Are you going to New York?
Are you thinking of going to New York?
Go read this: http://www.themortonreport.com/home-away/travel/springtime-in-new-york/
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Rumi Speaks to Procrastinators
Lately, I have been craving Rumi, reading it voraciously. I got a new book yesterday "The Book of Love" (translated by Coleman Barks, of course) and I finally got to open it today.
It's always perfect when things arrive. In the last few days I have spoken to not one, not two, but three people who have worn their procrastination proudly. We have a section in "The Lazy Woman's Guide to Just About Everything" about Procrastination and definitely are proponents of using it as a tool, unless it causes more stress, which in many cases it will.
When I hear people bragging about procrastinating, it's always a bit of a funny thing, as they often betray themselves, and accidentally admit the pain it causes them. We all procrastinate at one point or another.
I just procrastinated on my taxes more than I ever have. I always get it all handled by the beginning of February. I just got my stuff together last night for my "Tax Lady." So, I have a very recent experience with it, which did, indeed, cause me a bit more stress by putting it off.
Monday through Friday, I get on a call that my friend, Mel Austin, invented, a "Power Call" where several of us say a few things that we want to accomplish that day in three or four areas of our life. Sometimes it's 11 p.m. and I have to pull all three things out of my ass! I have to say when I realized I haven't done even one of them and I've just gotten out of a hot bath and I'm ready to lay my weary body down to rest, I am pissed. But, then when I do it, I am even more proud of myself. I had it in me. We usually have it in us. We just don't request it. "Dear Me, do you think we could pull this one last big effort out of this day?" And, I respond, "Well yes, thanks for asking so politely!" LOL!
Well, Rumi says it so much more sweetly ... Here is one stanza of "The Polisher":
It's always perfect when things arrive. In the last few days I have spoken to not one, not two, but three people who have worn their procrastination proudly. We have a section in "The Lazy Woman's Guide to Just About Everything" about Procrastination and definitely are proponents of using it as a tool, unless it causes more stress, which in many cases it will.
When I hear people bragging about procrastinating, it's always a bit of a funny thing, as they often betray themselves, and accidentally admit the pain it causes them. We all procrastinate at one point or another.
I just procrastinated on my taxes more than I ever have. I always get it all handled by the beginning of February. I just got my stuff together last night for my "Tax Lady." So, I have a very recent experience with it, which did, indeed, cause me a bit more stress by putting it off.
Monday through Friday, I get on a call that my friend, Mel Austin, invented, a "Power Call" where several of us say a few things that we want to accomplish that day in three or four areas of our life. Sometimes it's 11 p.m. and I have to pull all three things out of my ass! I have to say when I realized I haven't done even one of them and I've just gotten out of a hot bath and I'm ready to lay my weary body down to rest, I am pissed. But, then when I do it, I am even more proud of myself. I had it in me. We usually have it in us. We just don't request it. "Dear Me, do you think we could pull this one last big effort out of this day?" And, I respond, "Well yes, thanks for asking so politely!" LOL!
Well, Rumi says it so much more sweetly ... Here is one stanza of "The Polisher":
I swear by the one who never says tomorrow,
as the circle of the moon refuses to sell
installments of light. It gives all it has.
So, there is the key: imagine you are the Moon, or the Sun...imagine that undying energy. We have so much more than we think. The Moon and Son simply don't question what they have. They just are. We can just be...our most powerful selves.
Friday, March 02, 2012
Leap Day Sheds Light on Death and Birth
How cool is it that I got an extra day between me and 50. But, the most precious gift I received on February 29th was the entry for that date in Mark Nepo's book:
The quote at the top of the page:
"Who's to say
the effort to be real
isn't the beginning of wings?"
And, then the entry begins with:
"Who's to say that the budding of wings from the ribs of small birds doesn't begin with the impulse within them to live?" The entire entry is gorgeous. But, I don't take it lightly that it was only a few hours after I read this entry that I heard a loud bang on the big picture window in the kitchen. I knew what it was immediately. It was a bird. I prayed and prayed and prayed as I hesitatingly made my way out to the garden. There he lay, in all his gorgeousness: dark black, white white, a gorgeous bit of gray and one brilliantly gorgeous orange tail. He was truly exquisite. He looked so soft and just so perfect. Somehow it was so hard to see. I immediately buried him, right near way he lay under a beautiful bush, just under my kitchen window, praying that his soul would guard against other birds crashing into the window. He is the guardian angel of birds now.
Between reading Nepo's entry and burying the sweet fallen one, I had to go into town to mail something and witnessed the sad tearing down of an equally exquisite specimen of nature...a lovely pepper tree. Apparently it was dead inside and could fall at any time so they needed to take it down before it hurt someone.
God's plan I suppose. Death. Life. Aging. Our time with each other is precious.
Every morning when I meditate and read Nepo's entry for the day I usually stop for a few minutes to listen to the birds who seem to herald the meditation with their song just outside my living room. Now, when I listen, I realize we have no idea how long we will sing, how long we will be sung to, or how long we will stand tall.
The February 29th entry ends with "In truth, every effort that is allowed its full beat within will ripple as a birth of some kind in the world."
That is reassurance I can accept. allowing as many moments as I possibly can to have their full beat, so as to be a birth of some kind.
Thank you, Oprah for turning me onto Mark Nepo.
Everyone: Buy this book. I promise you will be grateful:
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Awakening-Having-Being-Present/dp/product-description/1573245380
The quote at the top of the page:
"Who's to say
the effort to be real
isn't the beginning of wings?"
And, then the entry begins with:
"Who's to say that the budding of wings from the ribs of small birds doesn't begin with the impulse within them to live?" The entire entry is gorgeous. But, I don't take it lightly that it was only a few hours after I read this entry that I heard a loud bang on the big picture window in the kitchen. I knew what it was immediately. It was a bird. I prayed and prayed and prayed as I hesitatingly made my way out to the garden. There he lay, in all his gorgeousness: dark black, white white, a gorgeous bit of gray and one brilliantly gorgeous orange tail. He was truly exquisite. He looked so soft and just so perfect. Somehow it was so hard to see. I immediately buried him, right near way he lay under a beautiful bush, just under my kitchen window, praying that his soul would guard against other birds crashing into the window. He is the guardian angel of birds now.
Between reading Nepo's entry and burying the sweet fallen one, I had to go into town to mail something and witnessed the sad tearing down of an equally exquisite specimen of nature...a lovely pepper tree. Apparently it was dead inside and could fall at any time so they needed to take it down before it hurt someone.
God's plan I suppose. Death. Life. Aging. Our time with each other is precious.
Every morning when I meditate and read Nepo's entry for the day I usually stop for a few minutes to listen to the birds who seem to herald the meditation with their song just outside my living room. Now, when I listen, I realize we have no idea how long we will sing, how long we will be sung to, or how long we will stand tall.
The February 29th entry ends with "In truth, every effort that is allowed its full beat within will ripple as a birth of some kind in the world."
That is reassurance I can accept. allowing as many moments as I possibly can to have their full beat, so as to be a birth of some kind.
Thank you, Oprah for turning me onto Mark Nepo.
Everyone: Buy this book. I promise you will be grateful:
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Awakening-Having-Being-Present/dp/product-description/1573245380
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
