For a Five-Year-Old
Posted: February 26, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: Children, Fleur Adcock, Identity, Internet, life, parenting, Poetry, Seva, Spring, writing, yoga 1 Comment…
A snail is climbing up the window-sill
into your room, after a night of rain.
You call me in to see and I explain
that it would be unkind to leave it there:
it might crawl to the floor; we must take care
that no one squashes it. You understand,
and carry it outside, with careful hand,
to eat a daffodil.
I see, then, that a kind of faith prevails:
your gentleness is moulded still by words
from me, who have trapped mice and shot wild birds,
from me, who drowned your kittens, who betrayed
your closest relatives and who purveyed
the harshest kind of truth to many another,
But that is how things are: I am your mother,
And we are kind to snails.
Long : Shadow :
Posted: February 23, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Yoga | Tags: beauty, blogging, Body Image, courage, kindness, meditation, nature, Spring, winter, yoga, Zen 9 CommentsI paint the spirit and soul of what I see-
Do you recall drawing growing up? A pair of stick figures going for a pleasant bike ride, some puffy clouds and a brilliant sun overhead. Curved lines of a peaceful tree that punctuate the landscape, elevating from the ground, spreading into the unknown. Our childhood drawings were pure, innocent and beautiful. There is something truly magical about drawing and trees – They are, in fact, symbols of our soul.
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Trees at times, can be dark and ominous. They cast a long suffocating shadow when we stray close enough. During the winter months, their barren, bleak blackness marks them against gray skies and freshly fallen snow. Tress are survivors of winter, and we would be wise to learn from them.
Daily Meditation:
Trees are, after all, capable of heavenly feats, perhaps trees are more in tune with their true spirit than we are?
A Hint of Spring
Posted: May 15, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, family, free range, freshly pressed, friends, happiness, health, James Whitcomb Riley, life, love, lululemon, may, meditation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, passion, perspective, Poetry, simplicity, Spring, Zen 3 Comments…
‘Twas but a hint of Spring—for
still
The atmosphere was sharp and chill
Save where the genial sunshine smote
The shoulders of my overcoat,
And o’er the snow beneath my feet
Laid spectral fences down the street.
My shadow, even, seemed to be
Elate with some new buoyancy,
And bowed and bobbed in my advance
With trippingest extravagance,
And, when the birds chirpt out some-
where,
It seemed to wheel with me and stare.
Above I heard a rasping stir—
And on a roof the carpenter
Was perched, and prodding rusty
leaves
From out the choked and dripping
eaves—
And some one, hammering about,
Was taking all the windows out.
Old scraps of shingles fell before
The noisy mansion’s open door;
And wrangling children raked the yard,
And labored much, and laughed as
hard,
And fired the burning trash I smelt
And sniffed again—so good I felt!
Paper-White Narcissus
Posted: April 17, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, Boston Marathon, compassion, cycling, exercise, family, free range, freshly pressed, friends, gluten free, happiness, health, hope, kindness, life, Lisel Mueller, love, marathon, motivation, musings, Narcissus, natural, nature, Omaha, Paper-White Narcissus, passion, perspective, Poetry, Spring, writing, yoga, Zen Leave a comment…
Strange, how they got their name—
a boy, barely a man,
looked into sunlit water
and saw himself so beautiful
he spent his life pursuing
that treacherous reflection.
There is no greater loneliness.
Here they are, risen
from the darkness of the pebbled pool
we have made for them in a dish—
risen and broken through
the long, green capsules
to show us their faces:
they are so delicate they invite
protection or violation,
and they are blind.
The Gift of Freedom
Posted: April 9, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: April, blogging, compassion, cycling, Cyclocross, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, friendship, gluten free, happiness, health, hipster, hope, kindness, life, love, lululemon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, Omaha, passion, perspective, simplicity, Spring, Strava, Training, writing, yoga 7 CommentsThere is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature–
One vibrant morning in Omaha last summer. I joined a friend for bike ride and a “refueling” stop midway. We decided to try a little café in Countryside Village that is well-known for diverse, healthy fare and devilishly good treats. Both of us were trying to get our diets in order for the upcoming cyclocross season, so splitting a sandwich fit in perfectly with our plan(s).
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Moments after sitting down by the front window, a friendly waiter arrived to take our order. We asked for a club sandwich (which could feed four people) and two waters, one with a wedge of lemon. As our waiter was starting to walk away to place our order into the bustling kitchen, my friend threw in a side of homemade kettle chips. Needless to say – “things” just got real!
“Dude… You, of all people, know that I am not very good at saying “no.” Do you smell how delicious they are?Look at the young couple enjoying their order! Fresh kettle chips are simply irresistible I tell you! It’s torture! The humanity – Gah!!!!”
“I’ll have a few and toss the rest away …”
Finally I chime in …
“How about “no” kettle chips? Let’s say “no” to the order of chips now, so we don’t have to say “no” over and over when they arrive from the kitchen – begging to be savored and devoured!”
My friend finally relented and we kindly asked our waiter to cancel the order. Twenty miles down the road, my friend said he felt pretty good that he didn’t get the tasty, perfectly fried kettle chips. Who needs duck fat fried slices of potato heaven, when you can share good company and an awesome sandwich instead!?!
Daily Meditation:
This is when my Strava obsessed and quasi – superstitious friend discovered the strength and power of saying “No.” Did saying no to the kettle chips add watts and power to our hill training program? Who knows, and who cares. Although we did go back after finishing our century …
CultFit 