My Guru!

Is my swimmy headed 93 year old friend. Every dang time I am with her she is spewing out heart-full profundities. The most recent was: "love one another and work together." As she says this, it is clear that she has lived it and knows it to be true through and through.

sheer positivity

The delight in hanging out with my wifty headed elderly friend is that she sees the positive in EVERYTHING. And I do mean everything. Yesterday, it was a rainy, darkly clouded day and as we made our way outside she pointed to a place in the sky that was slightly less dark then the rest and said: "see, the sun is trying to come out over there!"
Yesterday she was very gently feeling the feathers on a barn owl wing and exclaimed: "that feels luxurious!"
I just love her.

Spiritual Flunkie!

Here in northern CA. there is EVERY variety of spirituality you could imagine and then some!
Most everyone is "on a path" of some sort or other and I find what I call a spiritual elitism prevails...people, consciously or not, vying to be more evolved, more spiritual, more enlightened...
sometimes I wish I lived in a place where people didn't wear their spirituality so overtly and were good, kind, compassionate, giving people just because...guess it's the Midwesterner in me.
So, with all this pressure and my clear lack of spiritual advancement, I decided that I am a spiritual flunkie...which is kind of a relief, really. That way I can cuss, think negative thoughts, devote myself to nothing all that important, eat gluten and chocolate and not feel guilty!

What If?

What if each being we encounter we consciously acknowledge the Holy in them?
Imagine that...

Dr. In the House!

My dad was an optometrist in downtown Kansas City for 55 years. As age and health got the better of him, he reluctantly went from full to part time working hours. It was a big adjustment and one he could never fully wrap around. Then he went to one day a week which was harder still. The man is like a working dog...much, much happier when he is doing his job. So, when he had to retire completely, he was not a happy camper. He just didn't know what to do with himself and to top things off his body was declining.
It has been hard for him to move around much so subsequently he stays home much of the time and either naps or watches tv. Soon, he and my mom will be moving to a retirement community. The day we went to see the facility the woman who was their marketing/pr person greeted my dad enthusiastically and reminded him that he had been her first eye doctor when she was still in high school!!!
Recently someone mentioned to my dad that he could set up shop in his new digs and adjust peoples glasses for them. He perked right up at the idea and is definitely hanging onto all his tools as he and mom sort through their belongings while deciding what to take to their new home. It was a strong reminder that no matter how old or infirmed, we all to need to feel like we can still contribute.

Mr Exuberance!

very hot day....swimming pool....large black lab named modi...tennis ball
Yer already rollin' with the story, right?
Modi was the happiest boy in the world that afternoon. He'd bring the ball to his person and turn right around and run a few feet before absolutely launching himself into the pool with a happy belly flop...then paddling off for his ball. i watched him do this for at least 20 rounds and each time he seemed as happy or happier than the time before! I could feel my heart grow lighter and lighter as I watched, thinking Modi was an excellent role model for being in the present moment.

Croakin' Comfort

While I appreciate all the virtues of midwestern suburbs, it can be challenging to find signs of Life in the ways I am accustomed to them here in northern Ca. So, it was a big relief when I returned and heard the coyotes singing in the middle of the night and woke up to the sound of a frog in my bathroom croakin' its morning croak...