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Jun 30

Constant Attention

“The heart that
breaks open can
contain the
whole universe.”
― Joanna Macy

“Desire demands only a constant attention to the unknown gravitational field which surrounds us and from which we can recharge ourselves every moment, as if breathing from the atmosphere of possibility itself. A life’s work is not a series of stepping-stones onto which we calmly place our feet, but more like an ocean crossing where there is no path, only a heading, a direction, which, of itself, is in conversation with the elements.”― David Whyte, Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity

To explore, get away, wander
To return, anchor, deepen
Ebb and flow
In and out
Exhale and inhale
The dance of being
The song of presence
The gift of gratitude
Porous heart
Open arms
Fresh eyes
Attune ears
Rapt attention
To the space, place, sacred, expansive ground of now.

“To name a place requires us to be in a place. It requires us to resist dreaming of where we should be and look around where we are.”― Pádraig Ó Tuama, In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World

Jun 29

Overflowing Beauty of Being

“Beauty is the harvest of presence.”― David Whyte, Consolations

“The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.”— Thich Nhat Hanh

What can I do?
So often, the best thing we can do, is be.
Be present.
Be aware.
Be awake.
Be connected.
Be kind.
Be alive.
Moving from mind to heart and spirit.
In a beautiful, brilliant. lovely, glorious world.
Inside and out.
Awaiting our arrival to awe, wonder, gratitude.
Daily.

“What is precious
inside us does not
care to be known
by the mind
in ways that diminish
its presence.”
― David Whyte

Jun 28

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Otherness in the World

“we have so many allies in this world, including just the color blue in the sky,”― David Whyte

“Life can find you only if you are paying real attention to something other than you own concerns, if you can hear and see the essence of otherness in the world, if you can treat the world as if it is not just a backdrop to your own journey, if you can have a relationship with the world that isn’t based on triumphing over it or complaining about it.”― David Whyte, The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship

Attention and reverence.
Beauty and peace.
Grace and light.
Love and gratitude.
Enter into the conversation, dance, communion.
Find and be found.

“Love is the conversation between possible, searing disappointment and a profoundly imagined sense of arrival and fulfillment; how we shape that conversation is the touchstone of our ability to love in the real inhabited world.”― David Whyte

Jun 27

Wonder Beyond Words

“To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe — to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it — is a wonder beyond words.”― Joanna Macy

“Active Hope is not wishful thinking.
Active Hope is not waiting to be rescued . . . .
by some savior.
Active Hope is waking up to the beauty of life
on whose behalf we can act.
We belong to this world.
The web of life is calling us forth at this time.
We’ve come a long way and are here to play our part.
With Active Hope we realize that there are adventures in store,
strengths to discover, and comrades to link arms with.
Active Hope is a readiness to discover the strengths
in ourselves and in others;
a readiness to discover the reasons for hope
and the occasions for love.
A readiness to discover the size and strength of our hearts,
our quickness of mind, our steadiness of purpose,
our own authority, our love for life,
the liveliness of our curiosity,
the unsuspected deep well of patience and diligence,
the keenness of our senses, and our capacity to lead.
None of these can be discovered in an armchair or without risk.”― Joanna Macy

Active, tough, resilient hope.
A muscle to flex and build daily.
Attention, curiosity, readiness.
Full presence and participation.
Deep gratitude.
Overflowing kindness and compassion.
To love well.
Imperfect, flawed beautiful mess and miracle woven with awe, wonder and joy.
Life is today.
A moment at a time.
Keep showing up.

“The biggest gift you can give is to be absolutely present, and when you’re worrying about whether you’re hopeful or hopeless or pessimistic or optimistic, who cares? The main thing is that you’re showing up, that you’re here and that you’re finding ever more capacity to love this world because it will not be healed without that. That was what is going to unleash our intelligence and our ingenuity and our solidarity for the healing of our world.”― Joanna Macy

Jun 26

Window on the World

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”― Alan Alda

“Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.” – William Arthur Ward

What am I missing that’s right in front of me?
What don’t I know?
What’s beneath the surface?
Ask good questions
Give space and margins for the answers to rise up
To take shape and form
Unlearning, relearning, discovery
Inquiry, curiosity, imagination
Listening, hearing, receptivity
Crack the door
Open the window
Let fresh air of unknowing and mystery in
Get out of your own way to find the way
May you see the delight, wonder and awe that cross your path today
Let the light in.

“Dreams don’t die.
They move on to the next available dreamer.”― Michael Bassey Johnson

Jun 25

Bloom Joy

“It is love alone that gives worth to all things.”― St. Teresa of Avila

“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”― Anne Lamott

With the passage of time, I have fewer opinions, judgments, assumptions, need for certainty.
Assuming the best, that there’s more to the story.
Caring little about what “they say” I should do or not do.
Not bothering with approval, permission, acceptance.
Picking up fewer rocks to carry.
Owning less to walk softly, lightly.
Open heart, hands, fresh eyes.
To see the same differently.
Fear turns to hate, constricts, diminishes, condemns, narrows.
Love multiplies, invites, allows, welcomes, expands, deepens, seeks understanding, yields, connection.
Giving worth to all people, things, self.
Walk in love today.
A smile, laughter, a call, asking, listening, observing.
Transform your patch of the world.
Cast light, plant love, bloom joy.

“Thank God for the things that I do not own.”― St. Teresa of Avila

Jun 24

Bear Fruit Not Busy

“Love turns work into rest.”― Teresa of Avila

“Untilled ground, however rich, will bring forth thistles and thorns; so also the mind of man.”― St. Teresa of Avila

Till and turn.
Dig and loosen.
Rich soil.
Plant seeds.
Water and wait.
Nurture and pull weeds.
Thoughts, words, right action.
Change and be changed.
Growth and fruition.
Hope, joy, enthusiasm, kindness, generosity, encouragement, laughter, delight.
Daily practices to live big, each ordinary day.
Bear good fruit not empty busy.

“Pessimism, cynicism and fear will only lead to a very small life. Don’t live small.”― Neil Abramson

Jun 23

Today’s Sky

“This sky
Where we live
Is no place to lose your wings
So love, love
Love.”
― Hafez, The Gift

“Now that your worry has proved such an unlucrative business,
Why not find a better job?”
― Hafez, The Poetry Pharmacy Returns

Above the noise.
Amidst the busy.
Beyond the doing.
Thin spaces.
Of slowing, pause, margin.
Listen, look, gaze.
Stop. Sit. Savor.
Grace and gratitude are at play.
The Real Fun of this day.
Full presence, active participation, wings in motion.
Cast light and love.

“Zero
Is where the Real Fun starts.
There’s too much counting
Everywhere else!”
― Hafez, I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy

Jun 22

Summer’s Song, Symphony

“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.”― Rumi

Warm Summer Sun
by Mark Twain

Warm summer sun,
Shine kindly here.
Warm southern wind,
Blow softly here.
Green sod above,
Lie light, lie light.
Good night, dear heart,
Good night, good night.

Lute and drum
Silence and song
Summer sun
Soft breeze
Summer, a string of Sundays
Sabbath rest carried through the week
Full bloom
Brilliant color
Slowing, seeing, savoring
Holy sacred ground
Surrender. Yield. Dance.

A day of Silence
Can be a pilgrimage in itself.

A day of Silence
Can help you listen
To the Soul play
Its marvelous lute and drum.

Is not most talking
A crazed defense of a crumbling fort?

I thought we came here
To surrender in Silence,

To yield to Light and Happiness,

To Dance within,
In celebration of Love’s Victory”― Hafez, I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy

Jun 21

Beauty of Now

“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.” – Rumi

“Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. This is why we are here.”― Jon J. Muth, The Three Questions

In slowing, ease and restoration.
In awareness, depth and dimension.
In quiet, reflection and discernment.
In reflection, abundance and clarity
In the present, gratitude for what already is, on the ground we stand.
Fullness and beauty of this day.

“A person in such a hurry seldom gets good results”― Jon J. Muth, Zen Socks

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