Russel tells a beautiful and short story from his life as a segue to three Beatles videos which are always worth listening.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
“Rather than being your thoughts and emotions, be awareness behind them.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
Be present to myself first and I will be present to the universe and all beings.
Generation chasm
Meg Wheatley and Parker Palmer are two of my favourite authors and thinkers. The pose challenging questions which defy oversimplification. Do I walk across the street to avoid others? This is no simple question when answered in the affirmative. It says something about me that is much deeper than yes or no. It asks, “What would lead to me doing this?”, an exploration of my soul and humanness should follow.
You can tell a culture is in trouble when its elders walk across the street to avoid meeting its youth.
Quoted by Meg Wheatley in Finding our Way and attributed to Malidoma Some from Burkino Fasso and Parker Palmer. Meg Wheatley’s has written a very appreciative and moving essay Maybe you will be the ones: to my sons and their friends.
ANOTHER VOICE
What a great way to begin the day. And, Simon included a beautiful passage from Mary Oliver.
Kindness
This is a wonderful poem from Naomi Shihab Nye shared by Bill. If we were kind to each other each day, could we reduce the violence in our world? Compassion requires time to just be in the world and with the world including other humans we often take for granted.
“Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You…
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The Oak and the Rose, Poem by Shel Silverstein
I enjoy Shel Silverstein and found his poetry after I listened to the songs he wrote for the likes of Johnny Cash and Dr. Hook. He had a wit that made me wonder and still does. I wonder what it means to be big? What does it mean to be small?
THE OAK AND THE ROSE
by Shel Silverstein
An oak tree and a rosebush grew,
Young and green together,
Talking the talk of growing things —
Wind and water and weather.
And while the rosebush sweetly bloomed
The oak tree grew so high
That now it spoke of newer things —
Eagles, mountain peaks and sky.
“I guess you think you’re pretty great,”
The rose was heard to cry,
Screaming as loud as it possibly could
To the treetop in the sky.
“And now you have no time for flower talk,
Now that you’ve grown so tall.”
“It’s not so much that I’ve grown,” said the tree,
“It’s just that you’ve stayed so small.”
Painting: “Two Gibbons in an Oak Tree” by Yi Yuanji (1000-1064)
Boston
This does not require any words. Our thoughts and prayers go to people who were just running a race or standing enjoying the race.
Let’s just say that I don’t see all these colors. I see Red, Dark Blue and plenty of Green.
Source: Ilovecharts
Spring Floats on Warm Breeze – A Tanka
We made it home. It was a long weekend and long drives. We saw faint glimpses of spring along the way with occasional pussy willows and greening of trees. Nature is awakening and I thought this beautiful poem was a testament to this awakening.
Spring floats on warm breeze
Golden rays bronze winters pale
Reincarnation
Rebirth of blossoming soul
Natures call awakening
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
The experience of being alive
This is a great quote from Joseph Campbell. To be fully alive, I need to experience my life and be alive. Thank you Bill for a great quote and picture.
“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” Joseph Campbell
“Of course there is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life, and what it brings.” ― Arthur Rubinstein
What do I do when I do not succeed? Do I learn? Do I just give up? Looking at failure as a detour is a healthy way to look at the world. After all, this too shall pass.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 