BEING MOM

"She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along."

~ Margaret Culkin Banning ~

Once a mother, always a mother-

The instinct for protecting our young is inbred,

No matter how old our young ones may be. 

And so, we must learn to check ourselves,

and leave them to it,

And trust in their journey,

and let them live free. 

I observe and appreciate the desire I have to protect my children, and am also honest about the fact that as they mature, they become readily able to protect themselves. 

JUST ONE MORE THING

"The waste of life occasioned by trying to do too many things at once is appalling."

~ Terri Guillemets ~

Rushing happens when we try to fit more activity in than time will comfortably allow. We push boundaries. We create an inward tension to sneak the extra bit in when we know on some level that we would do better to leave it for another time. 

Why do we do this to ourselves? 

And what makes it so hard to stop?

I spare myself the tension of overdoing.

WATCHING PEOPLE

"Who is wise? He that learns from everyone."

~ Ben Franklin ~

Watching people is good meditation and good medicine- 

not with judgment, 

but with simple open curiosity- 

just looking to see- 

what's there? 

How do they move?

With ease? With pain? With a hitch?

Are they rushing?

Do they seem happy, preoccupied, distressed?

We can see it all when we're looking.

Because however they are

And wherever they're rushing to,

Chances are,

We've been there.

So in this way,

Watching people

Reminds us of our connection

to the whole human race.

I am one of many, and in so many ways, we are all as one.

VISITING

"Relationship is an art."

~ Don Miguel Ruiz ~

It's a supreme delight to be sitting in a relaxed way talking with someone, finding out things about their lives that we didn't previously know, and sharing tidbits from our own history. It's affirming, connecting, and enjoyable. We are so busy, and so self-absorbed, that we seldom visit with people just to visit. Country folks know about this. And the rest of us miss out for not knowing. 

I take the time to take an interest in the people I encounter. 

A SEEMING RIDDLE

"A secret freedom opens through a crevice you can barely see."

~ Rumi ~

I am the space in which all sights and sounds and experiences rise up and fall away.

I witness the comings and goings and do not attach to them. 

I am pure awareness and supreme stillness; a portal; divine.

I am limitless.

I am timeless.

I am largely unknown but I am not unknowable.

Who am I?

I am. 

BOUND BY BRANCHES

"It was the straw that broke the camel's back."

~ Proverb ~

I have been using a chainsaw for five days to cut up trees, 

and generally speaking, 

it's not the massive trunks that bind the saw. 

They are difficult to manage, 

to be sure, 

but fairly straightforward and predictable nonetheless. 

It's the smaller branches, 

and the shoots.

They hook me up every time.

I expect them to tighten up one way and they 

tighten up in the opposite direction instead.

And isn't life like that as well?

We get through the big stuff

and get stuck

and fall apart

when faced with the seemingly innocuous thing. 

I take nothing for granted.

THE RIGHT TOOL

"The task without illumination... eats at life (and) leaves one insensate, save to weariness."

~ Muriel Strode ~

Ever tried to hammer with a rock, or tape something that needs gluing, or spread butter with a spoon?

For lack of availability or effort, we ineffectively wrestle with the task at hand. 

Having the right tool makes all the difference. 

I take the time to gather what I need for the job ahead.