Mountain Lake

Let my life be like a Mountain Lake that's calm and still and clear. 

Let me notice, in this patient place, the music there to hear.

Raindrop Life

Let my life be like a Raindrop that just lives from Cloud to Earth. Let me cherish every moment from the instant of my birth.

Forest Life

Let my life be like a Forest, 

full of Life and Death and Truth. 

Let me wander through the wonder, 

Without asking to see proof.

Desert Life

Let my life be like the Desert. 

Let it change with every day. 

May see that, like the grains of sand, 

Each moment blows away.

Meadow Life

Let my life be like a meadow. Let me learn to be serene. May I come to find acceptance for the man I should have been.

Oak Tree Life

Let my life be like an Oak Tree that will stand the test of time. Let me find my inspiration in the branches that I climb.

Fire Life

Let my life be like a fire that will burn for all to see. Let it burn as a reminder of the way I can be free.

Ocean Life

Let my life be like an Ocean that is deep as it is wide, and may I come to know it's wisdom before I reach the other side.

Mountain Life

Let my life by like a mountain that I choose to climb each day, and let me take the time to notice all the gifts along the way.

River Life

Let my life be like a River that can flow without a dam for the eddies that distract me from the journey that I am.

My Song

Let my life be like a song that I can rewrite every day. 

 Let it change with every second, as I learn new things to say.

Familiar Air

I opened the Eastern door this morning and felt the warm humid Air brush across my face. I am struck by the familiarity of this warm Air, and wonder if the Air finds me familiar as well.

This Moment

A man who meant a great deal to me died last night. Another person who means a lot to me is in the process of dyeing. This got me thinking that death is close to me right now. Then I remembered that death is always close to me. I sit and watch Phoebe catch bugs in mid air. That is death for Bug. I see Robin eating Worm. That is death for Worm.

This is also the continuation of life for Phoebe and Robin. Life and death are continually interweaving, and each unfolds in it's own time. Death will come to me as well, just as life has. Today, I choose to take up the death of this dear man, and the impending death of this dear woman as reminders that all I have is this moment right here right now. What I choose to do with this moment can be a testament to the respect I have for these dear people and all they brought to my life.

Infinite Paths

As I sit outside, I watch Squirrel sprint along a horizontal Tree that I took down last fall. Then I watch Cardinal fly nearly vertically up to a branch of another Tree. All this gets me thinking about the many paths I can take. The different directions my creature cousins travel reminds me that the possibilities are infinite, as long as I don't let cultural invitations about what should be get in the way.

Farmer Wisdom

Old farmer wisdom has taught me that the risk of killing frost lasts up till the first full Moon in May. That will happen late this year, so I see these warm days as a real gift. Farmer wisdom can keep me from thinking things like, “It should be warmer by now, “ or “When is summer going to get here?” I remember that everything comes in it's time, and not mine. That way I can enjoy some weeding in the coolness, knowing the heat will arrive eventually.

Leaves Change

As I sit outside I notice a breeze that seems to be constant. It cools my face and barely moves the leaves on the Trees. Then I realize that this is the first time I have noticed the breeze moving the new Tree leaves. The new leaves wave gentle in this constant breeze. I realize that the branches are moving because of the leaves, and that they didn't all winter. These are the same leaves that will fall in Autumn. They will be growing and changing constantly between now and then, and they will continue to change after they reach the ground. I am reminded that I am constantly surrounded by change, and I am grateful that everything is always in a state of becoming.

Bird Music

I listen to the Birds singing and it sounds to me like the Woods breathing. The it occurs to me that I breath when I sing. I inhale air and exhale music. This realization connects me to Bird, and I am grateful to partner with him in making music.

Tree Path

I sit and watch the Trees leaves continue to unfurl. They are still quite small compared to the size they will eventually reach. As I watch, it occurs to me that each Tree and each leaf is on it's own path. Each unraveling and growing and living and dyeing on it's own path. It makes no sense to compare them to each other. This gets me thinking about how my culture invites me to compare myself to others. I am invited to consider what I have done in relation to what others shave done. I learn from the Trees that I am on my own path and that my leaves unfurl as they are supposed to, one moment at a time.

Nurturing Embers

The cool of the morning got me thinking about starting fires. There is one thing that anyone who has started a fire with any form of friction, like a bow drill for example, knows; You have to be patient. The spinning of the drill creates heat. The heat builds until and ember starts to form. You have to feed that ember slowly so as not to overwhelm it. Too much fuel too fast will put it out. Not enough fuel and the ember will burn itself out. You have to pay close attention to the ember, and nurture it as it grows. This is true for ideas or relationships or goals or doing anything. Patience, feeding it slowly, not rushing ahead; these are all good lessons for avoiding getting overwhelmed. But I like to remember that even if I snuff out the first ember, I can always drill up another one.

Cloudy Day

I see a cloudy day, and I wish it could be sunny. Then I wonder what I am missing in the importance of a cloudy day. Just because the purpose eludes me, does not mean there is no purpose.

Fiddle Head Time

There is a patch of Cinnamon Ferns across from where I sit in the morning. They are about one foot high now which indicates to me that most of the Ferns are past the fiddle head stage. I could lament what is past that I have missed, but I choose to take up the reminder that I want to spend more time in the woods. In this way I decline the invitation to waist energy attending to something I can not change.

Leaf Love

The leaves on the Trees are beginning to unfurl in their millions. Each is new and unique, and reminds me of the more than seven billion people on the planet. Each of us in unlike anyone who has ever been before and no one will be like us ever again. Because of it's placement and position, each leaf brings something unique to the Tree. This is true of us, as well. We all offer something unique and vital to the whole of humanity. My culture invites me to think that there are certain people who are more and less important to the whole. Tree reminds me that this couldn't be further from the truth.

Today's Worries

As I sit outside this morning I notice that yesterday's mist is gone, and the Earth is reminding me that everything is temporary. I am left wondering how much the struggles I face today are compounded by my worry that I might also face them tomorrow?

Mist View

The warming Earth met the cool night Air and created a misty morning. My culture invites me to think that the mist is blocking my ability to see clearly. But what if I were to look at the mist? This gets me thinking about how many times the things I think are in my way are actually possibilities I am missing. Today, I will be on the lookout for the mist and remembering that, rather than blocking my view, it might be what I was supposed to be looking at in the first place.

Greens

It's is early in Spring, and I am already overwhelmed by more greens than I can possibly eat. I am struck by the abundance of the Earth, and grateful for what I am given.

Chicken Eggs

As I fry up two Chicken eggs for my breakfast, I consider the lives that could have been, that will now be part of my life. I consider the choice I could make to not eat Chicken eggs. I also consider the alternative of continuing to eat them, while acknowledging the sacrifice and it's relationship to my sustenance. Sacrifice means to make sacred. By choosing to acknowledge what others give so I may live, I honor their life and their contribution to mine.

Paper Wasp

As I sat this morning Paper Wasp settled into the palm of my hand. I know that this is the time of year when Wasps that are flying around are females looking for places to start nests. She sat in my palm for a bit, then she cleaned her antenna with her front legs. She circled several times then flew up, landed on my solder, then flew off. I have heard stories about Snake and Alligator where Snake bites Alligator and they die together in the river because, “Snake will always be Snake.” It seems that Wasp is not always Wasp, or perhaps there is more to being Wasp than just stinging people. As Wasp flew around me, I was conscious of her, realizing that if she was on my hand when I reached up to rub my eye I might get stung, but that seemed to me like a reasonable response to a possibly threatening situation. As I contemplate Wasp being more than Wasp, I wonder about me being more then me. Today I will be aware of assumptions I make about myself and the possible limitations these assumptions create.

Air

When I get caught up in my thoughts, I forget to notice the Air that I breathe. “How did my thoughts become more important than the Air?” Then I remember that I can choose what I pay attention to. Now I am choosing the Air.

Presence Presents

I am struck by the fact that presents and presence are spelled differently since presence brings me so many presents. The value of each and every moment is compounded by my ability to be present in it. It is a simple gift that I give myself when I am willing to do the work to receive it.

Peeper Lesson

Peepers are tiny Tree Frogs that sing out loud and long from evening, all through the night and into the early morning. They sing to attract a mate, but potential mates aren't the only ones who hear their song. Owl hears it as well, and she is not looking for a mate. The peril the Peepers put themselves in does not dissuade them from singing their song, however. If Peeper only sang when it was safe, he would probably never sing at all. Peeper sings loud and strong and sometimes a mate comes and sometimes Owl comes, but Peeper sings anyway. I can learn a lot from Peeper.

Feeling?

What if instead of saying, “I feel safe,” I say, “I believe I'm safe,” and take up the challenge of asking myself why I believe this?