I believe, without question, that today will be perfect for me. Certainly there may be disappointments and difficulties, even sadness, but in the midst of whatever is happening – the closing of a car door, the tapping of my fingers on the computer keyboard, footsteps passing by – there will always be, without fail, the boundless and flawless present moment. A moment may not seem perfect, but, as the saying goes, each moment ‘is what it is’ and can’t be anything else – so it needs to be accepted and studied and learned from. What is happening right here and now undoubtedly can’t be changed right here and now, so my best approach to whatever happens today is simple acceptance. Then, I would surely have the power of unlimited presence with me as I move toward seeing adverse situations slowly blossom into peace and commonplace perfection.
WORDS LIKE LIGHT
Saturday, October 30, 2021
HERE
Such a short, simple, and commonplace word – here– but so powerful in its suggestions for me. It implies the idea of ‘always and forever’, because here is always here, and will forever be here, precisely and continuously right where I am. It also suggest ‘only’, because here – wherever I happen to be – is the only reality. I can daydream about other places, but I’m always doing it here, at this exact place. All of this suggests the preeminence and prestige of wherever I am. If I’m sitting here, at my desk, as I am now, this ‘here’ has a greatness that can never be fully described or appreciated. Here, in this exact spot, be it at my desk or at the sink in the kitchen or on a trail with Delycia or sleeping in bed at 3:08 a.m., is glory and flawlessness. Here, in this particular place, there’s always thoroughness and satisfaction, if only I can notice it. Fulfillment will always be available to me today in the marvelous, heavenly here, which is anywhere I might happen to be.
IN GIVING
If you go to Giving, Oregon,
you’ll see sharing everywhere.
The air lets you have a hand in its good life
by freely giving you breath for your body,
and sunshine divides itself equally among everyone.
Any wind generously lets all
the trees participate in it equally,
and peacefulness finds a way
to divide itself up among flowers and vivid birds
and even noisy streets and sorrowful folks.
When you visit here, you will also see
fun measured out uniformly
among the young and the sick and the old.
Even stores seem pleasantly amused
as they share their goods in Giving.
Here’s our chalkboard poem for yesterday …
And here’s my sweetheart taking a photo during our walk yesterday morning on Napatree Point (RI) …
WORDS LIKE LIGHT
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
CONTROL
In my youth, I often heard phrases like ‘control yourself’ and ‘have a little self-control’, and it used to make perfect sense to me that I can control myself, as if ‘I’ am over here and my ‘self’ is over there, and all I have to do is preside over that ‘self’ and everything will be fine. Happily, though, I realize now that life is far more complex than that – and far more beautiful. Being able to control things implies that life is composed of countless separate ‘objects’, some of which are stronger than others and therefore able to exercise control over them. I spent probably 50 of my almost 80 years fully believing that, and therefore trying my best to hold sway over as many ‘objects’ as possible in the whirlwind of a power-struggling world. Gradually, though, I have come to see that there are actually no separate objects anywhere, and therefore there is no need for – and no possibility of – gaining control. All of life – the entire endless universe – is like an infinite wind, and I am simply, and luckily, a wonderful breeze in that wonderful wind. I can no more control anything than a breeze can control a wind, or a ripple can control an ocean. I can just be the perfect breeze, the flawless ripple, that I always am, and let the wind and the sea of life do its breathtaking work.
CONTROL
(Patricia F., 46, Blessings, CT)
She sometimes feels out of control,
but then she says to herself with kindness
that that's impossible,
because nothing's ever out of control,
not the sky in storms above Blessings,
since all storms
are spanking new and perfectly flawless,
and not the sea,
since it always sings an unblemished song,
even when it seems to be screaming,
because the screaming has a secret synchronization,
and not her life,
which blossoms, yes, in slapdash ways,
but the slapdash is always
under clandestine, quiet control.
Here’s a snapshot of a beautiful wildlife preserve called ‘The Great Swamp’, which we passed through on our lovely 12-mile bike ride this morning on the Amtrak Rail Trail in Kingston, RI….
I’ve always found excitement in ‘something new’ – a new book, a new shirt, a new movie to watch on television. For most of my life, I guess my days have been fairly boring, because ‘something new’ has always seemed far more exciting than what was happening at any particular present moment. Sometimes, though, it becomes clear to me that literally everything and every moment is ‘totally new’. Each moment is a flash of perfection, an unfolding of wonder and mystery that has never been seen before by anyone, and every so-called ‘thing’ – every chair, table, tree, coffee cup, and flower blossom – is a pristine, unused, and astonishing accomplishment by the universe. I am truly always face-to-face with freshness and innovation. The pen that’s beside me right now, sitting on a set of postage stamps beside some yellow post-it notes on a brown, well-lined desktop, is stunning in its newness, and will be just as stunning in every fresh moment in the future. In fact, each moment of each day is stunning and stunningly new. So who needs ‘something new’, when all the moments make amazing, never-before-seen miracles?
JULY 14TH
July 14th
will let you lean on it,
and will love you for it -
will love you with its easiest heat,
with its musically warm winds,
with its long lists of summer's blessings.
Have faith in July 14th,
because its sunny songs
will be steadfast friends
from morning until the singing of stars.
Hour after hour,
July 14th will follow you,
with affectionate, watchful eyes,
always ready to help
or hold you in its arms,
a day as devoted and thoughtful
as they come.
Here we are, as happy as two 80-year-olds can be, pausing yesterday on our marvelous bike ride on the O’Neill Bike Path in Kingston, RI …
EVERYDAY MIRACLES: An Occasional Journal of a Life Lived in Wonder 