Gratitude

Seeing the Much Simpler Things.

[blockquote source=”Mary Oliver”]You must not ever stop being whimsical. And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.[/blockquote]

I’ve realized I’m a bit of an ‘odd ball’ – in that, I never really plan out my day.

Oh, sure – there’s the occasional ‘must get off to work’s and the ‘oh dear, what shall I write today’s…but, in terms of those much bigger things, I’d rather be mystified in the discovery of what this universe chooses to share with me.

And, by ‘sharing’ I mean – me, finally opening my eyes to see…that everything I could have ever dared to wish, has been right here always just waiting for me.

Close you eyes, my dears – and try to imagine a single point in your life that seemed so absolutely perfect. Something real and specific
and where everything seemed so absolutely bliss-filled. That single flash of contentedness, in a world that is often brutally chaotic.

My dears, do you remember – just how it felt?

Isn’t it amazing, that no matter how many years may slip past – we instinctively know to ‘squirrel away’ the energy of these moments? And, with only just a pause to reflect – there they are, just as real, once again.

How is it that one simple image can carry so very much power?

Have you ever stopped to wonder why that is?

What is it that causes our minds to record…that one single instance, when at the end of a very long day our faithful pup drops his head into our lap..and, with a settled in sort of sigh takes all of our worries away?

And, just what’s keeping us from drawing on that energy with every single breath that we take?

I admit, I do tend to think a little too much over these things. But, it’s that inner dialogue that keeps me going, when the distractions of this world would otherwise hope to dissuade. It’s the silliness of my non-planning spirit, that causes me the greatest amount of spiritual happiness.

Sometimes I wonder, if the whole world might change with just the slightest shift in view – then why are so many so unwilling  to try?

My dears, I know at times this ‘much bigger picture’ isn’t always so abundantly clear.  But, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t always been near – because, that which we seek is right here (points to heart).

Saved up over all of these years…waiting for that one simple moment, when Gratitude may finally wipe the dust from this mirror.

Maybe then, we may begin to live this life in terms of the much simpler things.

Much love, my dears…and remember, to hold that energy near!

 

What Time Leaves Behind.

“Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
So do our minutes hasten to their end;
Each changing place with that which goes before,
In sequent toil all forwards do contend.
Nativity, once in the main of light,
Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown’d,
Crooked eclipses ‘gainst his glory fight,
And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow,
Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth,
And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:
And yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand
Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.”

~ William Shakespeare

I had a moment of unsettledness yesterday evening; the day having tested me with the passing of a friend.

We never quite expect these things, now do we…though we profess our certainty in understanding the impermanence of life, still we carry on as if nothing is ever to be lost.

At time, I think fear pushes reality away – setting it aside upon the highest shelf, and deeper still into the recesses of our mind.

Our of sight, and largely unnoticed….until we are shocked once again into this reminder of life.

We always think we have just enough time – squandering moments, like scraps of paper…tossed aside, only have filled.

But time forges on my friends, leaving only the fools behind.

And, never at all concerning itself with those moments we’ve lost along the way.

Death is a mighty scary beast, my friends – and life…at times, scarier still. And, yet we waste our moments in fervid worry – over all those little things that get in our way.

If only we might just realize, that this passing of time – it doesn’t deprive, rather enriches us…with the fullness of life’s most precious moments…

And to relish the gift that time leaves behind.

These Paths We Create.

[blockquote source=”Osho”]One thing: you have to walk, and create the way by your walking; you will not find a ready-made path. It is not so cheap, to reach to the ultimate realization of truth. You will have to create the path by walking yourself; the path is not ready-made, lying there and waiting for you. It is just like the sky: the birds fly, but they don’t leave any footprints. You cannot follow them; there are no footprints left behind.[/blockquote]

Have you ever just had ‘one of those nights’ – a night in which you toss and turn in a most uncertain kind of unsettledness?

And, try as you might to understand why – there’s really no making any sense of it.

Because, sometimes the unsettledness just is. And, why…even we late night, doggie walking, musers are prone to our own moments of ‘sticking-ness.”

But,…these paths that lead us round and round are destined always to bring us home, once again.

And, my dears, not even the most well-intentioned of prophets and sages can dare to describe how we must travel it.

We must do as we see fit.

You know, I was quite fortunate to be graced by the insight of a dear friend yesterday – who reminded me of the ‘single minded simplicity’ of the most endearing movie character, Forrest Gump. To some, he may have seemed rather slow-sitted and naive, but to others…perhaps, he offered a much needed ‘key’ to an often chaotic world.

Perhaps, it is the simpler things that get us through the ‘very much bigger’ things?

Like, death…disease…and the atrocities of war; the pangs of poverty…and the splintered sting of heart left breaking?

My dears, what if, and in spite of all these things…something as simple as the sound of a pup sniff-snortling his way through the crisp night’s air could set your soul back to right again?

[blockquote source=”Forrest Gump”]Mama always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna get[/blockquote]

Indeed, you really never know quite what you’ll get…but, my dears trust that this path is only just beginning, and it will be exactly and everything you most make of it.
And, maybe that’s the trick now, isn’t it? To learn to be as gentle as the feather floating along the softest breeze ~ and having faith in wherever these winds may choose to carry you?

My dears, if you wouldn’t mind so very much – something has compelled me to share with you the immortal words of American author, Og Mandino.

May his most simple passage serve to remind us of this miraculous gift we’ve been given.

[blockquote source=”Og Mandino”]I will live this day as if it is my last.

And what shall I do with this last precious day, which remains in my keeping? First, I will seal up its container of life so that not one drop spills itself upon the sand. I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches of the heart, for why should I throw good after bad?

Can sand flow upward in the hourglass? Will the sun rise where it sets and set where it rises? Can I relive the errors of yesterday and right them? Can I become younger than yesterday?  No. Yesterday is buried forever and I will think of it no more.

I will live this day as if it is my last.

And what then shall I do? Forgetting yesterday neither will I think of tomorrow. Why should I throw now after maybe? Can tomorrow’s sand flow through the glass before today’s? Will the sun rise twice this morning? Can I perform tomorrow’s deeds while standing in today’s path? Can I place tomorrow’s gold in today’s purse? Should I concern myself over events, which I may never witness? Should I torment myself with problems that may never come to pass? No! Tomorrow lies buried with yesterday, and I will think of it no more.

I will live this day as if it is my last.

This day is all I have and these hours are now my eternity. I greet this sunrise with cries of joy as a prisoner who is reprieved from death. I lift mine arms with thanks for this priceless gift of a new day. So too, I will beat upon my heart with gratitude as I consider all who greeted yesterday’s sunrise who are no longer with the living today. I am indeed a fortunate man and today’s hours are but a bonus, undeserved. Why have I been allowed to live this extra day when others, far better than I have departed? Is it that they have accomplished their purpose while mine is yet to be achieved? Is this another opportunity for me to become the man I know I can be? Is this my day to excel?

I will live this day as if it is my last.

I have but one life and life is naught but a measurement of time. When I waste one I destroy the other. If I waste today I destroy the last page of my life. Therefore, each hour of this day will I cherish for it can never return. It cannot be banked today to be withdrawn on the morrow, for who can trap the wind? Each minute of this day will I grasp with both hands and fondle with love for its value is beyond price. What dying man can purchase another breath though he willingly give all his gold? What price dare I place on the hours ahead? I will make them priceless!

I will live this day as if it my last.

I will avoid with fury the killers of time. Procrastination I will destroy with action; doubt I will bury under faith; fear I will dismember with confidence. Where there are idle mouths I will listen not; where there are idle hands I will linger not; where there are idle bodies I will visit not.

I will live this day as if it is my last.

And if it is my last, it will be my greatest monument. This day I will make the best day of my life. This day I will drink every minute to its full. I will savor its taste and give thanks. I will maketh every hour count and each minute I will trade only for something of value. I will labor harder than ever before and push my muscles until they cry for relief, and then I will continue…Each minute of today will be more fruitful than hours of yesterday. My last must be my best.

I will live this day as if it is my last. And if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks.[/blockquote]

Make Changes, Not Change Lists.

[pullquote align=”left” background=”on”]Don’t make empty resolutions about this or that external little thing – make one huge resolution to give yourself to yourself. Then everything else will quite effortlessly fall into place. ― Jay Woodman[/pullquote]

I was having coffee at the local shop this morning, when I saw a young girl struggling and scribbling with great ferocity.  At the top of the notebook page read in greatest of letters;

My Resolutions for 2014.”

And, yet underneath were half dozen or so ideas that were quickly ‘extinguished.’ I felt so badly for her, that the blessing of this next year might be limited by her inability to properly capture the wording.

It’s such a sad thing, really – and yet, it happens each year, as we struggle to determine our best way forward. We dream of the life we always wished, but never realized – and hope that our scribblings might bring us closer towards it.

I’m always amazed at the number who tread so purposefully into the new year – armed with such freshly scribed lists, and the determination of a bandit raccoon on a late evening ‘raid.’

Go on a trip…Lose 20 pounds…Be the best at (fill in the blank)…

But as the weeks pass, and the busy-ness settles in…those lists crumple under the pressures of one’s day. And when that cycle begins, we quickly lose heart…wondering why we even bothered in the first place.

But perhaps, instinctively we ‘lose’ the less noteworthy of goals? And in order to make room for something much more important?

Get up early…watch a sunrise or two..

Make good choices, help a child tie his shoes…

Let compassion and kindness greet each of your steps,

And while you’re at it… why not pay for that next person in line?

Look, I’m not saying these lists don’t serve a much needed purpose – it’s just that somewhere between the writings there needs to be a little doing.

My dears, it’s the real changes that are far more important.

So this year, why not make changes instead of change lists ~ and let’s just see what happens this time next year.

Namaste, and much love my dearest friends ~ and above all and everything else in this world, know that living extends beyond just those few simple lines

 

 

 

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem.

[blockquote source=”Maya Angelou”]I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.[/blockquote]

My dears, what a blessing to stand at the cusp of a brand new year – to look back, with gratitude for all and everything we have shared.

I am grateful to you.

I am grateful to your energy.

I am grateful to the gift of your light.

Much love, and namaste during this Holiday Season ~ and may the blessings of this earth soften each of your steps.

 

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem.
by Dr. Maya Angelou

Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.

Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.

We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?

Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.

It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.

Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.

In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. Then only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is loud now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.

We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.

We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
Implore you, to stay a while with us.
So we may learn by your shimmering light
How to look beyond complexion and see community.

It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.

On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.

At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues at the coming of hope.
All the earth’s tribes loosen their voices
To celebrate the promise of Peace.

We, Angels and Mortal’s, Believers and Non-Believers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at our world and speak the word aloud.
Peace. We look at each other, then into ourselves
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation.

Peace, My Brother.
Peace, My Sister.
Peace, My Soul.

When Our Practice is Love.

“You are not separate from your Hopes and Dreams, you are only separate from knowing that they are Real and the only Truth your Soul knows. You can’t buy into fear and fully realize your Highest Potential; it only comes from Love and Service.”  – Jackson Kiddard

My dears, I have a most wonderful meditation practice each day.

One that I welcome, so very graciously, in the earliest hours of morning…and just before the sun has yawned and stretched to its right place, so proudly perched just above the earth’s horizon.

I like the nothingness of this space…the gentleness of pace…

I like the swirling, dancing whispers of thought…before expectation has yet to ‘fill’ these pages.

And a single breath can mark the end of one’s own helplessness.

Where Hope is still a waking dream, and the heart may shift to wide open, once again.

This is the gift each morning brings…wrapped so perfectly inside the impermanence of dawn.

Because, my dears…when we our practice *is* the love…then, perhaps we may learn to be ‘one’ with our love, once again.

Namaste, my most beautiful friends…

Grateful: A Love Song to the World ~ And, To All of You, As Well!

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

My dears, I have been in a bit of a funk these past few days – owing to the longer hours, and limitations of the day.

It happens, you see ~ even to the best of us, the most hope-filled of souls. Because, my dears…we are, after all, just simply human.

And, what a most beautiful blessing this being human is.

With these eyes, we may see the true miracle of life – in all things, both great and small. A child’s first steps, a heron’s graceful path…or a simple kindness shared between friends.

With these hands, we may embrace this great earth ~ holding dearly to the promise of our future.

And, with this heart we may offer a love that is limitless.

Because, we are…my dears…so brilliantly and most perfectly human.

Amazing how quickly a stubborn mood might be lifted, with just a little nudge of ‘consider what you’ve been given.’

My dears, I hope you’ll enjoy the following video, entitled, “Gratitude: A Love Song to the World.”

Musicians Nimo Patel and Daniel Nahmod brought together dozens of people from around the world to create this beautiful, heart-opening melody. Inspired by the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge, the song is a celebration of our spirit and all that is a blessing in life.

For the 21 Days, over 11,000 participants from 118 countries learned that “gratefulness” is a habit cultivated consciously and a muscle built over time.

As a famous Roman, Cicero, once said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

This soul-stirring music video, created within a week by a team of volunteers, shines the light on all the small things that make up the beautiful fabric of our lives.

Giving Thanks is the Highest Poetry.

“Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems,
You shall possess the good of the earth and sun…. there are millions of suns left,
You shall no longer take things at second or third hand…. nor look through the eyes of the dead…. nor feed on the spectres in books,
You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me,
You shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself.”
~ Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass: The First (1855) Edition

Celebrated poet Walt Whitman was once asked his thoughts on the Thanksgiving Day holiday. To which, the aging poet replied,

“Thanksgiving goes probably far deeper than you folks suppose. I am not sure but it is the source of the highest poetry…”

His most beautiful thoughts, have for many years, reflected the sentiment of our collective humanity – a profound realization that in the light of gratitude, our world takes on an entirely different hue. 

Within each pause, there is an opportunity – to see, to appreciate…to assess and redefine the value of this one human life.

Indeed, in these moments we are offered the richest of blessings – a chance reflection into Empathy’s mirror, to understand the ‘oneness’ of all humankind.

Scene. — A large family supper party, a night or two ago, with voices and laughter of the young, mellow faces of the old, and a by-and-by pause in the general joviality. ‘Now, Mr. Whitman,’ spoke up one of the girls, ‘what have you to say about Thanksgiving? Won’t you give us a sermon in advance, to sober us down?’

The sage nodded smilingly, look’d a moment at the blaze of the great wood fire, ran his forefinger right and left through the heavy white mustache that might have otherwise impeded his voice, and began: ‘Thanksgiving goes probably far deeper than you folks suppose. I am not sure but it is the source of the highest poetry….

Gratitude, anyhow, has never been made half enough of by the moralists; it is indispensable to a complete character, man’s or woman’s — the disposition to be appreciative, thankful. That is the main matter, the element, inclination — what geologists call the trend. Of my own life and writings I estimate the giving thanks part, with what it infers, as essentially the best item.”

My dears, tomorrow and in celebration of our giving thanks holiday – perhaps, we might all take a peek around that proverbial table, to acknowledge the fullness of this one human life.

And so, on this day, what am I most thankful for?

My dears, just simply this…

“That you are here—that life exists, and identity; That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.” ~ Walt Whitman

Much love, and many blessings my dears…

What Might Our Moments Be?

“Sometimes it’s the same moments that take your breath away that breathe purpose and love back into your life.” ~ Steve Maraboli

What if we approached each day with an irrepressible gratitude, unlike none we’ve ever felt before?

To embrace each instance with equanimity and grace, and with all the love this universe has to share?

To behold the miracle of life, with a curiosity that shines with the brilliance of one million stars…?

And, to hold each human heart as a most delicate flower, which has so generously shared it’s bloom into the last of the summer’s hours?

My dears, then…what might our moments be?

A Psalm of Life
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

A Little Something On Climbing That Mountain.

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that damn mountain.” ― Jack Kerouac

I happened upon this quote the other day, and…as is generally the case…it got me thinking. I thought of the many times I wished I had, but hadn’t. Or, wished I could…but didn’t.

I think life is often this way…a series of missed moments resulting from our own inner heart’s hesitation…and keeping us always an arm’s reach from that which might have been.

And, it’s often not until we have been standing a good long while at the base of our ‘mountain’ and looking upwards to the brilliance of snow capped peaks along the pale blue sky, that we realize..

now is the time….

They say that hindsight is 20/20…but, I have always believed a robust, thought-filled reflection is just what the spirit needs to soar.

And, soar we must…lest we wander this earth so forever hopelessly lost…

Because, the heart knows where the spirit must go…

And yours, my dears – is somewhere…way up there amongst the clouds, and next to the dreams that you have always wished might be.

So, if may be so bold – what is it that you’re really waiting for?

now is the time….