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(in)flexibility

“nothing is possible unless the door is open
a mind full of itself caught up in its own tentacles
living in memory
never hears the whispers from the depth
only in innocence are we vulnerable to reality
only in not-knowing does the light appear”

~ Billy Doyle, The Mirage of Separation

I remember as a teenager thinking, “I will be an adult soon. I’ll graduate from college, get married, and have all the answers I need to succeed in life.”

Okay, pretty silly and naive!

And, gratefully, Continue reading “(in)flexibility”

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Extend your life!

What are you present to right now?
What are you thinking about?
Are you really here reading these words?

This message is very short, inspired by Ram Dass, in his book, “Walking Each Other Home”:

We can extend life by living life fully moment by moment.

The band, Cloud Cult, in their song, “Time Machine Invention”, sing: Continue reading “Extend your life!”

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Patience…

Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the gardener who carefully choose seeds and planted them with extreme love and care, looking back on his work with healthy pride. A few weeks later, before the seeds had sprouted above the dirt, a fellow gardener informs him that the seeds were planted too close together. So, he dug them up and replanted. Many days pass and yet another, wise and trusted, gardener says, “No, those seeds must be planted very close together.” And the gardener dug up and replanted them – again.

How many of those seeds reached maturity by harvest time?

I read this story again recently and began to wonder how often I have taken great care to choose actions and discern what activities are mine to do (and not!). Then, I begin, Continue reading “Patience…”

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Soul Beauty

In its real sense, beauty is the illumination of your soul.
~ John O’Donohue

We live in a culture which places a very high value on external beauty using a standard developed by those in the world of Photoshop. Blemishes are removed through technology or the right make-up. Excess fat is removed through cool sculpting or surgery.

Yet, John O’Donohue’s words, however you define soul, ring true for me. Continue reading “Soul Beauty”

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Time is elongating…

What follows is a message which flowed into my journal recently. While choosing part-time work, I have a parallel full-time practice of learning to live the moments mindfully, coming to a new understanding of Life in all its complexity and beauty, routine and miraculous. I am practicing living and choosing from my heart space rather than the calendar and the to-do list. It is from this place, that the writing below emerged. It isn’t for everyone! But, especially if you find yourself new to retirement, or, like me, on a journey of presence to the moment, it may strike a resonance in you.

Time is elongating – what used to be an everyday happening is now less regular and less frequent – or perhaps it is my concept of “day” that is changing … it is less controlled as alarms rarely call me to action at a particular hour – nightfall encourages sleep when it’s ready.
Continue reading “Time is elongating…”