THE GIFT OF CONVERSATION

"Talk to people about themselves and they will listen for hours."

~ Benjamin Disraeli ~

Spending time in conversation,

Being curious,

Asking questions,

And sharing from our own experience,

Opens a doorway,

And makes room,

for love,

to pass through.

Opening my mind opens my heart. 

MOVING THE MAPLE TREE

"Plants are the young of the world, vessels of health and vigor..."

~ RW Emerson ~

Our son, Nick, is moving to the West Coast.

He leaves at the end of this week, 

And we have given him his family sendoff.

Interestingly, 

As life would have it,

Our last spontaneous collective effort on the farm

Was to transplant a Maple tree from a location

Where it didn't seem entirely happy

To a spot on the hill

Where it has a commanding view

And God willing,

Will thrive. 

It didn't occur to us until we had completed the job how

Fitting it was-

How perfectly allegorical-

And how beautifully complete.

The Cosmic Flow bears endless blessings. 

CONCEPT VERSUS REALITY

"Earth's tribulations diminish in proportion to the elevation of our souls."

~ James Lendall Basford ~

We get an idea, a vision, in our minds about the way something will be-

About the way we think we want it to be,

And then,

It doesn't quiet turn out like that,

And we feel annoyed and resistant and try to force it to be the 

Way we envisioned it,

but we can't,

Because it has evolved out of its own kind of spontaneous 

cosmic evolution

That has nothing at all to do

with the thoughts in our mind.

And often, 

If we can just stop trying to match it to what we were thinking 

it should be,

And let it be what it is,

We will see that it is ok,

Maybe good even,

And maybe better than it would have been 

had we been able 

to force our will.

I remain open to the way things turn out. 

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

"I sing the body electric,"

~ Walt Whitman ~

Think of a drumbeat,

An earthy, soulful, repetitive rhythm

That gets your body waked up,

And pumps through your 

veins like blood.

Now, a saxophone,

Sensual,

Sultry,

Rising and falling

Into and

Across a dimly lit room

Full of people.

Now, a flute,

Quick and happy..

A harmonica...

And an electric guitar...

Each sound transports us

In its unique and wonderful way.

These, and others like them,

 are instruments 

of grace.

I am blessed by the sound of music. 

SITTING ON THE PORCH

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."

~ Sam Keen ~

People, 

and especially country people, 

like to sit on the porch in the summertime.

I used to take a walk past an older couple's house every evening after work 

when we lived further North in the Shenandoah Valley, 

and as soon as the weather got warm,

and until it cooled, 

there they sat. 

I would always call my hellos, and occasionally, 

I'd stop and we'd chat a bit. 

They loved it best when the "air was stirring,"

And I loved to hear them say that,

And think of them both

Every time I feel the breeze when it's hot.

Molly and John.

They each had some health issues, so I'm not sure they're alive still,

But if they are, and if they can,

I'm certain that

on the porch is where they'll be.

Stirring summer air is a delicious sensory experience. 

THE PROBLEM WITH MASKS

"A man's face is his autobiography."

~ Oscar Wilde ~

The problem with masks is that

We can't see each other.

We miss the beauty of the human face,

and see only the eyes

If we are brave enough not to avoid them

in the awkwardness of meeting

all covered up

like a bank robber.

We've gotten creative with our masks

And tried to make them

Colorful,

Relevant,

Becoming,

High-tech...

But there's no way to bypass

The simple truth

Of the missing

countenance.

I celebrate the unique and wonderful features of the human face. 

LIKE A ROCK

"Let soul and world meet."

~ Rumi ~

Deep inside

we are 

ALWAYS

fine. 

At the core level, all is well. 

COMPATIBLE PEOPLE

"Relationship is an art."

~ Don Miguel Ruiz ~

Getting to know compatible people is a pleasure, and it's in our best interest to remain open to relationships and perspectives of all kinds.

We never know who we might meet.

I am willing to stretch a bit to encounter others I can relate to. 

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.

TRANSITIONS

"Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history."

~ Joan Wallach Scott ~

Our pup, Tank, is home from training camp, and not only has he grown in size, but his demeanor has shifted. It's what we had hoped for, and yet, it leaves us all a bit adrift. 

He has been in a highly structured environment, and seems unsure about all this home front freedom, and we are clumsy with the new commands. 

     We will find our way. I am certain of that.

     Nonetheless, this transition, like all transitions, feels awkward, 

and makes me want to eat lots of ice cream. 

I am a work in progress. 

ALL THAT IS

"You are the universe in ecstatic motion."

~ Rumi ~

From the moment we open our eyes in the morning, 

life as we know it, begins: 

the things we notice, our choice for breakfast, the world of our routines. 

When we fall asleep at night, 

the whole world disappears 

until we wake again. 

Nothing exists for us 

that we do not participate in or witness, 

and, 

as such,

we are the 

source 

of 

all that is. 

My very existence creates the world I experience. 

WHAT TO SAY, WHAT TO DO?

"Love truth and fear not-

Do good and be happy."

~ Simeon Carter ~

We have a tendency to want to work things out in our minds in advance of their actually happening. We script the conversation: 

If he says this, I'll say that, 

and we carefully design a plan of action steps: 

first, second, third... 

But how often do things play out as we imagine they will? 

And are we ever at a loss for knowing what to say or do? 

I would argue that 

spontaneous responsiveness 

to whoever and whatever appears 

is far more effective in every instance 

than some over-practiced scenario 

we have come up with in our heads. 

I trust my intuitive knowing.

BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT, LOOK AROUND

"We should purify our innate well of contentment."

~ Ekhart Tolle ~

Authentic presence is the embodiment of God.

Divine peace is accessible now.

THE PRIVILEGE OF CHOOSING

"In the field of indecision, nothing ever grow but the weeds of 'what-if?'"

~ Dodinsky ~

Sometimes we are indecisive because we want to keep our options open.

We don't want to choose because we're afraid we might choose wrong,

We think if we wait and see for long enough, then maybe life will decide for us,

And relieve us of the responsibility.

But then we've given up the very privilege 

that we might do better

to keep. 

I don't cop out on making choices. I weigh the options and pick one. 

TRYING THINGS

"The purpose of life is to frustrate you."

~ Ekhart Tolle ~

Some of the things we pursue in life are like trees that never bear fruit: something about the soil conditions or the light. If we move on to something else, the bounty can be prodigious, but for whatever reason, the first effort fell flat.
     We think we know where we're headed and what will work, but so often we're wrong and it doesn't. The Universe has other plans. And the lesson is not to stop trying things, but to stop taking the outcome of the things we try so seriously, as if our worth is all tied up in it. It's curiosity and play and experimentation that we're meant to be about, not success and failure and living or not living up to our potential.
     I used to think it was just that, but now I see, that yet again, I was mistaken.

Our worth is not attached to how poorly or well our big ideas play out. 

It's far more secure than that. 

NOTICING

"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself."

~ Michel de Montaigne ~

There is unexpected comfort in the background sounds of our lives when our minds are quiet enough to notice them: water running, the tearing of paper towels, the opening and closing of drawers and doors, the turning of container caps, the tick of a wall clock, our breath. Life is full of blessings if we will only listen, and look, and stop surfing the waves of our mind noise.

The sounds of life happening empty and fill the silence that surrounds me.