Pema Chödrön, my new spiritual teacher

“There is a story of a woman running away from tigers. She runs and runs and the tigers are getting closer and closer. When she comes to the edge of a cliff, she sees some vines there, so she climbs down and holds on to the vines. Looking down, she sees that there are tigers below her as well. She then notices that a mouse is gnawing away at the vine to which she is clinging. She also sees a beautiful little bunch of strawberries close to her, growing out of a clump of grass. She looks up and she looks down. She looks at the mouse. Then she just takes a strawberry, puts it in her mouth, and enjoys it thoroughly. Tigers above, tigers below. This is actually the predicament that we are always in, in terms of our birth and death. Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life; it might be the only strawberry we’ll ever eat. We could get depressed about it, or we could finally appreciate it and delight in the preciousness of every single moment of our life.” ― Pema Chödrön

The connection is real with someone new

This wild rose blooms elsewhere

Some things don't change even when you wish real hard. 

The forsaken

I think of you when I hear this in my car, you who is so far away. And so this is to you.

Something I saw today that was kinda cool... When you replace "i" with "we", then illness becomes wellness.

Images come back flashing like a broken light

And everything has gotten a little blurred

Grateful

Every now and then, I write a gratitude list. It reminds me of what is important to me in my life. I don't know that they are in any specific order, just written as the ideas come to me.

I'm grateful for my:

• Children, who provide unconditional love, joy, laughter, truth, humor, pride and a reason for me to work at being my best self
• Good health
• Children's good health
• Extended family who taught me values, to be generous and kind
• Friends who provide a sense of community that says I'm not completely alone in this single life
• Sweet kitty who is very loving, a great cuddle partner and sometimes needy
• Bright spirit of air and light, a realist who is ALSO optimistic who loves large and feels deeply 
• Job, providing the sustenance I need to live a comfortable life and giving me opportunity to grow and learn
• Creative spirit, the never ending sense of, and urge to, share something beautiful or compelling that can help shape or change the world, if even ever so slightly
• Home. It meets my needs, is safe and cozy and comfortable
• Car, comfortable and safe, letting me travel and enjoy the scenery
• Love of music and film
• Foodie self, with a deep love of culinary delights and the many flavors this world provides 
• Sense of humor
• Love of words
• Hunger for fairness and truth
• Ability to know when I am being wronged but still taking the high road to be kind, understanding and forgiving

That's all I got for now

Namaste

I love to do my yoga to this music -- so peaceful and contemplative

wishing for you, all the lights to change from red to green






Climbing on the stair
I turn around to see you smiling there
In front of me

She's imagination through the light projected

Finding a piece of Paris

in this life that we live, we only make do