WET WEATHER

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain."

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

A rainy day makes it cozy to stay inside.

Or,

If we gear up and go out into it,

The adventure is generally blustery and quite grand!

What cripples us is resistance-

Not liking it,

Feeling limited,

Complaining,

And having internal demands. 

I enjoy the rain!

HOME

"Amen."

There is no greater grace than

A quiet mind and

A peaceful heart.

When we know these,

We have come

Home. 

I open and surrender to receive God's grace. 

STILLNESS

"I am that."

~ Mooji ~

Under the surface noise of manifest life happening,

Behind the emotions and the voices and the physical aches and pains,

There is quiet-

Vastness,

Stillness,

And

Great peace.

We are more than we seem. 

SPONTANEITY

"As you start to walk out on the way, the way appears."

~ Rumi ~

Life dictates our responsiveness. 

We worry in advance what we will say and

What we will do

and how everything will play out,

And we think if we don't figure it out beforehand that

when we get there we will be utterly lost.

But we won't.

Because life itself informs us of the next move

And then the next one,

And it flows the way it flows

Whether we worry about it

Or not. 

Life is best fresh. 

TANK TRAINING

"Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army."

~ Edward Everett ~

Our pup is not quite 4 months old and he weighs 38 pounds- every inch of him solid, paws like oaks.

We named him "Tank" for a reason.

And he's willful- got the confidence and defiance to match his size,

And the gentleness too.

Like all of us really, he's a mix of light and shadow.

And in some ways, already more than we can responsibly handle 

without more dog expertise than we have.

So we're taking him to a trainer and he will be there for 3 weeks.

It's the real deal,

And I feel mixed about it-

A bit guilty,

A bit sad,

Hopeful,

And in some ways relieved.

We seek structure for a happy balance between 

Affection and force.

And, God willing,

We will all be better off for the three weeks

And not less so. 

I relax and surrender. It takes what it takes.

SAFE PASSAGE

"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."

~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~

Animal trails run all through our woods, 

worn bare

By repetitive journeys of multiple feet.

They make for safe passage between

the prickers and thick vegetation-

Safe passage for whoever might use them,

including me. 

I am grateful for those who have gone before and can show me the way. 

TAKING A SCOLDING

"Sometimes people hear you better if you speak with a voice of compassion instead of authority. They long to be understood more than to be lectured."

~ Dodinsky ~

A woman barked at my friend and me in Whole Foods 

because we weren't following the current cultural rules as she understands them

to her satisfaction. 

Her wrath was jarring. 

She told us in no uncertain terms to get our s**t together. 

And I "get" that she is likely fearful- that the looming Corona Virus has made her edgy and uptight.

It's done that to many of us.

Still though, I am not used to being yelled at by strangers.

We are living in a world of uncertainty, that's true,

But it doesn't mean we can't

Remember who we are at core,

That we have hearts and feelings,

And be kind. 

I drop my arrogance and righteousness and honor the dignity in others, wherever, and however I may find them.