i was reminded again recently what great zen masters children can be…
calling into question all of our bs and stripping us bare of all of our notions of having any answers or control…
reminding us that all we have to work with
is. right. now.
oh that i would have the courage to listen and live into this wisdom more often…
but i continue to seek to be open, to listen…
remembering to breathe deeply, be present, soak in the spring sun…
even if it is only occasionally…hopefully those occasions will increase as i open to welcome them.
Filed under: poetry
What does the voice of fear
whisper to you?
Fear speaks to you
in logic and reason.
It assumes the language
of love itself.
Fear tells you,
“I want to make you safe.”
Love says,
“You are safe.”
Emmanuel from his book: Emmanuel’s Book II
(this picture kills me…she is belly laughing in response to big brother’s lovin’)
cultivating space
to notice
to sit
without judgement
to smile at the “imperfection”
noticing the texture it adds
welcoming breathe
graciously encountering contraction
noticing how it opens
and allows for the birthing of new potential
gratitude is a great teacher. the buds on the branches of the tree quietly suggest that life is always emerging and we may not pay attention, unable to hear, as we become distracted by the thought of the mud that will surely be tracked through our door.
the practice of being mindful of that which i am thankful for has the potential to shift my experience of the world.
noticing and spending time with that which lends life vs. that which drains it.
this is where i want to live…i am tired of the other place.
Filed under: Uncategorized
i am ready
for spring
it keeps peeking out
its beautiful promise
of growth
and change
and then
it snows again.
I get up, and nothin’ gets me down
You got it tough, I’ve seen the toughest around
And I know, baby, just how you feel
You got to roll with the punches and get to what’s real…
Ah, might as well jump. Jump!
Might as well jump
Go ahead an’ jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Ow-oh! Hey, you! Who said that? Baby, how you been?
You say you don’t know, you won’t know until you begin…
Ah, might as well jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Might as well jump. Jump!
Go ahead and jump
Jump!…
Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!
-lyrcis by van halen (with a few choruses excluded by me)…
and so he did…over and over again on our most recent venture to the sand pits.
it is so good to see him play, risk, adventure, radiating life.
when does this stop being our natural and preferred tendency.
when do we start calculating the cost of jumping and concluding it is not worth the energy…or when do we lose the energy to do so?
“we may not land right, get it quite right, or the outcome may not be quantifiable or productive”…
might as well jump!
Filed under: the month of my birth
::allowing::
i have asked this notion to be a present companion
this next time around the sun
and within this framework my hope is to welcome,
my intention is to trust.
beckoning courage to be gentle with myself.
allowing what is to be.
to neither forbid nor prevent.
i love the ideas found in synonym, that also lend perspective on what this notion may mean along the way:
admitt
acknowledge
approve
authorize
be game for
commission
consent
empower
free up
grant permission
give the go ahead
indulge
let
okay
pass on
recognize
release
this notion of failure
and the fear of it
binds
creating stagnation
motionlessness
what if…
what if there is no such thing
even more so when ones life is lived for the good of the world
what if any move that is made toward serving the world
is victory
each step forward a gift
even if full fruit is not born
there is no lesser action than inaction
in the act of not acting is where this notion of “failure” is is most likely found
so risk may be the only option
and what if…
instead of constructing a framework of “risk”
we may see each step as a beautiful and wild adventure
with the intention to notice the beauty that fills my life…
jeremiah was engaged in creating one of his many inventions and (as is usually the case) had to make a mad dash to the to the bathroom (due to his general tendency to wait until the very last moment)…
…from the bathroom he makes this inquiry…
“mom, what do you is more important learning or going to the bathroom?”
“what do you think?” (i reply)
and he concludes…
“the bathroom…or maybe learning is is a weensie bit more important…but i think papa is a good problem solver because he reads when he goes to the bathroom.”
