Tag: flow

CASCADE

WORDS LIKE LIGHT

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

         On these hot summer days, it would be good to occasionally step inside a soft, refreshing cascade of water . . . and fortunately, something like this is always happening. Right now, as I sit in the early morning at my computer, an easygoing waterfall of fresh thoughts is flowing through me, just as it will be five minutes from now, and all day tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Also, a peaceful stream of blood is rolling through me, as always, and showers of new feelings are spilling over, and quiet currents of breath are tenderly entering my lungs. This life I am part of is an unruffled outpouring of good gifts, though I am often unaware of this ever-present cascade. Will today be different? Will I purposely stay still and feel the streams of life carefully cooling and washing me?  

THAT WHICH FLOWS AND FLOWS

He loves his coffee and his wine,
but truly revels in the drinks
that have no end.  In several winks
the wine is gone, but the divine

rewards within a cup of Love
can never end. A glass of Trust
holds deep and endless harmony,
and Kindness, like the sky above,

cannot be kept within a cup
and keeps on spilling over while
he drinks and drinks. A smile
fills his face when he takes up

a mug of Gentleness, for he knows
there's always more and more
to have. He loves to freely pour
a cup of that which flows and flows.

Below, some scenes from our beach-walk this morning, with Delycia leading the way …

RELAX

WORDS LIKE LIGHT

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

         Relaxing should definitely be part of my daily routine, because it’s assuredly a large part of the Universe’s lifestyle. Winds and breezes are constantly loosening up among mountains and homes and seas around the world, and sunshine does nothing but take it easy as it spreads itself smoothly among us. Wherever dust is, it’s always resting, and, as I’m typing these words, the blood in my hands is lounging along in its reliable and laidback way. Life itself – except when I interfere with my worries and self-centered displeasure – is always lightening up as the moments pass effortlessly by. Is time ever tense as it moves along? Don’t days invariably flow along  in unruffled ways? Yes, I am sometimes anxious and edgy, but the Universe itself never is. The sun always rises in a leisurely way, thoughts inside me stream along with ease and mastery, and events materialize precisely as they must. Today, I can be brave and daring and do what needs to be done for the good of all, but I can do it with peace and composure. I can relax like light does as it unceasingly shines up the universe.  

Below, scenes from our walk on Napatree Beach (RI) this morning, with Delycia striding ahead in the distance …



RELAXING, ONE DAY
(Sharon Z., 82, Blessings, CT)

Strange, but she saw a rock relaxing 
one day, just sitting beside a fence 
as though it was smiling. Then she 
saw clouds calming down all across the
sky, sort of softening and resting
as they strayed here and there. Soon
she noticed the wind unwinding, like
it was sick of rushing and just wished
for some leisure time, and then,
surprisingly, a sparrow settled on 
a chair and composed itself, as if 
it was loosening up after its morning’s 
search for food. She stood still, in
wonder. The wind stroked her softly.

FOOL

WORDS LIKE LIGHT

Friday, April 1, 2022

            Today is April Fools Day, and it’s a good occasion for me to consider what a scheming trickster life can be. For instance, it pretends to be solid, like it’s filled with totally separate structures and shapes (called people, animals, things, etc.), when, in truth, it’s a formless, indivisible, ever-shifting blend of newly unfolding moments. Life also continually play-acts at being composed of the past, present, and future, when the truth is that only the endless, ever-shining present is truly real. And finally – perhaps the grandest of all tricks – life is always insisting that I am in charge of ‘my own life’, when, actually, there is only one life, of which I am a part, and this immeasurable, indivisible life knows precisely what to do to take care of itself.  All I have to do is go with the amazing, moment-by-moment flow. If evil needs to be conquered, like it always does, life will show me how to assist in the takeover, and if peace is spreading, like it always is, life will lead me to its warmth and luster. 

            Hey, life! No tricks for me today!  At age 80, I’m no fool, and I’m wise to your wiles!

… looking down at The Mystic River on our walk this morning …

WORDS THAT AWAKEN 

Monday , June 14, 2021

INFLUENCE

            I’ve always wanted to have a good influence on people and on the world, but I now realize that it’s inevitable – that everything is a good influence on everything. The word ‘influence’ derives from the Latin word meaning ‘flow’, and in this swirling life we all live, the flowing never stops. The moments glide together in always helpful ways, the days stream along with their sometimes concealed gracefulness, and each and every person and grass blade and bird song somehow pours their power into all the rest of us.  Flowing never stops. My thoughts slide together with thoughts in West Virginia and Japan, and my feelings surge with feelings from folks in Singapore, St. Ives, and down the street.  Influence never stops happening in all the best ways. The soft warmth of spring sunshine is a model of good behavior for me, and winds are good guides for me as they circulate in their supple ways. 

            Today, I hope to enjoy the freely flowing universe I am part of, to feel the ever-flowing influence of this powerful thing called life. 

And here’s a poem about the ‘folding’ aspect of influence … 

FOLDING
(about Braelynn J., 52, Blessings, CT, USA)
  

She loves folding her hands together 
in friendship,
because she sees the way winds 
fold together in thoughtful ways,
and the way sunlight likes 
the fellowship of shadows.
She says she cuddles with her thoughts
because their closeness 
helps her feel the affection
they have for each other,
and the friendliness of this moment 
and that moment, 
and the bond between mountains 
and dust on easygoing streets. 
She says she lives 
in the community called quietness
where moments mix and blend 
in the best of ways, 
and she just watches 
and wonders.