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Posts tagged ‘optimism’

Mar 3

Wood or Stone

“Not till your thoughts cease all their branching here and there, not till you abandon all thoughts of seeking for something, not till your mind is motionless as wood or stone, will you be on the right road to the Gate.”― Huang Po, The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind

“The way out is through the door. Why is it that no one will use this method?”― Confucius

May you see the door rather than a wall.
And pass through.
Spring hiding in winter.
The mountains from the bottom and top.
Captured by beauty.
Held in color.
Commas rather than periods.
A softening ground beneath your feet.
The sun hanging out with the clouds and blue.
Expanding rather than contracting.
Inviting, allowing, crossing thresholds to wide open spaces.
Bridges to joy, wonder and delight.
Motionless as wood or stone to see what is present.

“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.”― Lilly Pulitzer

Mar 2

Exquisite Attention

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” – Mark Twain

“No one longs for what he or she already has, and yet the accumulated insight of those wise about the spiritual life suggests that the reason so many of us cannot see the red X that marks the spot is because we are standing on it. The treasure we seek requires no lengthy expedition, no expensive equipment, no superior aptitude or special company. All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are.” – Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith

An adjustment.
A slight shift.
A new angle.
To get your imagination out of atrophy, revived and pumping.
To see the same in a different way.
Merging of the sacred and secular.
Finding the red X beneath our feet.
Standing in awe, wonder and gratitude.
May you experience even an ounce of this today.
And be changed.

“What is saving my life now is the conviction that there is no spiritual treasure to be found apart from the bodily experiences of human life on earth. My life depends on engaging the most ordinary physical activities with the most exquisite attention I can give them. My life depends on ignoring all touted distinctions between the secular and the sacred, the physical and the spiritual, the body and the soul. What is saving my life now is becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world.”— Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith

Feb 24

24 Days to Spring

“When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind, and fearless.”― Byron Katie

“Blessed are you who discover that even in the smallness, your attention might be compressed even more. You who pull out a magnifying glass to discover, to notice, to taste, to smell the small joys and simple pleasures that make a life worth living.”- Kate Bowler, Jessica Richie — The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days

An average of 16 inches of snow the past few days.
A fresh canvas to get out and play in or an inconvenience to complain about.
I choose the fresh canvas approach.
It’s more fun.
The final sweeps and swings of winter on our way to spring.
24 days.
Hard to believe but spring always follows winter in due time.
Remain in winter a bit longer.
At the end of the day yesterday, I went knee-deep snowshoeing.
Kids and adults were out sledding and laughing with delight.
Fresh canvas approach.
Only 24 days left to play in the snow.
Probably a few more than 24 days as the dance of season transitions is about to ensue.
Witness and participate in all of it.
Change the narrative, enjoy this day.

“Be joyful because it is humanly possible.”― Wendell Berry

“To preserve the silence within–amid all the noise. To remain open and quiet, a moist humus in the fertile darkness where the rain falls and the grain ripens–no matter how many tramp across the parade ground in whirling dust under an arid sky.”― Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings

Feb 19

Endeavor into Wonderment

“We should always endeavor to wonder at the permanent thing, not at the mere exception. We should be startled by the sun, and not by the eclipse. We should wonder less at the earthquake, and wonder more at the earth.”― G.K. Chesterton

“But I believe good things happen everyday. I believe good things happen even when bad things happen. And I believe on a happy day like today, we can still feel a little sad. And that’s life, isn’t it?”― Gabrielle Zevin, Elsewhere

May radical unreasonable optimism be your song to sing today.
A sabbath from “reality,” from judgment, criticism, comparison, measure, transactions, to dos.
No rules and regulations.
Cup not half full but waterfall full on, overflowing.
A crowbar to open the windows painted shut.
Fresh crisp air to expand your lungs, open your chest, feel your ribs.
A canvas to fill with swirls, shapes and colors that clash, merge and burst.
A dance on holy ground, an offering, an unfolding.
Into the world you go.
Awake, curious, on fire.
Open to the promise of a new day.
And your place in it.

“Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.”― G. K. Chesterton

Feb 18

Hope is…

“Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, ‘Wait and Hope.”― Alexandre Dumas

“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”― Emily Dickinson

Hope is …

assurance that the buds will unfold to colorful bloom
that time brings clarity and meaning, even if no explanation
patience yielding harvest
one more step, then the next
carbonated joy on an ordinary day
the same landscape, new eyes
belonging and acceptance
a field trip with no permission slip required
an invitation to rest and renewal
a mystery and promise
an anchor and a kite
available and free
contagious, keep spreading it
a crowbar out of complacency
a wake up call
endures and carries
forward motion and momentum
necessary
powerful and transformative
light

Hope is this and so much more
Full bloom around the corner.

“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”― Shel Silverstein

Feb 16

The Filter and Field

“holiness is made of dailiness, of living life as it comes to me, not as I insist it be.”― Joan D. Chittister, The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully

“Prayer in Benedictine spirituality is not an interruption of our busy lives nor is it a higher act. Prayer is the filter through which we learn, if we listen hard enough, to see our world aright and anew and without which we live life with souls that are deaf and dumb and blind.”― Joan Chittister

The filter, the lens, the angle.
Broad, narrow, in, out.
Frosted, clear, a wall with no window.
New canvas, fresh day.
Doors, windows, thresholds.
A willingness, an allowing and invitation to keep growing, expanding, changing.
Cast light, brighten the dim places.
Interior and exterior.
The world aright and anew.
Hope, joy, peace and awe to be harvested today.
Sow, tend, harvest.

“Our role in life is to bring the light of our own souls to the dim places around us.”― Joan Chittister

Jan 24

A Slice of Blue and Sliver of Sun

“At sunrise, the blue sky paints herself with gold colors and joyfully dances to the music of a morning breeze.”― Debasish Mridha

“It is written on the arched sky; it looks out from every star. It is the poetry of Nature; it is that which uplifts the spirit within us.” – John Ruskin

The sun has been in short supply as of late, on a cloud streak.
When it made a guest appearance yesterday morning for a few hours, I captured it as a reminder.
Remembering the slices of blue and the slivers of sun that will soon return in abundance.
Absence sharpens the senses.
Gratitude for them multiples in the meantime.
Clouds and winter have their own lessons in courses we don’t sign up for.
Transcending our reluctance, clarity with time.
All of them work together weaving a life.
Remain present in today, whether clouds, blue and sun.
Slices, slivers, crevices, corners.
Treasure to be found.
Beauty, truth teller.

“Complete people gaze into the blue sky above, plunge into the center of the earth below, and run freely in the eight directions without even a change of mood.”― Liezi, The Book of Master Lie

Jan 11

2 Comments

Aright

“Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.”― Pearl S. Buck

“We can either spend this moment wishing it could be different, or we can embrace this moment.”― William B. Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

Receive this day with open arms.
A clarity.
A bright smile.
A fresh outlook.
A sense of delight.
A zest for laughter.
A hunger for connection.
An invitation.
An allowing.
An ease.
Embrace, hold, release, be held.
Joy. Peace. Light.

“Childhood is not a state which only applies to the first phase of our lives in the biological sense. Rather it is a basic condition which is always appropriate to a life that is lived aright.”― Karl Rahner

Jan 5

Are You Having a Good Day?

“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.”― Mark Twain

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”― Henry James

Two days of snow is making for good sledding and fort building conditions. On a walk with the girls last night with the snow softly falling, a boy was climbing his new snow hill in his front yard to slide. Up and down and back again. As we passed by, he stopped at the top, looked at me and asked “are you having a good day?” I said I yes and it looked like he was having a good one too. He made a good day even better.

A simple question from a boy to check on another. Pretty profound. A sense of other, of interest, of kindness. Are you having a good day? Get out of your own head and take interest in others. Connect, ask and wait for the answer. And certainly do not forget to do something fun with the piles of snow or sand, depending where you live. Divide the joy, get the full value.

Are you going to make it a good day so you can answer “Yes!” to the question? Extend a kindness to another to double the joy.

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Dec 18

Whatever is…

“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”― Rumi

“Finally, beloved…whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” – Philippians 4:8

Your thinking drives the car, sets the course, the destination for the day
Where actual control resides
Not by chance
Not by accident
Not other or outside
With intention and rigor, choose your thoughts
When they stray, get them back in line
Both hands on the wheel
Beauty, gratitude, attitude
Whatever is worthy of praise
Go there.

“As we enter the path of transformation, the most valuable thing we have working in our favor is our yearning.”― Cynthia Bourgeault

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