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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Be in tune with the feelings of others. Let’s start by trying to understand other peoples feelings.
Perfect Liberty 2022.22
A simple message with a lot of homework. We have to work at nurturing, savoring and decoding our relationships. Friendships are often the bonds that complete us. It is not always easy to define friendships, in this new world of insta-intimacy, it is good to remember that friendships are a matter of the heart, not heart emojis. Caring, awareness, focus, and feelings.. are important ingredients of maintaining and appreciating a true friend.
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.