Extraordinary Riches

These words cause some unheaval within me.

For my alone time is sometimes fraught with 

worry and recrimination...

 neural pathways etched into a deep ravine

from years of repeat.

They show up, like a murder of crows, 

(no disrespect to crows)

causing a ruckus, yammering away;

stealing joy and embezzling delight.

This shouldn't be a surprise since

they've had years and years of practice.

I've gotten better at seeing them coming...

I now notice and nod toward their presence.

Ignoring them only raises the volume.

I redirect their complaints to a compost bin

where they (and I) can be forgiven

through the grace of understanding

and a merciful invitation to stand down,

forging kinder pathways, softer voices, gentler tones.

It's then I begin to "discover extraordinary riches."

A worthy mission for what remains of my lifetime.

Namaste'

There Is Always A Door

This gives me chills every time I read it.

Isn't it a thrill to think of yourself opening your door 

and finding the "room only you can open"?

And then to discover "the walls are lined with mirrors"?

Grace and glory reside there, I'm thinking.

May we each remember to open that door

to our own special room where only we can enter.

May we luxuriate in the treasure of ourselves.

Namaste'

 

Forgive Yourself

The "shoulda, woulda, coulda's" was a phrase used

by a grief stricken mother in a group I attended years ago.

Her voice and words stay with me.

I love how May has transfigures it.

"Drop it gently in the river of today,

watch it sink, let the ripples fade."

I also love "you can grow from it

like a vine through concrete."

May everyone be safe today.

Namaste'

 

They Say Nobody Is Coming

Isn't it a worthwhile enterprise to 

give strong attention to these saving graces?

Thinking back over my life, I am overwhelmed

by how often this occurrs,

especially when things felt stark and hopeless.

It's not only people who save me.

Many, many other than humans do so frequently.

A hawk lands on the deck railing just as I sit down at the window.

A flower I forgot I planted blooms unexpectedly and brilliantly.

An owl hoots a greeting across the fields as I walk at predawn.

An abandoned dog I didn't want stole my heart in less then 5 minutes.

The seeds I plant come up, grow and bear fruit.

Vignettes of wildflowers catch my eye, fungus, lichen, moss, stumps

all provide visual beauty in unexpected and undesigned places.

The moon, sunsets and sunrises constantly make me catch my breath.

The list is long and growing longer as I think about it!

It's an embarrassment of riches 

received without proper appreciation.

These words are doing it now...saving me.

Showing me how wealthy I am

in what really matters.

We truly are in this together.

The entanglement is real and dazzling.

Namaste'

 

You Let Love Grow

What a concept!

"like a lion protecting her young"?

And that's the seed...

"It'll happen on it's own."

I've lived with the belief I needed to figure out the program.

Nothing was going to happen properly without me "getting IT right".

Such unnecessary pressure.  

The best question ever..."Enough for what?"

We're already living in the river of enough.

We each deserve this kind of love...

from ourselves most of all.

I believe it is what it takes to heal the world.

Namaste'

PS:  It'll be a treat to have her book.

She's a consistent source of inspiration. 

Each one a meditation.

 

Wrap Your Arms

These words cause me to consider 

the wildflowers

growing right outside my door 

from a different perspective.

Not the ones I bought and planted. . .

I'm thinking of the ones 

growing vigorously 

without adulation or admiration;

the ones the mowers take down 

time after time after time.

The ones I mindlessly uproot 

when I'm tending the landscape.

Looking at them closely,

I can almost hear them singing.

I want to gather them into my arms,

hold them close to my chest.

Lavish them with regard.

Namaste'

 

Sometimes You Find Yourself

These places can be inner as well as outer, I believe.

Being cast into new territory through difficult events

can have one feeling lost and feeling like a 

"leaf caught in a storm wondering why the wind chose you".

Most of us have experienced this in one form or another, at different times.

For those who are in the midst of feeling lost in these places,

I hope these words will bring a tiny bit of consolation.

I will say, that even in the midst of sorrow and pain,

you remain home in the heart of who you are.

You are loved and you are not alone.

May you feel cocooned in an outpouring of caring.

Namaste'

 

The Wrinkles

What glorious stories are being written

by glorious human beings

bearing all kinds of trials and sufferings,

yet the stories over flow with beauty and grace.

May your joy and laughter echo throughout the world.

May your grief become a river of tender rememberings.

May the seeds you plant with love become a bountiful harvest.

May your dark times reveal healing wonders.

May you always remember the marks you're making 

on the pages of your life matter mightily.

You are irreplaceable.

Namaste'

 

When A Door Closes

I love the idea of a new window opening

into the garden of my chest.

I love the idea of forgotten seeds bursting through ribcages.

I love the idea of truths blooming

even when I'm afraid to water them.

It invites me to trust my truth and 

 the process of growth that happens

without my management.

It encourages me to pay attention

to the subtle and not so subtle threads

 moving in and around me; weaving 

sounds, images and feelings

 into stories only I can tell

in whatever medium I choose.

Namaste'

 

 

You Are You

May each of us be who we are

with everything that goes with it.

Let the fire inside of us grow,

burning away whatever it is

that prevents us from being ourselves

in our truest form.

Be our own top fan.

Think Wonder Woman!

Namaste'

 

Dance In the Rain

In other words, "feel your way". 

(These words recall Olivia singing it in Grease.)

Another important aspect of this is choosing.

I find my feelings often run the gamut 

from despair to jubilation

and everything in between,

in a jumbled mess of emotions.

I wish I could flip a switch that 

automatically sent me sailing (or drifting) along

in the river of encouragement and reassurance.

Especially when what is called for is not surrendering. 

I am immensely grateful for those individuals 

who are standing up strong for what is decent.

They inspire me to activate the courage within me.

May you find and flip the switch to your river of 

encouragement and reassurance.

Namaste'

 

One Day You Will Understand

"the compass in your chest is not broken"

Where is the world telling you to go?

Listen again.

Listen deeper.

Listen to the whisper.

Listen carefully.

Feel for YOUR map.

Namaste'

 

What It Comes Back Down To

 

Seeds are magnificent!  

They are glorious!

As are we...each one of us.

No matter how apparently small.

The impact is vast and far reaching.

Namaste'

Feel Yourself Magnificent

If you ever find yourself feeling small and insignificant,

remember these words.

It won't take long, when you consider the majesty of this universe.

We are all part of something magnificent which in my book,

makes each one of us equally glorious.

Namaste'

Everything Is Spiraling

The thought of everything spiraling (spiralling is the UK spelling)

has been a comfort to me for almost five decades.  

It "spirals" around and around reminding me frequently.

"I am on the journey, as are you."

"Embrace the Journey" is the title 

of the mixed media course I'm taking.

It seems fitting.  

Each of us, side by side, physically or energetically.

We're in this together.

May your journey be rich and fruitful.

Namaste'

 

Stillness Saves Me

Can you feel your body unclench as you read the words?

It may take a minute, but it happens, doesn't it?

There is a comfort in unclenching.

I'm also delighted by the thoughts of 

"blooming right here where I'm planted."

I don't always feel like I'm blooming,

yet I know I am growing toward 

my next blooming cycle.

May we all grow in decency, dignity

and finding beauty in the midst of uncertainty.

Namaste'

 

Grant Me The Serenity

https://susanvespoli.com/

 Love when someone freshens a well worn phrase.

Here's the rest of her poem.

Namaste'

Ode to the Modified Serenity Prayer

      “Grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change,

      the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it’s me.”

Your daughter camps near the methadone

clinic in a sea of bench and canal sleepers.

She’s lost another phone or charger or backpack,

wears a ball cap over her sunburnt face.

You could tell her to go back to the hospital

or sober living or Soul Surgery Treatment Center

or the 90-day rehab she left after four days.

You could drive her to Walmart, the Dollar Store,

buy her a phone charger, more clothes, shoes,

instant coffee, oatmeal, peanut butter, candy,

wring your hands, feel sick to your stomach

as she smiles, climbs out of your car, saying, “Yes,

I’d rather live on the street.” You could pretend

she’s gone to Woodstock, that it’s 1969, that addicts

are just kids passing through a phase where they drop

acid, wear tie-dye, dance in the rain to Canned Heat.

Or you could repeat the modified serenity prayer

            over and over and over and over,

then drive home, park your car, kiss your own

goddamn good life just as four geese fly over

your flowered front yard and honk.

How It Isn't Always Clear

The entire poem is worth a read.

The more I contemplate water, 

the more awe-inspiring it becomes.

It's so easy to take it for granted.

To forget how irreplaceable it is.

Even a short reverie on it 

gives me shivers of gratitude at its qualities

and its significance to life.

May we treasure it with reverence.

Namaste'

 

 

In The Meantime

"Landscaping the flood path" is a new term

for making beauty in the face of mayhem.

Recently, we were assigned the task of making an ugly painting.

I found myself asking the question, who decides what is ugly?  

I know, I know!  Certain things just beg for the label.

But that's what it is, a label and the result of 

what we're taught to think, isn't it?

I believe we can all agree 

that blooming flowers are beautiful.  

I also believe making your kind of beauty

in the face of mayhem is a worthy endeavor.

Namaste'

 

Dig Deep Within

Marcus again?!

Yesterday's and today's quotes are from separate sources.

I actually checked this one to verify 

as it does NOT sound (to me) like something coming 

from a Roman Emperor from the century 100,

even if he was a Stoic Philosopher.

That being said, keeping watch or paying rapt attention 

seems more fitting to me...

something less physically demanding than digging.

What grabbed me was the fountain of goodness.

I believe it is already flowing.

Our call is to soften and let it flow...

strong and free and brave.

Namaste'

 

Think Always Of The Universe

I chuckle at my naive assumption this idea was a contemporary one.

A Roman Emperor from 161-180 would not be considered a contemporary! 

"The Universe as living creature

with all absorbed into its consciousness."

They were discussing consciousness during the Roman Empire?

Why am I finding this so surprising?

If I'd paid better attention in school...I'd know this, right?

Nonetheless, this is potent thought material.

That being said, I struggle with an aspect of this belief.

That means all the nasty stuff going on 

is part of "one substance, one soul"?

That's painful to wrap my head around.

I so want to simplify things into good or bad.

Which is exactly the problem with humanity.

Centuries of dualistic thinking brought us here.

What is remarkable is we have the power to shift the tide.

We're witnessing the power of joy and optimism 

in the face of fear and hatred.

We're witnessing the power of working together 

toward bringing us all together.

Let us hold fast to this vision 

and bring it into full flower.

Namaste'