M

Reading Patti Smith's M Train.
It's astonishing.

icy morning

Checked messages, nothing, I guess work is on.  I skidded carefully around the car. Scraped the ice off all the windows as I blasted the defroster. Rain turned to ice on every surface. I set out for work. Tapped the brake as I approached a busy street and the car slid to the right. I steered over and drove up onto someone's lawn. Almost went home then, but persevered. Made it to work. Found a message from my boss: don't come to work, stay home, roads are treacherous. 

Snow in March

It snowed. I shoveled.
The sun came out. It melted.
Daffodils budding.

Robust

The new business buzzword. I hear it all the time from managers. It's power and profit. Robust. It's a desirable state. A way of being. A good way. All my life I've tried to be less robust, and now it's a good thing.

Tr*mp

He Who We Shall Not Look Upon ~ because we are So Tired of seeing that straw-topped orangeosity

roomful of people

at a planning meeting. Raffle at the end: 2 prizes: 2 T-shirts. One rainbow tie-dyed, The Bernie! The other was camo: The Fascist Republican Candidate.

The trivia question, raise your hand- ready, set, go! Name three internationally-famous bicyclists who will be coming to our fundraiser.

Roomful of people. One person raised his hand. Just one. He looked around at the rest of us as he quickly rattled off three names. You win! He chose the Bernie. They gave him both. 

found it!

Lost and found.

Here it is! From an excellent article in Sedona Journal, author Robert Shapiro. I took the photo on top of Bradbury Mountain.

forgetting

so if you forget what you went to the kitchen to fetch, or 


forget your cousin's name; it's all good. You're just doing a 



bit of dimension-hopping right now.

Forget your past, clear the way for new information. 

Forget your stories of woe and approach everyone and 



every situation with equanimity, 

hope, love, and joy.

Celebrate forgetting!

( I feel like I wrote this post a few days ago. Can't find it. Did 


I write it and forget to hit "publish?")

men at the bar

After the car appointment, and before the board meeting, I went for some Thai food. The hostess seated me near the bathrooms, near two men sitting at the bar. I read my Buddhist magazine, but soon started to eavesdrop.

One man told the other the details of his day: important business deals he was considering, difficulties with his job, and how he'd just come from the courthouse. He talked about his family and personal challenges. He talked about his brother's medical, behavioral, and psychological problems; and medications the brother had taken. The man told how he'd just come from the courthouse, how he had to take out a restraining order on his brother.

I tried to focus on the magazine article, but the man spoke in a loud voice and the stories were compelling. I couldn't see the two men, but I had the impression that they'd just met. I noticed the other man didn't speak at all. Perhaps he was nodding.

Suddenly the speaking man lurched out of the restaurant. 

the garage

While the oil drained from my car, the mechanic worked on another car. Then he took that other car for a test drive, leaving me in charge. I was alone in the garage; in charge of the cash register, phone, cars, and walk-ins. I was thrilled.

No one walked in, the phone didn't ring, I didn't fix any cars, and he was back in 10 minutes.

But for that 10 minutes, I was in charge of the garage. It was sweet. 

Reiki, yoga, meditation

Meditation is a yogic practice. Meditation helps one become more mindful of thoughts, feelings, knowing, and sensations. Being more mindful helps one become aware of the gentle shifts associated with Reiki practice. Reiki is a philosophy and a spiritual path. Yoga is a philosophy and a spiritual path. Meditation is a yogic practice. 

Lend a hand to those who need it

"Get a job," the woman shouted to the homeless person. "Get to work! My taxes are paying for you."

Really? Please explain to me how my taxes help a homeless person. I'd be glad if they did.

I understand that some people who are homeless have problems that make it difficult to get and keep a job. I understand that some are lost, and may be able to change, but need a hand for a while. I understand that most of my taxes go to support health care and the military, not helping homeless people to make healthy changes. I understand that most health care dollars are spent on extremely expensive care that supports a relatively small proportion of people at the very end of life.

I'm willing to use my tax dollars to help people who need help. I'd ask the very wealthy to do the same. Perhaps we could share the wealth. Perhaps we could cut back on some of the very expensive machinery used in war and health care. I'd like my tax dollars to support people, a healthy Earth, and education.