Today I needed reasons. I needed reasons to feel balanced. To balance on water, to be small on a big lake allows this to happen for me. The planet is old. It has wisdom, not through words but through presence. I just skitter around on it without listening most of the time. So I packed… Continue reading Floating
Zoom
Shortly before the era of zoom, I attended a meeting with quakers, and after the meeting started, no one said a word for 30 minutes. It was 20 people together in a room not talking. It felt radically spiritually ancient. Unprogrammed quaker meetings are like improvisational theater for mystics, in body and spirit. The mystics… Continue reading Zoom
Dog bodhisattvas
I’ve seen them wearing coats, wearing sweaters,riding in bike baskets, and shopping carts. Tied up outside stores, on concrete, waiting for their beloved. Dog bodhisattvas are not bogged down in dogma.They are not downward dogs. Dog bodhisattvas are often harnessed for duty and wearing a badge or service vest, absorbing or deflecting suffering for those… Continue reading Dog bodhisattvas
A book report on zen
I read The Way of Zen. The most fitting book report would be an empty page. That would do it. But, I have to write something, so I’ll clutter it up with my take-away from this classic by Alan Watts. A vintage book from 1957. To talk about zen is like having two people sitting… Continue reading A book report on zen
Essence Trading Post
I signed up for another art class in March. Would you sign up and pay money to be around encouraging artists in a room dedicated to making art? I would. To drop out of regular life to be expressive, curious, and open-minded in the ever depressing news narrative is a bold choice. It is another… Continue reading Essence Trading Post
Divide less, add more
Call me dull or obsolete, I’m voting for Biden. I picked up several other Biden endorsements today. It was easy. Let’s skip to the pictures if you want a quick idea of Biden backers. We have two old guys in the running. There are many issues to compare. I’m looking at these: Which one would… Continue reading Divide less, add more
Unity
I stood under a madrone tree to get the best angle for a photo. A man walking by read this as a good time to talk trees. So we started. I mentioned writing about the madrone, and he took off in a talk about the trees of the cemetery where we were standing. Suddenly he… Continue reading Unity
Madrone
Touch the bark of a madrone tree sometime. Put your whole hand on it, skin to skin. The tree’s covering is a blend of copper and green. The copper peels, the green stays. If you are in the United States, it’s called madrone, possibly madrona. If you are in Canada, it goes by Arbutus. In… Continue reading Madrone
Cat poem
I choose to stay with you, without obligation I am a house cat I am a 600 lb. tiger. I am sensitive Your touch can feel like 1,000 hands Sometimes wind feels like a gust off the ocean and I remember 200 years ago patrolling a ship’s deck. The big chair in the living room,… Continue reading Cat poem
What is your legacy?
I was walking down the sidewalk when I considered my own death. Right now there is a lot in the news about illness and dying and who knows if I am totally immune to either. At some point, we are not immune, we have an illness or a death. Surprise! Like this cheery start? My first… Continue reading What is your legacy?