Happiness

How Beautiful This World.

“How beautiful the world,” writes Herman Hesse, “when one looked without searching.” To see that of its own simplicity, without the lure or advancements of need; that is what it means to see.

It is only when the heart is open that the eyes may begin to appreciate the subtlety of a lasting peace, made whole through the verity of all. We see it all when we turn nothing away.

Can we turn away from the politics long enough to savor a single drop of rain? In the distance, a car door slams never knowing it’s hurry.

They say the space between is where the soul must chance to further its endeavor… in this, the now and for the sake of ever.

In peace, my sweet friends…I pray this day lends clarity to circumstance.

Namaste ❣️

Returning To a Life of Much Simpler Things.

I attended an event once many years ago. The host had traveled here from India, hoping to share a deeper engagement of spirit.

“My goodness, you look so tired,” he began. “Too tired to attend to such trivial matters.”

I had to laugh, as he smiled to me. How effortlessly he had addressed the malady of our busyness.

Each of us is guilty of our own demise. We over obligate, taking on far too much – including these greater issues if our world. Political unrest, poverty and injustice – each demanding the fullness of our attention. It’s recklessness, really-to shift focus from the needs of our own heart.

The phone rings, and we are instantly swayed. Who could it be, and what do they need? Has this would become so decidedly transaction-based?

I remember a time not so long ago when the new day carried comfort, not dread. Yet, here we are – enslaved by a mobile ring.

“Take all things that would propose to be important,” L.M. Browning writes, “and weigh then upon the scale of your soul.” In the end, we alone define its merit and worth.

“Discard all that is trivially masquerading,” she shares. And return to a life filled with much simpler things.

In peace, my dear friends…

Namaste ❣️

The Calm Within Our Storm.

I watched a compelling video this weekend; group of scientists were conducting an experiment to determine the power of mind over the perception of circumstance.

In one room, participants donned a virtual reality headset as they sat upon a specially constructed movable sled. The video played was that of an extreme roller coaster ride, emulating a high speed chase through bends and twists.

Thoughled movements were slight, still the participants screamed; their minds unable to distinguish the suggestion from true reality. Their hypotheses, if proven, would demonstrate an unexpected effect: that of the minds role in anticipating events.

Call it dread, fear – or, more simply expectation; we cannot deny having at one point felt the same. The experience has yet to unfold, yet the sense is as sharp, nonetheless. In fact, we spend so much time locked in this anticipatory phase that we risk losing our connection to the ‘absolute present’. Is this perhaps the source of our unsettledness? A malady born of habitual reaction.

Even when offered insight into the experiment, participants maintained the same neurophysiological response – reacting in advance of each twist and turn.
Though, in the second phase of the experiment there was only one minor shift – participants were asked to focus on their breathing. To consciously slow where they felt a quickening; to allow the breath to serve as their ‘solid ground’.

With just this change alone, the results were visible and astonishing. In instances where participants had previously tensed, they were ultimately observed leaning in. Measurements indicated a marked release of physical tension.

Is it possible that these habits of mind might be so easily redefined? Retained to hold the essence of calm over any suggestion of fear.

There’s truly so much we cannot possibly know; including the manner and mechanism of our mind’s inner workings and the ever-present calm within our storm.

A little something to consider, my friends…

Namaste ❣️

A Pathway to Joy.

Outside in the garden an English rose blooms, insistent that its time hasn’t yet passed. And in spite of the biting chill still she dons her summer best – at first reluctant to let the seasons pass.

Are we not, at times, much the same? We flex our grip to that ‘familiar stick’, a comfort only of benefit to the most solitary existence.

And yet, around us the world is engulfed in a continuous renewal. A changing leaf, a blade of grass – the fading scent of a familiar rose. Within which, we find our greatest joy; and, through which we engage our eternal presence.

In the words of the Buddha, we learn:

“Even among the troubled.

Look within.

Be still.

Free from fear and attachment,

Know the sweet joy of living in the way.”

No matter the circumstances, we are always our own pathway to joy.

In peace, my friends…

Namaste ❤️

A Boundless Expression of Our Love.

Who are we?

And, more importantly – what is it that we desire most from this life?

For some, the answer maintains the status of label – something to be revered. Articulating how we wish to be seen, but speaking nothing to our view of self.

Nevertheless, we are drawn to the essence and security of their meaning – though, they cannot possibly encapsulate the broader context of our human spirit.

Words become our ‘measuring post’ – an empty comparative drawn from the shallows of a perceived emotional return.

One of the most common misconceptions is that we may only know happiness through the dialogue of sacrifice. Though, do we ever ask ourselves – is this the life I truly wish to have?

In visiting home, I could run my hands a thousand times over the stone garden wall my father once built for my Mother – each time revealing a new aspect to his dedication and love. The treacherous climb down muddied banks, through the briars and thickened brush – hoping to collect only the prettiest of stones.

As he mortared the last of these ‘jewels’ into place – did he think of status and title? Or, the acknowledgement of joy in my Mother’s smiling face?

Nothing tells us more about who we are than the choices we make. No word, no label – nor, benefit of accolades. Rather, we are the composite of each boundless expression of love.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❤️

Embracing Our Multitudes.

When I first left home, I struggled with loneliness. I missed my parents, my room – the familiar lull of the tree frog’s crescendo. At times, this loneliness turned to a panicked desperation as the miles between grew longer still.

I’d been accepted to a program in the South Pacific; a remote university boasting one of the most advanced marine biology programs in the world. The application process was quite rigorous; only the best of the best were granted inclusion. Only a fool would have abandoned such a glorious opportunity. Though there I was, just a few months later standing alone at an airport turnstile.

I felt defeated and ultimately unprepared for my new adventure. It was the first time fear had kept me from my purpose; and I worried what ‘the others’ might think upon learning of my ‘failure’. And, sure enough, they took no mercy in their chidings.

Many months later, I ran into an old colleague and dear friend. “Sometimes, we reveal the path – but, more often, the path reveals us,” he shared.

In just a few short words, I was gifted with an entirely new perspective. Life is a composite of many multitudes of ‘journey’. In that process, we live…we breathe…we learn and we grow.

Just as a fine wine is encouraged through the earthiness of an old, barreled oak; we are similarly revealed. Everything we experience – the good, the bad…the uncompromising challenge – all serving the fundamental essence of our one human spirit.

Imperfect? Yes, though, gloriously so; these multitudes becoming the facets of our newfound light.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

Taming the Restless Mind.

A carpenter removes a coarse peg by knocking it through with a smaller, finer one. Anything larger would bruise the wood, leaving the ‘scars’ of a job poorly done.

In many ways, we are the same. Anger, rage, jealousy – all examples of those much coarser pegs. Refined only through the delicate placement of thought – gentle taps of hope, joy and bliss. Simply speaking, ‘what we think, we become.’

Though the influence of thought can feel, at times, overwhelming – it is never without remedy. Just as the carpenter with a finer peg, we are taught to embrace and transform. A kinder, gentler means servicing as our conduit to peace.

Tap, tap, tap…a steady hand quiets this larger discourse of mind. Out of compassion for ourselves, we choose to give them rest.

In peace, my friends…

Namaste ❤

The Lesson of Shore.

Someone once asked me how do I remain so calm in the midst of chaos?

The answer? I don’t. Well, not always. I experience pain, frustration, sadness – sometimes, even rage. Though now, with a sense of knowing that all things must pass.

Sit with yourself for just a moment, simply opening to the vast complexity of emotion – you may notice a natural ‘ebb and flow’.

Like waves to the shoreline, their energy is strongest upon impact. Their sound, often deafening as the raging waters breach the sanctity of a seemingly endless coast.

Though what we know, is what we often miss. We brace for its crushing impact even as the wave is yet forming. We close our eyes and clench our fists, waiting always for the ‘worst’ of it.

In doing so, we may miss its shimmering lines breaking in the distance. Or the soft foams gently receding, followed by a sacred hush.

The divine manifests in all creatures and things. Even within the tumbling waves, there is a certain inexplicable glory. To love this life, is to connect with its grace.

And with respect to those much greater emotions…how can we consider their gravity without appreciating their means?

In peace, my sweet friends…and thank you for the continued gift of your light.

Namaste ❤

What is Love?

I thought I’d ‘found’ love once, many years ago. And, holding it gently within my arms – I allowed myself to become lost.

At first, it seemed perfection; its presence healing what the years had destroyed. Though, in time it became more cumbersome – striving for balance on what was now ‘broken ground.’

We give up so much chasing the reward; but where a love must yield, it must likewise grow.

“Oh, mirror in the sky – what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above?”

We strive for wholeness, but what is the cost? To continuously mold and whittle away, in the hopes that ‘our love’ may grow.

But, love isn’t something shifted to form. Rather, love is that which encourages the ‘root’.

A little something to consider my friends…

In peace…

Namaste ❤

A Lesson From a Princess.

A little one sidled up to me at the airport yesterday evening. Her hair hung softly like sweet spun gold, shifting beneath the weight of an oversized cowboy hat. A perfect compliment, I might add, to her embroidered leather boots and pink tulle princess tutu.

“You wanna watch cartoons?” she asked, with toothless grin.

“Sure, why not…” I smiled in return.

And, just like that – our friendship was formed.

We sat for nearly an hour, she and I – talking over the finer points of ‘best princesses ever’ and why ‘dragons aren’t so scary after all.’

It brought to mind one of my favorite teachings; when we realize our capacity to be happy anywhere, we realize that happiness is inseparable from this this present moment.

It’s our willingness to see the rose through the brambles, so to speak. To understand that conditions for our happiness are always here, simply waiting for a moment to be realized.

Even when our flight is delayed by an imminent storm, still – there is this moment, right here…

Watching cartoons and spinning tales with a cowgirl princess in a tutu.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️