garden of uncertainty

to produce a more generous and nourishing crop.

I'm reminding myself of the vigilance and care required to 

yield a bountiful harvest.

Namaste'