Our rhythm is our own

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears,
however measured or far away."

-- Henry David Thoreau

Hug wholeheartedly.

The Rescue, Part II

Look who's back...

Not looking to be rescued from a tree this time, who did I find on my roof last night but this sweet gal, resting on the cover to my front door. My attempts at coaxing her down last night were unsuccessful, and this morning I woke to find her still in the same perch. With the enticement of some delicious cat kibble, she decided that perhaps it was safe enough to step into the box-top that I held high to lower her (brave girl).

She is in great need of medical attention - her condition has certainly worsened since that last time she visited my yard. If someone reading this should happen to have a few hundred dollars burning a hole in their pocket, I would gladly accept a donation to bring her to my veterinarian. She is suffering.

Hurt

"We are injured and hurt emotionally
- not so much by other people
or what they say or don't say -
but by our own attitude
and our own response."

-- Maxwell Maltz

Be here now

"We can only
Be Here Now
when we accept instantly
our moment-by-moment
emotional experience."

-- Gita Bellin

Now

"If not now, when?"

-- Rabbi Hillel

Truth

"We are each keepers of our own truths. Sharing these truths opens doors for healing and intimacy with others. Still, we withhold the truth, fearing loss, or conflict, or judgment. We dance with deceptions and half-truths and hope we can evade having to tell the truth.

We say, 'I couldn't tell the truth -- I didn't want to hurt her feelings.' Yet 'she' often knows or senses the truth anyway. So your lie leads to more lies and your truth is lost in the questions.

We also withhold truth-telling in some demented hope that the person will forget what has happened, or that we will forget. There is so much freedom in just saying our truth -- even if it is awkward, or unpleasant, or badly received. The outcome of the telling is not the point. We cannot adjust our truth according to how the person will respond. Telling the truth faster enables us to live more freely, lightly, and powerfully ourselves. We can dance our truths.

The truth is our ally and our revealer. If we let ourselves be truly seen, then we can be truly loved."

-- SARK

All your heart

"Wheresoever you go,
go with all your heart."

-- Confucius

Some Kiss We Want

There is some kiss we want with our whole lives,
the touch of spirit on the body.
Seawater begs the pearl to break its shell.

And the lily, how passionately
it needs some wild darling!

At night, I open the window and ask
the moon to come and press its
face against mine.
Breathe into me.

Close the language-door and
open the love window.
The moon won't use the door,
only the window.

-- Rumi

Rejoicing

"In the Zen tradition, students are taught to bow to other people as well as ordinary objects as a way of expressing their respect. They are taught to take equal care of brooms and toilets and plants in order to show their gratitude to these things. Watching Trungpa Rinpoche set the table for breakfast one morning was like watching someone arrange flowers or create a stage set. He took such care and delight in placing every detail -- the place mats and napkins; the forks, knives, and spoons; the plates and coffee cups. Since then, even though I usually have only a few minutes, I appreciate the ritual of setting the table as an opportunity to be present and rejoice.

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior's world. We can do this even at the most difficult moments. Everything we see, hear, taste, and smell has the power to strengthen and uplift us."

-- Pema Chödrön

Hurry

"Nature does not hurry,
yet everything is accomplished."

-- Lao Tse

Ring the bells

"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."

-- Leonard Cohen

Whispers of truth

"It is only when we silence the blaring sounds of our daily existence
that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us,
as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts."

-- K. T. Jong

Being alive

"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