“Cultivate beauty (aesthetic sense) for yourself and your loved ones. Beauty is not a matter of money and consumption. It resides in all things, primarily in the small details of life”
— Dominique Venner
The taste of your lips as we kiss
Our son’s smile
The laughter shared even in my own company
The discovery of a new book
The Moon’s reflection on the water at night
A walk through the woods.
Flower and the wind through my hair
Chasing rainbows to see where they end
A new adventure beckoning
Landing in bed at the end of the day
Most animals, pure in their intention.
These are what bring me joy
Nothing major
yet in a way they all are
with no price but my heart.
— G A Rosenberg
“Don’t be afraid. There are exquisite things in store for you. This is merely the beginning.”
—Oscar Wilde
Tomorrow is another Thanksgiving Day in the United States. I am ambivalent to say the least about the origins of the holiday yet for me it invokes memories of family and good food, closeness and feelings of gratitude. Tho my ideas of who I am grateful to and what I am grateful for have evolved throughout the years, there is much satisfaction in looking at the positives in my life and being appreciative.
In the west we tend to become fairly jaded. Most of us feel quite put-upon when the ratio of positive to negative in our lives shifts even slightly towards the negative. I feel pretty certain in saying that at least as far as life’s comforts go, that anyone who can read this definitely has a life that is weighted towards the positive. Perhaps a day is needed to remind us of that every now and then. For me it helps.
Blessings, G
“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke
My fears have given me so much that I will feel forever in their debt. Without my fear I would never know bravery or at least bravado. They have taught me to face them because avoidance of my fears stopped working. They have taught me transformation. When I was able to face my fears, some transformed into smoke and vanished while others transformed into teachers and dancing partners. They have shown me strength by exposing my weakness and love by standing in its way. They have removed my doubts because my doubts have always belonged to them. Most of all they have taught me gratitude in their passing because my fears have always given me so much.
Blessings, G
“Observe the wonders as they occur around you.
Don’t claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent.”
― Kahlil Gibran
The air still moves
without my words
The stars and moon
shine above me
with kittens playing
in the moonbeams
There are flowers
and people feeling
everything.
I might feel sorrow
or anger yet
before the thousand
wonders of any moment
my feelings
are silenced.
Would that I could hold the awe
and hold the moment
and hold my feelings
yet in the next moment
things will resume
until the next time
the moment catches me
unaware..
— G A Rosenberg
“Well, here we are…trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why.”
— Kurt Vonnegut
Here we are, trapped in this moment. Luckily we have the ability to entertain both ourselves and each other so its a nice time to share some thoughts. Today was Thanksgiving in the land of my birth so maybe I should say somethings I’m grateful for (besides the fact that I was not a native some 300+ years ago). I am thankful for friends, family and the intersection of both. I have been lucky to have an abundance of love in this spin of the wheel and it is something I try never to take for granted. I am thankful for a mind, hands and spirit all of which work reasonably well and for so many things to learn and do. I am thankful especially for the lessons in compassion and that I can feel so much of what is going on in the world and make things better when and how I can. I am thankful for teachers and for each of you reading these words. I am thankful for the growth that I have experienced in this past year and even the hard lessons and pain I have experienced. But enough gratitude for now. What are your dreams and hopes? In what way do you hope to move outside your comfort zone? What inner demons do you face and can I help you dance with them? Of late I seem to have no end of questions, we live in confusing times where many act strangely and expect everyone to follow along. We live in systematic cultures and the systems are running down as they find that their one size fits all solutions fit very few and that a culture based on scarcity and contrived monetary values will eventually fall apart. As the supposed scarcity increases, the greedy get greedier as people fear loss more than they fear not having in the first place and here I am on my soapbox again. Perhaps we can just enjoy the moment, this time together trapped in the nonmoving now but then aren’t we always?
Blessings, G
“Well, here we are…trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why.”
— Kurt Vonnegut
Here we are, trapped in this moment. Luckily we have the ability to entertain both ourselves and each other so its a nice time to share some thoughts. Today was Thanksgiving in the land of my birth so maybe I should say somethings I’m grateful for (besides the fact that I was not a native some 300+ years ago). I am thankful for friends, family and the intersection of both. I have been lucky to have an abundance of love in this spin of the wheel and it is something I try never to take for granted. I am thankful for a mind, hands and spirit all of which work reasonably well and for so many things to learn and do. I am thankful especially for the lessons in compassion and that I can feel so much of what is going on in the world and make things better when and how I can. I am thankful for teachers and for each of you reading these words. I am thankful for the growth that I have experienced in this past year and even the hard lessons and pain I have experienced. But enough gratitude for now. What are your dreams and hopes? In what way do you hope to move outside your comfort zone? What inner demons do you face and can I help you dance with them? Of late I seem to have no end of questions, we live in confusing times where many act strangely and expect everyone to follow along. We live in systematic cultures and the systems are running down as they find that their one size fits all solutions fit very few and that a culture based on scarcity and contrived monetary values will eventually fall apart. As the supposed scarcity increases, the greedy get greedier as people fear loss more than they fear not having in the first place and here I am on my soapbox again. Perhaps we can just enjoy the moment, this time together trapped in the nonmoving now but then aren’t we always?
Blessings, G
I don’t like people who have never fallen or stumbled. Their virtue is lifeless and it isn’t of much value. Life hasn’t revealed its beauty to them. ”
― Boris Pasternak
I’ve seen the gutter from within
Walked empty streets a night or two
Broke and deserted and somehow deserved it
Yet somehow I pulled through
The bag with my past is ragged and worn
My mistakes and screw-ups were many
I threw hearts to the fire, rode out on the wire
Spent the trust of others like pennies.
Yet somewhere in there, I found my heart
and a soul though tarnished was there
I learned that I could start again
recreating anew from thin air
I know some who read this may snicker and scoff
and roll their eyes and make fun
All the storms I’ve made it through
have helped me find the sun
I comprehend how hard the road
and can help others to tread it
I face my life with hope and thanks
Not a moment would I edit
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”
― John F. Kennedy
So often it seems we blog in a vacuum. I send out these words and pictures in the hopes that someone will enjoy them but especially at the beginning had no idea whether this was the case. Gradually the numbers of views climb and the numbers of subscribers and it becomes a rather heady feeling. People are looking at what I’m doing and they wish to see more of it. People start liking posts and leaving comments and that is very cool indeed. There have been few things as gratifying for me then the fact that something I have created has brought about interaction. The people who have commented on my blog have been thoughtful and appreciative and often caused me to think further about what I write about. Many of them have amazing blogs of their own that make me think and smile and generally blow my mind with the talent that they show. John Clinock at Art Rat Cafe (http://johnclinockart.com) is an amazing writer, artist (in many different media) and poet. To visit his blog is to walk in beauty and thoughtfulness. Dale Cooper (http://diaryofaninternetnobody.com/) writes amazingly thought provoking blogs and has amazingly creative and interesting videos. Agnes Khooschwenk (http://dawnofdivinerays.wordpress.com) is a one stop-shop of modern spirituality. Her coverage both in her own blog entries and her reblogging of others casts a wide and wonderful net. JK (http://thesecretkeeper.net) also has a far-ranging blog that consists of her own writing and art and media reviews of others. She brings amazing insight to the subjects she covers. Kalabalu (http://kalabalu.wordpress.com) has a fun and fascinating blog. Lori Buff of Future Relics Gallery (http://networkedblogs.com/TiBkl) is an amazing potter, humorous and talented writer and the friend who has known me the longest. Please check out her blog and her art.
Once started, it is difficult to stop giving shootouts to those who have encouraged and inspired so much in me. Not to mention those who’s blogs have given me hours of thought and diversion. For those not yet mentioned here, I will shortly be doing a sequel. You are appreciated beyond measure.
Blessings, G
“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity – then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective.”
— David Suzuki
If David Suzuki’s premise is true and our view of the world shapes our treatment of it, then how true is it about the way we see ourselves? If we see ourself as people whom the world treats badly and who never gets what they want then what motivation do we have to work on ourselves. However, if we see ourselves as a work in progress and believe that success is possible through growth and perseverance and that abundance is present and unrealized then maybe, just maybe we can find something either beautiful or joyful in each day to appreciate.
After listening to a friend of mine tell me each day for several weeks about how rough her life was and being largely negative in her view, I asked her to do me a favour. I asked her if each day she would consciously find one beautiful moment or image that passed her way and tell me about it. She reluctantly did this and after about a week it seemed to have a profound difference on her outlook in general.
It may not effect everyone’s outlook in a dramatic way yet I have found for myself as well that once I make the space for beauty or joy or perhaps its just for appreciation, something wonderful comes along to fill it.
Blessings, G
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
–Albert Schweitzer
I have many reservations about the Thanksgiving holiday. Oh I believe gratitude to be a necessary part of life. If we can’t appreciate what we have then whatever comes our way will be something we won’t appreciate. Part of my hesitation is that we have a special day put aside as if to say “Let’s get all this gratitude stuff over with so we can get on with things.” What’s more many of us do it in the company of those with whom we have the greatest degree of awkwardness.
I also am not comfortable with the alterations of history. Happy natives serving the settlers their holiday dinner. Ever notice not many First Nations people celebrate this holiday.
I do love both the intention and action of gratitude tho. I have been given a lot of wonderful things in my life. I have wonderful people to share it with and a pretty great family. I love what I do and I have enough challenges to keep it interesting. I have been given talent and ways of using those talents and people who appreciate them. I have love and time for love and a burning curiosity to see what happens next. For all of this I am grateful.
What are you most thankful for in your life?
Blessings, G