You can only change yourself. Before you start telling people how they should do things, think of how you can be more flexible.
Perfect Liberty 2022.13
Friends of mine are travelling in the States, sending back wonderful photos of the sights they are discovering. I asked Nick for this picture to share because when I saw it.. I saw and felt such wonder at the magnificence of this natural monument to change. The colours, the cleavage carved over time, centuries of weather carvings, that happened in miniscule micro moments. Nothing can compare to the abstract wonders Nature presents us on a daily basis.
Love comes when we least expect it. be ready when it does come. Prepare to be ready to nourish love, be open and receptive…
In the picture of this natural wonder that Nick took, I felt and saw raw passion, and tho’ the surface is hard to the touch, it left me with the impression of softness, tenderness and the meeting of yin/yang in harmony and balance.
Doors are so important in our lives, and we take them for granted. Wandering around, we find doors in all shapes, colours and sizes… they all lead somewhere or to something. I’m blessed with friends who know and share my love of doors.. I was delighted when this picture landed in my InBox. Lately I have been working on being more aware and mindful… this picture brought joy, made me smile, two doors flung open in welcome.
You can be with God by having a prayerful mind. Let’s pray for World Peace. We are all one big family. Let’s start by praying for the happiness of those around us.
When instead of still waters, the energy around you seems to be constantly stirring and charged with negative emotion. you can’t pin point where the “distress” is coming from… but.. you know its there.
I recall at the office opening an envelope one day, in it, one of the ladies from the accounting department had put in a sheet of paper, on it was a photocopy of a list of statements that were about aging. Some of you old enough to recall photocopies (these were the days when we sent memos and inter office communications via. internal mail systems that usually comprised of a “mail Person” … who went from floor to floor, office to office delivering the mail (internal/external) that had been received in the hospital’s mail room, sorted and then delivered
Anyway I digress. the sheet of paper was meant to be funny, and usually we all had a mini break of laughter as we read about – how at one time we knew where we were going, and now, we left the room and forgot why? Or couldn’t find the glasses we thought were missing, only to be told we had them on, etc. there was one, and someone out there can remind me if you recall the exact words, but was to the effect that our new friends now all had names like BenGay, Absorbine Jr. etc. and went on to name other over the counter creams/lotions, for people to deal with arthritic pain, sprains, muscles etc. I used to think, is that all people can talk about when they get older. their aches/pains/discomforts.. sore this, sore that, can’t do this anymore, can’t remember, always forgetting, being slower than before, blah blah blah.
OK I’m older now. and of the generation that no longer wants to leave the house at 9 or 10 o’clock because that is when things start to happen. (yes at night). Nor am I interested in attending the most amazing live concert at the stadium or some other event that involves hundreds and hundreds of people standing in line to get in and then standing or sitting packed together to listen or watch some event. (mind you with Covid that came to a standstill for awhile)
All this, if you think about it, is a way of complaining… it is seeing the negative and trying to accommodate it. Think about it. How often in the day, given a chance to say or express yourself, your response is about a negative. It’s soooo cold, a question like “how are you” .. elicits, “its been so hot, the humidity is killing me” ” I stood in the drizzle yesterday watching the dog run…or having a conversation..”
I realized that I was moaning and groaning yesterday, complaining about my aches, pains, and inability to do things like I used to… wow… voices from the past came crashing down on me. I was becoming a complainer, I need to focus more on the feel goods, the positives… then a little voice askes in wonder, how did this happen….???? and I don’t know that the answer jumps out at me. Today’s calendar says..
Express yourself clearly so others can understand you. When you can’t communicate clearly, it can lead to problems. Always express yourself carefully to avoid any misunderstandings.
Perfect Liberty 2022.9
In PL we learn to recognize when we are complaining, and we are tasked with the exercise of working on changing that habit. it is an ongoing exercise for me, picture a wee hamster in her cage with a treadmill.
Morris island a conservation area, tucked away off the beaten track. You have to know its there, and you have to want to go there. For me it sent me into “longing” it has a lot of water, small bays and inlets all teasing and inviting to paddle, canoe/kayak. It was a very hot day, we were in the high 80’s with a ton of humidity just to make it more interesting… walking (for me) was an effort, what kept me going was the shaded areas I could see ahead of me on the path we were on.
Bonnie had her bird identifier ap with her.. she was happily giving me the names of the birds she could hear in the trees around us. I was content to wander with my knife shaving off the dead bark off a piece of driftwood I found at the start of the walk. It was casual and lazy, we had no need to rush, we simply put one foot in front of the other .. and made our way along the pathway we were on. There were numerous trails that ran off the road we were on, but we stuck to the main trail we’d begun at the start of our “trek”.
It was at one of the little bays we passed that Bonnie spotted something in the water she thought at first was a swimming turtle, but, in fact it turned out to be a beaver! It helps to have someone with you who is observant and sees things you would not otherwise see. I was focused on finding wood, she an experienced birder was more observant on life above the ground. I was checking out all the dead wood with interesting features.. Made for a pleasant walk, usually I am on my own, so this was a delightful experience for me. Careful Bonnie, I might want to drag you out into the wilderness more often. =^_^=
There was a section of our walk that I was totally engrossed with. I found it was full of hiding places for the “wee” ones. =^_^=
Hidden in the cracks and crevices we saw today, live a zillion micro cells of plant matter and small insects, some of the openings are gateways for the many rodents and wee ones that roam the forest floor. During the season where I am not totally wiped by the heat and humidity I want to go back with my Nikon and get close ups. I know that there was much that was hidden from view today… =^_^+
Never stop exploring
Pl Precept #18 Each moment is a turning point.
It’s okay to think “this is where it starts” There is always a turning point. It’s important what you do from now.
Wondering why on earth I want to be that stump… cuz…. just because… some days life is full of challenges, that was yesterday for me… so today, its my start of the day “wish”…. Quiet please. no problem to resolve, no challenge, just the opportunity for quiet and good company.
Don’t let circumstances sway your decision. It does not help to overthink things. Sometimes we just need to make up our minds and move forward.
I was of great interest.. they left the little area they were in to swim by me. This strange human sitting on a stump in the middle of the river.. When I caught sight of myself later as I entered a shop .. I actually wondered they didn’t just all fly off.
this is the area to the left of where I was sitting. Someone had placed a big stump on the flat rock you see just under the water’s surface. To get to this little area I have to walk through about a half a mile out from the shoreline. Footing was slippery, lots of allege. etc. worth the effort, see the stick lying in the water.. I brought that home, used it as a second pole to balance myself as I walked back to the shore. used my knife to take off the bark.. left it behind so it will recycle itself =^_^=
The best timing is when you notice. When you notice something , it is God sending you a message. Act right away so you don’t miss good timing.
I sat in silence, my companion shares the summer moment with me. There is a quiet exchange of simply being, side by side. No long range lens, just me, myself and I with the duck. Sharing a forever moment.
As I got up to leave, I was swarmed by a couple of wild turkeys and their brood. I was sitting on a fallen tree that was lying over the water, the young ones were rushing down to drink … they were now inches from me, with the one look from the parent, I saw down again… I knew who was trespassing in their space. When she saw I was not going to move or do anything to scare her brood, she meandered off and left them to peck and drink. It was interesting to watch how they turn over the rocks with their feet to get whatever juicy morsel is under the rock.
Discover each person’s (living being) unique qualities. When we approach people with respect, we can understand them better and see their special qualities.
What to do, the bugs were so bad at P23, I wasn’t going to offer myself up to the hungry insects, I left in search of water. It had been awhile since I’d gone to Mud Lake in the west end.. thought I’d go have a look. Didn’t have my camera with me, but thought..” I have plenty of pictures of geese” so would just stroll the paths along the inlet (lake).
Well plans change. When I got there I saw that blocking the road up ahead (further than I usually park) were a zillion geese, sunning themselves, doing their morning rituals… not concerned that their numbers were such a car would not be able to get through. I drove up and parked on the left in a small 4 car parking indentation. When I got out, a father and his offspring were coming off a path to the right of where I would usually enter this side of the area. ” if you are quick you’ll see a mother wild turkey with her young ones strolling through the trees.”
I started for the path to the left of the fence, but he called out and said,” no go to the right ” I have been to Mud lake on numerous occasions, but had never gone in the area he suggested. I had always assumed that since there was cut lawn there, and a building down the way, that this was just, I don’t know .. a lawn. One should never assume. As I walked along the path that hugged the path, I found myself having to bend down under the branches of the trees that lined the manicured lawn.
To my delight I saw the adult wild turkey heading to the west further down from where I was.. couldn’t see the babies though… I thought to myself.. timing.. too bad, I’ve missed them.. but I continued on the path since I could hear water, and knew the river was ahead. Hello…. I found myself in the most wonderful of openings. (see picture above on the left) the heat of the summer has brought the water level down, I could pick my way over the flat river rocks.. and just meander along the shoreline without having to step into the water itself.
It was a beautiful unexpected visit, a new discovery, in an old known haunt… another example of how allowing yourself to do something different. can offer up new opportunities to present themselves.
Have a prayerful mind to love yourself and others. Open up your heart fully when praying to God. It will help you sort out your feelings.
An evening of music, of quiet, of no rushing around, just chilling. I had a full day catching up on “to do” activities, it had been too hot/humid to be outside. I did go out and prune back overly aggressive vines, ground cover, I lasted less than an hour. In clearing up “stuff”, in the electronic age, we have so much “trash” accumulated on hard drives, our phones etc. I came across the above “captured moment” in a folder dated 2015… wow.. couldn’t even remember who, where, when, what… obviously I had fun writing and creating the piece… but … such is life… another reason for really enjoying and living the moments .. because… every day is a new day..
No I didn’t delete it, I’ll come across it again someday, maybe… and when I do.. who knows.. I might recall who, what, where, when, and what inspired that moment, .. but if I don’t.. it is OK too.. why, cuz … wow .. how I see it, is if I knew such happiness then… such moments do exist, and nothing is impossible.
Let’s have a humble mind. Once you think, “that’s good enough,” you become blind to the opportunities to me more creative.
Perfect Liberty 2022.30
I have always tried to live each moment with “Makoto” (Sincerity) – in this way … I seldom have regrets.. from a very early age it was instilled in me to always be focused on now .. and do my best. My Dad used to tell me .. if I pay attention NOW, I wouldn’t have to study and cram to remember for exams, I’d know because I paid attention at the time.. Plus when you are in the moment, you see and hear exactly what is being said and happening…. trying to recall something days, months years later… well, we all know… it is not the same.
REMiNDER – service on the 1st is at 7 pm not in the morning.
it’s ok to love and to care – Always
digital/pixel photo taken in SL (Second Life) by Q.
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.
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