THE SOLSTICE

"Heat, ma'am! it was so dreadful here, that I found there was nothing left for it but to take off my flesh and sit in my bones."

~ Sydney Smith ~

Into summer we plunge

Wearing masks on our faces

Standing 6 feet apart

Celebrating fathers

Fighting for social justice

And doing,

as always,

the best that we can.

In spite of confusing external circumstances, on the inside, we remain the same. 

STRANGE MIX

"The powerful play goes on..."

~ Walt Whitman ~

Life is a strange mix of clarity and confusion,

Pleasure and pain,

And things not working out at all as planned, but 

Better usually,

If that's possible,

And generally for our

Highest 

Evolutionary

Good. 

I stay the course and trust the process. 

BEING AMERICAN

"Forever in peace may you wave."

~ George M. Cohen ~

We have just planted a flagpole on our farm, and surprisingly, I felt a bit of 

shame and discomfort around it initially.

It's a stout pole, so maybe that's why, 

or maybe because of current cultural circumstances. 

It took me time and reflection and conversation and movement to remember and acknowledge that

I love the symbol of the American Flag.

I like the colors of it, the traditions around it, and the way it flaps in the wind.

And mostly, I love that it stands for FREEDOM,

And an adventurous, against-all-odds kind of spirit. 

At least, that's what it means to me. 

I love Tibetan prayer flags as well,

And nautical flags,

And the slapping of halyards on the pole.

I love all the flags of the world.

I love them flying singly, and mixed up together.

I love the sound of a flag in the wind.

And so, I've made peace with my own inner resistance 

And find I am ok with the flag

And the pole

And all of it.

It's ok to be who I am. 

SADNESS

"That some good can be derived from every event is a better proposition than that everything happens for the best, which it assuredly does not."

~ James K. Feibleman ~

I sense sad energy in the world sometimes.

I feel it in my bones.

All the human pain and regret.

It's out there-

All tangled up with the light.

I am sensitive to the tenderness of hurting hearts. 

CHAOS INTO STILLNESS

"Get mad, then get over it."

~ Colin Powell ~

Irritability, suspicion, guardedness, resentment, blame- 

these are the fruit of inner mind-games. 

Rarely based in reality, 

they are the result of 

a vicious thunderstorm of thoughts.

And unspoken, they form and build like massive cumulus clouds.

When the rain finally pours, confession style, 

Or blustery like a hurricane,

Then there is calm...

The calm that comes after the storm. 

I admit to the turbulence of the stories in my head. 

RELAXATION

"The song sings itself."

~ William Carlos Williams ~

Summer evenings have a magical quality about them. 

The hot day recedes, but it's still warm.

The light eases down gracefully.

Bodies are tired from the efforts of the day

And there's a relaxation present

That feeds the soul.

I notice and appreciate the soothing sensations of warm summer evenings.

NEUTRALITY

"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."

~ John 8:7 ~

Neutrality has its benefits.

Being able to see both sides

of a situation,

of an argument,

of a perspective different from our own, 

allows for space,

and distance,

And leaves room inside

For compassion,

And understanding,

And unity,

And peace,

And love.

I look carefully and see from all directions.