Nominate yourself to do something. Create a positive position of action, no matter how small, for someone outside of you/yours. One day I nominated myself to be the birdbath tender at the Quaker meetinghouse. I mean, what a great title, for starters. I cannot wait to list this on my resume. To get more involved… Continue reading Common sense
Tag: blogger
Help with less answers and more listening
We often seek solutions or fixes to complex questions. There is a way to pause. A way to absorb what is going on before problem solving. Some would describe spiritual direction as a movement toward soul wholeness. A spiritual director is there to help us tune into ourselves. They are not there to tell us… Continue reading Help with less answers and more listening
From injury to function
Injury and wounds call for attention, mindfulness, focus. They demand us to care for ourselves, which is a gift. To learn this is a gift. Below is a list of suggestions brought about by conversations with patients: things to do and not do every day toward recovering from pain, injury, illness. Do the work. Don’t… Continue reading From injury to function
Walk slowly and look closely
Dave could read coyote scat like tea leaves. “See this hair? That’s nutria.” Others contained grain, a mouse, grass. “That’s a thigh bone,” he pointed down to the ground to what looked like a mess inside of a mess. We saw no possums but were told that no one enjoys eating them, not even vultures.… Continue reading Walk slowly and look closely
A walk through backwater sloughs in a riparian forest
It’s like the place where Winnie the Pooh lives. It’s not the grounds to prove physical accomplishments, victories, or achievements. About 11 miles south of Corvallis, off Peoria road, Snag Boat Bend is a simple walk in a quiet place. It offers grass, blackberries, willows, water, leaves and trees. There is a bog. Beavers live… Continue reading A walk through backwater sloughs in a riparian forest
Act in favor with all sentient beings
Is there life to it? Does it lead to love? How is that for a couple of good questions? A project? A move? A relationship? What does it feel like when you consider these questions? I learned about these queries through a Quaker study group. I don’t know if Quakers invented it, but they brought… Continue reading Act in favor with all sentient beings
Notes from Canada
They sit, walk laps, read Ferry carries passengers Standing in the wind I traveled to Canada last week with my girlfriend. Haven’t been there since, oh, about 1983. Smoke and fire give way Three hours up the freeway Gray clouds bursting rain I meant to get back there sooner. Someday much sooner. “When is someday… Continue reading Notes from Canada
Random thoughts about amazing things
From my desk, I can see the corn grow. It’s tall, and a deep happy green. It is the tallest thing in my yard, second to the banana tree. This morning, I followed a nature/science link on New York Times’ website, which talked about the scent powers of elephants. Followed by a feature of the… Continue reading Random thoughts about amazing things
Go With The Flow
“Go with the flow” is the slogan for the Newberry crater area, just south of Bend, Oregon. A nice play of words on the whole lava phenomena. Nature flows with what is. Finding harmony within disharmony. I wonder about how to be more like nature? Natural. Passing a forest where there had been a burn… Continue reading Go With The Flow
Move, Flow, Meditate
We often refer to mindfulness and being mindful. What does this mean? Literally, the character for mindfulness can be translated as “presence of heart.” Gather on the University of Oregon’s EMU lawn at 6:00 p.m., May 22, for Move, Flow, Meditate, a first-time mindful event to awaken to now. Join an actively mindful function… Continue reading Move, Flow, Meditate