Worry and judgement

The Worry Train that bring tension and insomnia often brings along the Judgement Caboose.

Perhaps the best way to derail the train is to jump on the caboose and say, "Hello judgement, let's be friends, I let you go."

May your train cars rock you in peace and show you a world of beauty.

Always fertile

The cactus blooms again:
a wonder in pink and green.
Christ in us always fertile.

I vote for that

How do these political candidates do it? Are they all playing Dr. Faustus, even as they think that in the end it will be for the benefit of the country? I think so.

Then who are we? If we respond with cynicism we are just cynics, no matter how right we think we are in response to their bull. Let's respond with another choice. Compassion for the folks we meet today. Belief in our true nature as all connected and all already enlightened. I vote for that.

Unjustifed winter beauty

I drove back from Columbus late this afternoon. I was dog tired after two days of meetings. But I remembered how I love the trees along the highway this time of year. You can see so far into the woods, each tree standing out in it brownness, its greyness, and all the colors in between. A gift of winter colors - just as beautiful as spring and summer and fall, more so in being unjustified beauty. I am thankful.

Driving to Sunrise

I had the opportunity to drive a couple miles to the Sunrise to work this morning. I had dropped Bobbi off out in the hinterlands of lakewood for a meeting. As I drove Earth called out to let me know I was also on the Flatlands above the Lake, not quite up to the Ridge.

Sunrise, Lake, Flatland, Ridge. Not streetnames or anthropocentric. Big Self calling.

SWOT the small self

What if we did a SWOT analysis of our small self?

Strength: Brings itself to collapse through clinging
Weakness: Maintains illusion of its own existence
Opportunity: Hates suffering
Threat: Likes suffering

See or go blind

The swifts cry
As they shoot by, See or go blind!

- Gary Snyder, "Hunting", in "Myths and Texts"

Awareness is possible in every present moment. To be unaware is to be blind - but a blindness that is curable, only in the present; this present.

What is Grace?

What is Grace but unwrapping the gift of being human?

A New Year's wish from Shunryu Suzuki-roshi

When you are not thinking that you have another moment,
then naturally you can accept things as they are,
you can see things as they are.
You will have perfect wisdom at that time.