Every Day Zen
What is in a crumb? Not joy, Mary Oliver has said, so what worth then, the crumb? It has matter, if not joy. Writing is more matter than crumb but when my chronic disease flares, words flee. I wonder where words go; I, too, would like such a refuge. Instead, I sit in fog or... Continue Reading →
“Bloom where you’re planted.” I can still see the poster. Standard blue-sky, sunshine background while in the fore, a yellow daylily, red tulip, or purple iris. I never bought the philosophy or the poster but I never forgot the words. From decade to decade they revisit, and this past week, I was glad to see... Continue Reading →
Today’s #LongerView is “How Not to Become a Zen Master.” My neighbor, Grace, is a woman of few words because that’s all she needs. She’s an inspiration at 90 but I suspect this has been true all her life. Take a seat on the swinging bench to read of grace, gratitude, and why reading the... Continue Reading →
My writing is going well these days for which I am grateful. Yet, life requires focus on each moment and not just writing. Too often, I think I know better, and I don’t. So, I am shown that I’m responsible for the energy I bring to any space. (Thank you for that, Dr. Jill Bolte... Continue Reading →
I am now 60 plus 6. It’s messy but comfortable. When I began my sixth decade, I had an inkling of awareness so I put it in a box, all wrapped up with corners taped neatly. Its bow not yet pulled. Not a strand of ribbon out of place. Unopenly adorned. On any day, an... Continue Reading →
Today’s #LongerView, “Shoving My Snark Elsewhere,” celebrates the joy of relationship, whether it’s with neighbor Grace, a mint plant, or at a native nursery. As Pema Chödrön says, “We are always in relationship.” I started thinking about that in terms of my social media presence and snark, specifically wondering where the joy was. As always,... Continue Reading →
The opalescent hours give way to the light of day. My living room window opens to towering pine and vine-drenched oak, a sea of green capped in Spanish moss. It will be noon before the sun tops the longleaf pines. Most mornings, these are my work hours but an apartment inspection is imminent. Well, maybe.... Continue Reading →
Chasing after the world brings chaos Allowing it all to come to me brings peace. Zen Gatha* I tire of the chase. My dreams are fraught with places of peace past--roadhouses--where like Blake, I see a world in a grain of sand. I don’t know how else to allow the world. I really don’t. So,... Continue Reading →
This week’s #LongerView, “The Peace in Thinking Bigger,” is a riverside chat, the kind we have with ourselves when we have been off on a tangent, a real meander, only to find ourselves exactly where we started. Never for naught. No experience is wasted, not a one. It’s how we learn to think bigger. Oh,... Continue Reading →
