Chinese Lanterns, celebrations, happiness, they are such a joyful plant, I have the little lanterns at the entrance to my home, and in the house. I know fall is not far when they begin to show up, their happy colour peeking out from the green leaves. There is a lot of unhappiness in the world these days – share a smile, spread happiness – be open to listening – the only constant in life is change.
Think “now is the time” Instead of “it’s no use now” don’t give up by thinking it’s too late. Tell yourself that there is more that can be done.
Perfect Liberty 2022.7
Always and forever
Is Chinese lantern plant edible?
The fruits are edible and suprisingly, are higher in vitamin C than lemons. Care should be taken though, as all other parts of the plant are poisonous. The plant also has a long history of medicinal uses.
Every morning, as you all know .. I am out in the woods having my time with the birds/wildlife at one of the many NCC green spaces. There are two that I go to on a regular basis, where I feed during the winter season… with the big storm we had, everyone has had to adjust. (including the animals) The chipmunks are busy gathering. We’ve had a few mornings now where the nip in the air is refreshing. The chipmunks and squirrels are battling it out with the blue jays for the nuts and peanuts in a shell that get distributed when I do my morning round. These little critters can pack a lot of peanuts in their cheeks making their cuteness even more adorable.
Take action without thinking too hard. No matter how hard you try to foresee the future, you really don’t know how things will turn out.. Do your best and see how it plays out.
I’m an artist that likes to have my supplies around me, it inspires me, when I’m working on something I like to be able to simply reach out and grab whatever it is I’m looking for, or think I want. I’m focused on the project at hand, nothing else. During one of my outings the other day I heard a grumble and turned to see a dragon in distress. It had been put on a shelf with Halloween decorations and wasn’t happy being sandwiched between a bat and a rat that were one could easily see, not of his “vintage”
Seeing his distress and displeasure I walked over and took a closure look at him. His claws had been broken off and his tail was missing some of his scales, otherwise he grumbled he was fine and was having difficulty accepting his fate at having been cast aside.
Yes I agreed, I could understand his frustration at being replaced, and being cast aside, but I did explain, his previous owners had not not just tossed him out, they brought him to a place where he could possibly find another home. I pointed out his grumpy attitude certainly wouldn’t endear him to another possible owner.
Clever dragon gave me a shrewd look….” since YOU heard my complaining, and you’ve come over to see what I’m all about, don’t YOU think you should save me from this fate… after all… you know how and can?” Hmm good question, and it was true… of all the people who were around, I was the only one who was paying attention to him. It was the end of August, not too many people were searching out decorations for Halloween, besides he had likely been in someone’s garden, looks like he had been a water feature.
Yes, he came home with me. Now he is fixed up ready to be outside again where he can enjoy the visiting birds and wildlife that frequent the yard.
We all grow old, we all change with the passing seasons, and friends/family fall away, people go on with their lives, and we are left to cope with ours. Dragon felt rejection, I hope in tending to his wounds, listening to him, he will enjoy the next phase of his existence and return to his positive self… After all, as he pointed out.. dragons have feelings too.
Discover each person’s unique qualities. When we approach people with respect, we can understand them better and see their special qualities.
Perfect Liberty 2022.2
Enjoy the process and savour it. The feeling you have when you’ve seen something through to the end is awesome, but the true joy lies in the actual execution of the plan.
This is where I spend a few minutes each day weeding… pulling out the growth in that one area .. slowly the small birds, the nuthatch, chickadees .. are coming to see if some offerings have been put down, The Doves love cleaning up the “floor”… the blue jays are back watching for me to arrive… have even caught sight of black birds .. the wild turkeys are of course still around, they had several months of little to no traffic.. now the cars and humans are returning.
Let’s have a humble mind. Once you think, “that’s good enough,” you become blind to the opportunities to be more creative.
When we are constantly doing something… when the day seems to disappear and you are still doodling, there seems to be no end in sight to the “this and that” that are on your “to do ” list.
Are you overdoing things? Not only do you harm yourself when you overdo things, but you may be imposing on others as well.
Perfect Liberty 2022.29
When we are mindful, we appear to process information with our full bodies rather than simply the mind.
Sometimes prayers are answered in a way that you don’t expect. Life has been busy, so busy that until it took its toll on me and I simply had no choice but to stop and unwind… I had no idea how brain fogged I was getting. We get busy, and we get into a routine of “doing” .. it is not until a friend mentions to you that you are always on the go. A friend actually was telling me that her friends were always telling her she was always traveling, and she didn’t necessarily see it that way, she saw herself as a stay at home person.
hmmmm. a little “bell” went off in my head. I was one of her friends who IF I thought of it, would think she did travel a lot. So when another friend said to me, “you are always on the go” I actually heard him, it wasn’t just words coming at me from across a room.
So… when a friend send me a link to pictures taken while he and his wife were on a travel vacation, I innocently opened up the files and WOW… OMG… this picture caught my attention, it literally screamed at me… if I was to visualize my inner thoughts and what was or has been going on in my gray matter, this picture said it all. Why? I don’t know.. it just drew me in, it captured my attention.
From my head to my toes, this picture could be an abstract picture of my emotions – all consuming yet not tangible. My life is so full in some ways, so content, so rich, so vibrant, yet… there is a part of me that seems to be simmering waiting to erupt.
Nick and Mel traveled through some very majestic territory.. they were exploring Yellowstone National Park… Some of Nick’s pictures were just too much to take in, I think it was the impression of the vast geography that they were experiencing, it was something that would be so totally mind blowing first hand. Thank you Nick for sharing, you gave me something that opened doors to possibilities.. more for me to think about .. LOL as always your sharing brings happiness and a smile
Make Today a memorable day. Let’s try to put our whole heart into whatever we say or do. as our unique signature.
Perfect Liberty 2022.26
Why I am so pulled in by this photo.. I have many thoughts on that… one of the PL Precepts is
When you get stuck – take a step back. when you are able to see things objectively, your viewpoint will change and you will receive new wisdom
Perfect Liberty 2022.23
Watching the birds. Yesterday as usual I spent time in the woodlands, just being there, listening to the birds, and taking in the silence. In the countryside, you catch a glimpse of the birds, but you don’t get to see them, just being themselves. A glimpse here and there, they might fly past or be perched on a wire or branch in a tree – but they are not up close and personal.
Since I installed a bird feeder station outside my living room window.. I have seen the birds daily and often. I get to see the mother bird feeding her youngster.. while it perches on a branch beside her, she dips into the feeder, than leans over and feeds it ..its mouth open waiting.. wings fluttering to balance. She is teaching it where to get the seed and how to balance on the feeder. I watched fascinated because behind on other branches patiently waiting for her to tend to her young, two adolescent starlings were waiting to be not at the feeder she was at but on the one the little one was balancing on. Not far from them was a couple more mature Starlings … they too waited for the mother to finish feeding and leave before they beelined it to the feeder they wanted, pushing and being aggressive.
The bigger birds push each other, shove and peck when they want something … yet when Mother bird was feeding her young one, they waited. The mother and baby were sparrows, so different and certainly not of the size of the Starlings.
I’ve noticed Blue Jays now come calling, as well as woodpeckers, cardinals and even pigeons. Yes, the squirrels come calling too. It will be most interesting to see, as the weather changes, who the visitors will be. As time goes on, I will also be able to see more of how the birds are in the community that has begun to take shape in my front yard. the Saskatoon Berry , the Cherry Tree and evergreens are always resting places for the birds.
Be in tune with the feelings of others. Let’s start by trying to understand other peoples’ feelings.
Perfect Liberty 2022.22
Love is not outside ourselves, but comes from within us. Be kind to yourself, be aware, Relationships are mirrors of ourselves…. ” listen ” to what you are feeling..
By remembering what inspired you in the beginning, you will feel a renewed enthusiasm.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Let’s live with gratitude towards everyone and everything all day today.
Perfect Liberty 2022.21
Good morning everyone, there will be a service today at 10 a.m. and again this evening at 7 pm. for those that can attend. If you are unable to make it to the church for one of the services, please take time to silently give your appreciation when you can, we have so much to be thankful for.
TAOIST Life is Art (Perfect Liberty precept #1)
contact info.- via blogs
--- there are two energies, Yin and Yang = ONE
---to have balance we must live each moment
of our lives.. with Makoto (sincerity)
The only constant in life is change. I am grounded in the reality of Living.
This is true, in all worlds. RL or virtual. I am me and only me.