251

 Rami Shapiro

“Job understood the light and the dark of reality, the fact that one cannot exist without the other and that you and I cannot live without encountering both. Through all of this, Job maintains what his wife calls his ‘integrity’. In other words, as sad as he is over the death of his children and the loss of his wealth and vitality, he is not moved to blame God, fate, himself, or anyone else. Reality is reality, it does what it does; all we can do is move on.”

246

"But often, in the world's most crowded streets, 

But often, in the din of strife, 

There rises an unspeakable desire 

After the knowledge of our buried life; 

A thirst to spend our fire and restless force 

In tracking out our true, original course; 

A longing to inquire 

Into the mystery of this heart which beats 

So wild, so deep in us—to know 

Whence our lives come and where they go."

From The Buried Life by Matthew Arnold

184

 “Yoga is not an ancient myth buried in oblivion. It is the most valuable inheritance of the present. It is the essential need of today and the culture of tomorrow.”

~Swami Satyananda Saraswati~

163

Li Po 

“The birds have vanished 

into the sky and 

the last cloud drains away. 

We sit together, 

the mountain and me. 

Until, only the mountain remains.”

Eighty

Digital Detox 72 Hours

"A digital detox refers to a period of time when a person refrains from using tech devices such as smartphones, televisions, computers, tablets, and social media sites. “Detoxing” from digital devices is often seen as a way to focus on real-life social interactions without distractions. By forgoing digital devices, at least temporarily, people can let go of the stress that stems from constant connectivity."
~ Kendra Cherry ~

“We live today not in the digital, not in the physical, but in the kind of minestrone that our mind makes of the two.”
~Paola Antonelli~

“Technology can be used as a force for good, but I’m not sure that we’re using it correctly at the moment.”
~ Rich Pierson ~

Troglodyte
trog·lo·dyte
noun
(especially in prehistoric times) a person who lived in a cave.
a hermit.
a person who is regarded as being deliberately ignorant or old-fashioned.

Seventy-nine

“When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens — much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside. Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people, does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.”

~ General James Mattis ~

Seventy-eight

"The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving. Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America – or how it becomes a better place."

~George W. Bush~

Seventy-seven

The kind of leadership that we need...

"Yes, we should be fighting to make sure that we have a president, a Congress, a US Justice Department, and a federal judiciary that actually recognize the ongoing, corrosive role that racism plays in our society and want to do something about it. But the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels. The bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn't between protest and politics. We have to do both. We have to mobilize to raise awareness, and we have to organize and cast our ballots to make sure that we elect candidates who will act on reform. It falls on all of us, regardless of our race or station -- including the majority of men and women in law enforcement who take pride in doing their tough job the right way, every day -- to work together to create a 'new normal' in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts."

President Barack Obama

Seventy-six

“Like so many of you, I’m pained by these recent tragedies. And I’m exhausted by a heartbreak that never seems to stop. Right now it’s George, Breonna, and Ahmaud. Before that it was Eric, Sandra, and Michael. It just goes on, and on, and on. Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can’t just be on people of color to deal with it. It’s up to all of us—Black, white, everyone—no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out. It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own. It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets. I pray we all have the strength for that journey, just as I pray for the souls and the families of those who were taken from us.”
 ~ Michelle Obama ~

Seventy-five

Martin Luther King Jr.
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

Seventy-four

Burn it down...

“Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it.“
~Malcolm X~

Seventy-three

“which will lead to even more of them despairing at the future and what with the planet about to go to shit with the United Kingdom soon to be disunited from Europe which itself is hurtling down the reactionary road and making fascism fashionable again and it’s so crazy that the disgusting perma-tanned billionaire has set a new intellectual and moral low by being president of America and basically it all means that the older generation has RUINED EVERYTHING and her generation is doooooomed”

From Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

Seventy-two

“It is impossible to express the experiences you have below the surface with words, when water gently caresses your face and body, the pulse decreases and your brain relaxes. You are immediately cut off from the stress and hustle of everyday life when you are below the surface – there are no noisy telephones or SMS messages, no inboxes full of mail, no electrical bills, or other trivialities of everyday life taking up time and energy. There is nothing connecting you to the surface but the same withheld breath that connects you to life. There is only you and a growing pressure on your chest that feels like a loving hug and the vibrations from the deep quiet tone of the sea. It is quite possible that this deep quiet tone is none other than the mantra Om, the sound of the universe, trickling life into every cell of your body.”
~ Stig Åvall Severinsen ~

Seventy-one

Today in America, after only four months from our first case, we exceeded 100,000 deaths.

~Aeschylus~
“And even in our sleep,
pain which cannot forget 
falls drop by drop upon the heart,
until in our own despair, 
against our will,
 comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”

Seventy

“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”
Michel de Montaigne

Sixty-nine

Again...

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more.”
Lord Byron

Sixty-eight

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. ”
~ Anatole France ~

Sixty-seven

“In Buddhism, we express our willingness to be realistic through the practice of meditation. Meditation is not a matter of trying to achieve ecstasy, spiritual bliss or tranquility, nor is it attempting to become a better person. It is simply the creation of a space in which we are able to expose and undo our neurotic games, our self-deceptions, our hidden fears and hopes. We provide space through the simple discipline of doing nothing. Actually, doing nothing is very difficult. At first, we must begin by approximating doing nothing, and gradually our practice will develop. So meditation is a way of churning out the neuroses of mind and using them as part of our practice. Like manure, we do not throw our neuroses away, but we spread them on our garden; they become part of our richness.”

From The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation
By Chogyam Trungpa

Sixty-six

when you add grief to misery...

“So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.” 

~ E.A. Bucchianeri ~

“You will lose someone you can’t live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.” 

~ Anne Lamott ~

“we are imperfect mortal beings, aware of that mortality even as we push it away, failed by our very complication, so wired that when we mourn our losses we also mourn, for better or for worse, ourselves. as we were. as we are no longer. as we will one day not be at all.” 

~ Joan Didion ~

“It is useless for me to describe to you how terrible I felt in the time that followed. If you have ever lost someone very important to you, then you already know how it feels, and if you haven't, you cannot possibly imagine it.”

~ Daniel Handler ~

Sixty-five

For the love of fermentation...

"God made yeast, as well as dough, and loves fermentation just as dearly as he loves vegetation."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

“To ferment your own food is to lodge a small but eloquent protest - on behalf of the senses and the microbes - against the homogenization of flavors and food experiences now rolling like a great, undifferentiated lawn across the globe. It is also a declaration of independence from an economy that would much prefer we remain passive consumers of its standardized commodities, rather than creators of idiosyncratic products expressive of ourselves and of the places where we live, because your pale ale or sourdough bread or kimchi is going to taste nothing like mine or anyone else's.”

~ Michael Pollan ~

“Resistence takes place on many planes. Occasionally it can be dramatic and public, but most of the decisions we are faced with are mundane and private. What to eat is a choice that we make several times a day, if we are lucky. The cumulative choices we make about food have profound implications. Food offers us many opportunities to resist the culture of mass marketing and commodification. Though consumer action can take many creative and powerful forms, we do not have to be reduced to the role of consumers selecting from seductive convenience items. We can merge appetite with activism and choose to involve ourselves in food as cocreators.”

From Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods by Sandor Ellix Katz

Sixty-four

“Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact.”

~George Eliot~

Sixty-three

Happy

Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
Living in the Moment by Jason Mraz
The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti
Higher Love by Whitney Houston & Kygo
Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawio'ole
Happy by Pharrell Williams
Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
What a Wonderful World by Louie Armstrong
Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFarin
Across the Universe by The Beatles
Give Love by MC Yogi

Sixty-two

Eight Limbs of Yoga

1. Yama = Social Restraints

• Ahisma = Do No Harm
• Satya = Tell The Truth
• Asteya = Do Not Steal
• Brahmacharya = Use Sexual Energy Wisely 
• Aparigraha = Have No Possessions

2. Niyama = Self-Restraints

• Saucha = Purity of Mind, Body, and Speech
• Santosha = Be Content
• Tapas = Be Self-Disciplined
• Svadhyana = Study Self
• Ishvarapranidhana = Study God

3. Asana = Practice of Body Postures

4. Pranayama = Practice of Breath Control

5. Pratyahara = Withdrawal from sensory experiences - release addictions and distractions

6. Dharana = Concentrate on Inner States: Mantra, Breath, Bandha, Mudra

7. Dhyana = Meditation

8. Samadhi = Enlightenment

Sixty-one

“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”
The Bhagavad Gita

Sixty

“Most people think that meditation just involves allowing the mind to rest in a non-conceptual state. But if we simply strive to let the mind relax without having applied methods to transform our habitual patterns, we won’t see much change. If we push the ‘pause’ button on a tape recorder, the sound will stop; when we release the button, the tape will continue to play the same tune. Just because we pause and take a break from our mental habits during resting meditation, this doesn’t mean that we have a erased the tape of habitual mind. To actually do so and record a new one,We don’t force a non-conceptual state but instead engage in effortful meditation - repeatedly bringing the mind back to a spiritual topic or point of concentration, no matter how often we become distracted.

The method of effortful meditation that we use in the Bodhisattva Peace Trainings is contemplation. We repeatedly contemplate the teachings, imprinting them on the tape of the mind. Then when we press the pause button, relax, and release it, what we hear will be different than before. Contemplation has the power to change the mind’s patterns, replacing our negative habits with virtuous thoughts.”

From The Bodhisattva Peace Training of Chagdud Tulku

Fifty-nine

The Greater Good

Paraphrased from an article by Marcie Bianco

What is the difference between liberty and freedom in the eyes of many Americans?

Absolutely nothing.

And therein lies not only the problem driving the culture war around coronavirus shelter-in-place orders but also arguably the crux of all fronts of America's culture wars; from guns to religion to speech to now, it seems, haircuts.

"Give me liberty or give me death!" so goes the universal whine, lifted from Patrick Henry's Virginia Convention speech in 1775. Leaving aside the obvious reply, there is an irony in the protesters' call for liberty that inspires me to reach for another popular quote from American culture: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Because, my fellow Americans, liberty does not mean what you think it means.

Liberty is a type of freedom defined and limited by civil society. It is not an unrestrained, unchecked license to do whatever one desires. Rather, liberty is a right constituted by the nation one lives in.

This is perhaps why the Declaration of Independence does not once mention the word "freedom" but instead champions the "inalienable rights" of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".  And the preamble of the Constitution mentions "liberty" only in the context of forming a more perfect union.

And yet, as the quarantine protests make clear a popular, yet factually and legally inaccurate sentiment, has infected the minds of many Americans. To paraphrase, it goes something like this: "This is America and I am free to do whatever I want!"

But, actually, no. You can't. Americans must abide by laws, regulations, and codes that range from their towns' garbage collection rules to the federal law declaring that 18 is the legal voting age.

The general and patriotic spirit is that collectively, as Americans, we will follow these laws to promote and ensure the general welfare of all of the people of the United States.

Without a doubt the tension between liberty and freedom resides at the very foundation of this nation. It is a tension that has widened into an incredible and increasingly partisan chasm between "the good of the people" and "the good of the person."

But, instead of indiscriminately crying freedom or liberty to defend one's assumed rights what might happen if we were to understand liberty as a freedom that holds us accountable for the welfare of the nation and all of its people?

Might we then be able to form a more perfect union?

Fifty-eight

“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
~Antonio Gramsci~

Fifty-seven

“The way that Bhakti Yoga works... you just love until you and the beloved become one.”
~Ram Dass~

Fifty-six

“Perhaps in the back of our minds we already understand, without all the science I've discussed, that something terribly wrong is happening. Our sustenance now comes from misery. We know that if someone offers to show us a film on how our meat is produced, it will be a horror film. We perhaps know more than we care to admit, keeping it down in the dark places of our memory-- disavowed. When we eat factory-farmed meat we live, literally, on tortured flesh. Increasingly, that tortured flesh is becoming our own.”
~Jonathan Safran Foer~

“As far as food is concerned, the great extravagance is not caviar or truffles, but beef, pork and poultry. Some 38 percent of the world's grain crop is now fed to animals, as well as large quantities of soybeans. There are three times as many domestic animals on this planet as there are human beings. The combined weight of the world's 1.28 billion cattle alone exceeds that of the human population. While we look darkly at the number of babies being born in poorer parts of the world, we ignore the over-population of farm animals, to which we ourselves contribute... that, however, is only part of the damage done by the animals we deliberately breed. The energy intensive factory farming methods of the industrialised nations are responsible for the consumption of huge amounts of fossil fuels. Chemical fertilizers, used to grow the feed crops for cattle in feedlots and pigs and chickens kept indoors in sheds, produce nitrous oxide, another greenhouse gas. Then there is the loss of forests. Everywhere, forest-dwellers, both human and non-human, can be pushed out. Since 1960, 25 percent of the forests of Central America have been cleared for cattle. Once cleared, the poor soils will support grazing for a few years; then the graziers must move on. Shrub takes over the abandoned pasture, but the forest does not return. When the forests are cleared so the cattle can graze, billions of tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere. Finally, the world's cattle are thought to produce about 20 percent of the methane released into the atmosphere, and methane traps twenty-five times as much heat from the sun as carbon dioxide. Factory farm manure also produces methane because, unlike manured dropped naturally in the fields, it does not decompose in the presence of oxygen. All of this amounts to a compelling reason for a plant based diet.”
~Peter Singer~

Fifty-five

“I lied and said I was busy.
I was busy;
but not in a way most people understand.

I was busy taking deeper breaths.
I was busy silencing irrational thoughts.
I was busy calming a racing heart.
I was busy telling myself I am okay.

Sometimes, this is my busy -
and I will not apologize for it.”

~Brittin Oakman~

Fifty-four

“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”

~ bell hooks ~

Fifty-three

For The Love of Music

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”
~Maya Angelou~

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”
~Aldous Huxley~

Fifty-two

Why Run?

“I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.”
Dean Karnazes

“The pain of running relieves the pain of living.”
Jacqueline Simon Gunn

Fifty-one

“One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands out and throws one's head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one's heart stands still at the strange unchanging majesty of the rising of the sun--which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so. And one knows it sometimes when one stands by oneself in a wood at sunset and the mysterious deep gold stillness slanting through and under the branches seems to be saying slowly again and again something one cannot quite hear, however much one tries. Then sometimes the immense quiet of the dark blue at night with the millions of stars waiting and watching makes one sure; and sometimes a sound of far-off music makes it true; and sometimes a look in someone's eyes.”

From The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Fifty

"Only the wounded understand the agonies of the wounded."

~Mirabai~

Forty-nine

“Don’t leave your room, don’t commit that fateful mistake. Why risk the sun? Just settle back at home and smoke. Outside’s absurd, especially that whoop of joy, you’ve made it to the lavatory--now head back straight away!

Don’t leave your room, don’t go and hail a taxi, spend, the only space that matters is the corridor, its end a ticking meter. She comes by, all ready for caressing, mouth open? Kick her straight out, don’t even start undressing.

Don’t leave your room, just say you have the influenza. A wall and table are the most fascinating agenda. Why leave this place? Tonight you will come home from town exactly as you were, only more beaten down.

Don’t leave your room. Go dance the bossa nova, shoes without socks, your body bare and coat tossed over. The hallway holds its smells of ski wax and boiled cabbage, writing even one letter more is excess baggage.

Don’t leave your room. Do you still look handsome? Just ask the room… Incognito ergo sum, as petulant Substance once remarked to Form. It’s not exactly France outside.

Don’t leave your room! Don’t be an idiot! You’re not the others, you’re an exclusion! Choreograph the furniture, essay wall-paper fusion. Make that wardrobe a barricade. The fates require us to keep out Cosmos, Chronos, Eros, Race and Virus!”

Written 1970 By Joseph Brodsky

Forty-eight

ernestly, you attempted to unfeel the pains that ran too deep to ignore medicating your emotions that were too intense to release crying out in the night gripping desperately to the day shaking pushing consciousness away looking for a new reality while re-living the past striving for a future that brought forth hope happiness and stumbling down to the bottom again life ending before knowing the bliss before finding the release always wanting to be more than you were something better than you were than the you that your mind created laughing through the tears dancing through the anger trying to recreate a life already lived and yet unknown and unfound hidden never to be seen by your bright beautiful eyes because You Closed Your Own Eyes And Forgot To Say Good-Bye.
happy birthday

Forty-seven

“If you feel ‘burnout’ setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself.”
~Dalai Lama~

Forty-six

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
~Frank Herbert~

Forty-five

“All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.”
~Helen Keller~

Forty-Four

Morning Routing

Every Day

Balance

1. 45 Min Cardio = XTFMAX 90 Day DVD Workout Program
2. 60 Min Yoga = A & B Series Ashtanga + Warriors + Triangles + Balance
3. 10 Min Pranayama = Alternate Nostril Breathing 
4. 30 Min Meditation = Zen or Breath
5. 30 Min Contemplative Meditation
1. St Francis Prayer - Lord Make Me an Instrument
2. The Way of Life According to Lao Tzu by Witter Bynner
3. Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life by Wayne Dyer
4. Universe Prayer - Day Seven Post
5. When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
6. Forgiveness Prayer - Day Fourteen Post
7. The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
8. Pull Daily Affirmation Card - Handmade Gift from Gina & Susan
6. Daily Blog Post
7. 30 Day 5 minute Plank Challenge: Day 1 is 10 seconds.  Increase in 10 second increments every day for 30 days.  No Rest Days.  Day 30 will be 5 minutes!

Forty-three

ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
I bow to Shiva!
I bow to my Inner Self!
O salutations to the auspicious one!
Adoration to Lord Shiva!
Universal consciousness is one!

ॐ = OM = Sacred sound of the God (Universe)
नमः = Namah = Praise or Honor
शिवाय = Shiva = Supreme Being = God = Lord of Yoga = The Divine Within Me

Forty-two

"If you think you’re doing too much, you’re probably doing the right amount."

~Anthony Fauci~

Forty-one

"We also hear the world.  These are uncertain times. So many structures and certainties are breaking apart.  At any time a tsunami, hurricane, or earthquake can devastate, or the financial institutions of an entire country can collapse.  Change is happening at such an immense pace, it's hard to have any idea of where we are headed.  Our experience of time and distance is ever-shrinking as the internet moves us into warp speed.  Every day a flood of information makes "out there" more obviously "right here." As the consequences of actions rebound ever more quickly, it's as if there is not distance between thought and what it materializes.  Everything is immediate.  We live in increasingly virtual realities, and at the same time are confronted with the likelihood of no sustainable Earth for further generations.  For many species, it is already too late.
Life has always been intensely challenging on planet Earth, but it's hard to imagine another time when the stakes are so high.  We may feel anguished by what's happening, but what's happening is happening.  None of this is outside the Dharma.  The intensity of our times is pushing, squeezing, and pummeling us.  The image that comes to mind is of a birth canal.  It is as if we are being born into a different way of understanding everything."

From Listening to the Heart (2014)
by Kittisaro and Thanissara

Forty

“Closer than breath, you are the air
Sweeter than life itself, you are here
I am a wanderer, you are my peace
I am a prisoner, you are release
Jai Gurudev...
I am a pilgrim, your road so long
I am the singer, you are the song
Held in the open sky, so far above
I am the lover, you are the love
Jai Gurudev...
I follow your footsteps through the flame
All that I ever need is in your name
Carry your heart in mine, vast as space
All that I am today is by your grace.
By your Grace... I live by your grace.”

 ~Krishna Das~

Thirty-nine

10 Years ago today I married my best friend.

“Welcome to all of those who hear these words… Welcome. For if you are here,… you know that today is a day that brings together, two bodies of one soul. If you are here, you are here because of the bond of love, the gossamer thread that is held for you by Our bride, Tanya and our Groom, Jason. Today, here, near the ancient glacial waters. Do we witness, once again, natures return to balance… through the union of Jason and Tanya. I asked Tanya and Jason to bring to words what they believe their marriage will bring forth to the world... I humbly give you their response... “That answer is LOVE. We are giving the gift of LOVE to each other and to the world... The LOVE that we have for one another has changed us, and the way that we view the world, and the way that we act within the world... Everything we do now is done with, LOVE. “ And with that love, our bride and groom have come to understand that Marriage is the ultimate choice of truly making a commitment to another being... Not many of the people walking on this planet even comprehend the level of commitment I speak of... To truly commit yourself to one person, so completely, as to never leak energy to another person that is not your spouse... To always keep your mind clear, and your direction in focus, of a single unified path... of two beings becoming greater as a couple than they ever could individually. Tanya and Jason turn towards each other Jason, do you now choose Tanya, to be your Wife, To share your life openly with her... To speak truthfully and lovingly to her... To accept her fully as she is... and delight in who she is becoming... To respect her uniqueness... Encourage her fulfillment... And compassionately support her... through all the changes of your lives together? Tanya, do you now choose Jason, to be your Husband, To share your life openly with him... To speak truthfully and lovingly to him... To accept him fully as he is... and delight in who he is becoming... To respect his uniqueness... Encourage his fulfillment... And compassionately support him... through all the changes of your lives together? Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A great marriage must be created. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right being, it is being the right being. As before, with Tanya’s and Jason’s, verbal, and energetic commitment… We now complete the circle, with a physical representation of their vow to one another. Jason please take Tanya's left hand and repeat after me.... Because this ring is perfectly symmetrical, it signifies the perfection of true love. As I place it on your finger… I give you all that I am and ever hope to be. Tanya please take Jason's left hand and repeat after me.... Because this ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of true love. As I place it on your finger… I give you all that I am, and ever hope to be. Tanya, Jason…You have both joined voluntarily in this sacred ceremony of marriage, and have been formally united as husband and wife in the presence of your family and friends and under the witness of the ancients of the world, your relations... and the state of Oregon…… As you have declared openly your clear intentions to be considered before all the world as a married couple, expressing the gift of love, in all that you do... and have exchanged rings and vows attesting thereto, it is my pleasure and honor to pronounce you husband and wife. Jason…. you may, please, kiss the bride. Tanya,… Jason... The world is yours, This day is yours, Please join your Family and Friends in Celebration of Life and Love."

Thirty-eight

For the love of fresh produce...

“She wandered among the wooden crates, picking up tomatoes, peeling back the husks on ears of corn, adding two red peppers to her shopping basket and a bunch of very thin asparagus, a bouquet of zinnias for the table, and seven imperial-looking white and purple gladiolas to put in the stone pitcher that she kept by the front door. She was loaded down with fresh things, beautiful, glorious provisions. Could she stop time and stay here, with her basket full, surrounded by organic produce?”
~ Elin Hilderbrand~

“Spring had come to the market as well. Everywhere there were young green things, the tips of asparagus, young leeks no bigger than scallions. There was crisp arugula, curled and tangled, and fresh green peas, plump in their pods. I had no idea what I wanted to make for dinner. This didn't pose a problem; on the contrary, it was an opportunity, a mini adventure. The season's new ingredients brought new ideas. The first baby tomatoes were coming in from Sicily. I bought a box of small red globes still on the vine and a red onion in my favorite childhood shade of royal purple. Maybe I would make a salsa for the dorade I'd picked up at the fishmonger. I imagined a bright confetti, the tomatoes mixed with freshly chopped coriander, maybe a sunny mango.”
~Elizabeth Bard~

Thirty-seven

“Tonglen practice, also known as ‘taking and sending,’ reverses our usual logic of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure. In tonglen practice, we visualize taking in the pain of others with every in-breath and sending out whatever will benefit them on the out-breath. In the process, we become liberated from age- old patterns of selfishness. We begin to feel love for both ourselves and others; we begin to take care of ourselves and others. Tonglen awakens our compassion and introduces us to a far bigger view of reality. It introduces us to the unlimited spaciousness of shunyata (emptiness). By doing the practice, we begin to connect with the open dimension of our being. Tonglen can be done for those who are ill, those who are dying or have died, or those who are in pain of any kind. It can be done as a formal meditation practice or right on the spot at any time. If we are out walking and we see someone in pain, we can breathe in that person’s pain and send out relief to them.”

~Pema Chodron~

Thirty-six

Earth Day

“The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyong reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only paradise we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need, if only we had the eyes to see.“

~Ed Abbey~

Thirty-five

“And here in America, in the absence of leadership from the White House, governors from California to Ohio are stepping up to fill the void. Basically, what’s happening in America is whatever happens when a family has an alcoholic dad and the kids just have to raise themselves.”

Trevor Noah

Thirty-four

“What is a family? Is it just a genetic chain, parents and offspring, people like me? Or is it a social construct, an economic unit, optimal for child-rearing and divisions of labor? Or is it something else entirely: a store of shared memories, say? An ambit of love? A reach across the void? I could test various possibilities. But I’d never arrived at a definite answer, aware early on that, given my circumstances, such an effort was bound to fail. Instead, I drew a series of circles around myself, with borders that shifted as time passed and faces changed but nevertheless offered the illusion of control. An inner circle, where love was constant and claims unquestioned. Then a second circle, a realm of negotiated love, commitment freely chosen. And then a circle of colleagues, acquaintances; the cheerful gray-haired lady who rang up my groceries back in Chicago. Until the circle finally widened to embrace a nation or a race, or a particular moral course, and commitments were no longer tied to a face or name but were actually commitments I made to myself.”

From Dreams from My Father
By Barack Obama

Thirty-three

At Dawn

Asana

Surya Namaskar

Sun Salutations

Standing Mountain Pose
Tadasana
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hands in prayer position.

Upward Salute
Urdhva Hastasana
Inhale as you sweep your arms out to the side and overhead. Arch your back and gaze at the sky.

Standing Forward Fold
Uttanasana
Exhale as you fold forward from the hips. Place your hands beside your feet and bring your nose to your knees.

Half Standing Forward Fold
Ardha Uttanasana
Inhale as you lift your torso up, back is flat. Your torso should be parallel to the floor. Your fingertips on the floor.

Four-Limbed Staff Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana
Exhale as you step  back 1 foot into Plank Pose.Inhale as you step the second leg back. Exhale as you lower your body toward the floor.

Cobra Pose
Bhujangasana
Inhale as you draw your chest forward and straighten your arms. Shoulders back and lift your heart to the sky.

Downward-Facing Dog Pose
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Exhale as you lift your hips and roll back, placing the soles of your feet on the floor. Push down through your hands and the soles of your feet, lengthening your spine. Stay here for five breaths.

On your last exhalation, bend your knees and look between your hands.

Half Standing Forward Fold
Ardha Uttanasana
Inhale as you step one foot forward in between your hands. Exhale as you step the second leg forward. Inhale and lift your torso halfway. Keep your fingertips on the floor.

Standing Forward Fold
Uttanasana
Exhale as you fold your torso over your thighs. Place your hands beside your feet and bring your nose to your knees.

Upward Salute
Urdhva Hastasana
Inhale as you sweep your arms out to the side and come up. Gently arch your back and look toward the sky.

Mountain Pose
Tadasana
Exhale as you come back into Mountain Pose, hands into prayer position.

Thirty-two

At Dawn

Pranayama

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Sit in a comfortable position with your legs crossed. Place your left hand on your left knee. Lift your right hand up toward your nose. Place your thumb lightly on your right nostril. Place your index and middle finger on your third eye. Place your ring finger lightly in your left nostril. Exhale completely and then use your right thumb to close your right nostril. Inhale and Exhale slowly and completely through your left nostril for five breaths. Close the left nostril with your finger. Open the right nostril. Inhale and Exhale slowly and completely through your right nostril for five breaths. Open both nostrils. Inhale and Exhale slowly and completely through both nostrils for five breaths.

Repeat 2-4 times.

Thirty-one

"I know that there are many who are struggling with their mental health right now. People are lonely and isolated and frustrated, and would give anything to return back to normal, and I have to tell you I would too. We’re going to get there. It’s going to take some time. It won’t all happen overnight, but we will get there. We are smart, we do what we need to do and everyone plays their part. We have to mitigate risk and so while we will be reunited with our friends and loved ones again, it’s important that we continue to double down on our efforts today." ~ Gretchen Whitmer ~

Thirty

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Twenty-nine

“Breathing in I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out I know that I am breathing out.”

Morning Meditation
~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

Twenty-eight

“The morning was fresh from the rain. The smell of the tide pools was strong. Sweet odors came from the wild grasses in the ravines and from the sand plants on the dunes. I sang as I went down the trail to the beach and along the beach to the sandspit. I felt that the day was an omen of good fortune. It was a good day to begin my new home.“

From The Island of the Blue Dolphin
~ Scott O’Dell ~

Twenty-seven

“I think staying off the news and internet can help sometimes. I’ve definitely reduced how much I’ve been looking at it and it helps make my little life in the apartment feel a tiny bit more normal.” ~ Ellen Lee ~

Twenty-six

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.” ~ J. R. R. Tolkien ~

Twenty-five

"I am an old woman named after my mother
My old man is another child that's grown old
If dreams were lightning, thunder were desire
This old house would have burnt down a long time ago

 Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery
Make me a poster of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing that I can hold on to
To believe in this living is just a hard way to go

 When I was a young girl well, I had me a cowboy
He weren't much to look at, just free rambling man
But that was a long time and no matter how I try
The years just flow by like a broken down dam

 Just give me one thing that I can hold on to
To believe in this living is just a hard way to go"

~ John Prine ~

Twenty-four

"Think of the fact that our skulls are bowl-shaped receptacles to hold our brains.  Figuratively, our minds are bowls that hold our thoughts.  They aren't meant to be empty, and they're easily filled.  Especially when it comes to the ruminative mind, emptying your mind of thoughts is impossible, and although doing so may sometimes sound like relief, it would be incredibly dull.  Beyond that, striving for an empty mind is a goal with questionable, possibly unappealing connotations; why aim for a sterile mental wasteland when you can aim for a tranquil, balanced appreciation of all the elements of life? Therefore, instead of having an empty mind as your measure of success, make it your goal to have a calmly aware mind."

From The Mindful Path Through Worry and Ruminiation
~ Sameet Kumar ~

Twenty-three

Remember...
My mask protects you and your mask protects me.

Twenty-two

“If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse.”

From Dark Night of The Soul
~ St John Of The Cross ~

Twenty-one

“You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.”
~J.K. Rowling~

Twenty

"The trick with fear is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.  That's what we're going to discover again and again and again.  Nothing is what we thought.  I can say that with great confidence.  Emptiness is not what we thought.  Neither is mindfulness or fear.  Compassion -- not what we thought.  Love.  Buddha nature.  Courage.  These are code words for things we don't know in our minds, but any of us could experience them.  These are words that point to what life really is when we let things fall apart and let ourselves be nailed to the present moment."

BE NAILED TO THE PRESENT MOMENT

From When Things Fall Apart
~ Pema Chodron ~

Nineteen

“It is very difficult for people in our culture to imagine that it is possible to treat ourselves and others with complete respect no matter what previous crimes we or others have committed. Each person will get the results of these actions in the form of karmic consequences, which are manifested as feelings. The suffering produced is not there to punish but to teach. If people are treated with respect, they are much more likely to learn how to avoid the same mistakes in the future then if they are faced with judgment, punitive or vengeful attitudes.

From The Pale of Vengeance
~ Kan Kikuchi ~

Eighteen

Rivers - Mountains - Sea
With you
I will forever Be.

Seventeen

"Encourage the patient and all those present to focus on the breathing and to take in as deep a breath as possible without causing distress or pain. As they breathe, remind them that breathing is what unites all living things and that even plants and bacteria breathe. Remind them that in breathing they bring in what it is bodies need (oxygen) and get rid of that which bodies do not need (carbon dioxide and other impurities).

Explain that those present can also use this breathing to bring in what our spirits need. Lead them gently on a breathing meditation wherein as they breathe in air they also imagine that they are breathing in various good things that are needed for spirits to be at peace—light, energy, peace, goodness, compassion, love, hope, strength, etc. As they exhale encourage them to exhale (get rid of) those things that are holding their spirits back—darkness, tiredness, anxiety, worry, anger, hate, fear, weakness, etc.

Encourage them to concentrate on this breathing in and out for several minutes. Then tell them that they can come back to this simple meditation any time they need to, and to imagine each time that they are breathing in the good and breathing out the problems. Also remind them that each time they use this method, know that all of their loved ones are also breathing with them and in fact all of creation is breathing with them. They are connected to all that is living."

Breathing Exercise for Life and Death from At the Deathbed: Using Symbols and Rituals To Connect with the Spiritual in Times of Death and Grieving
~ Rev David Laurance Bieniek ~

Sixteen

"Our country is in the midst of a great national trial, unlike any we have ever before faced.  We are at war with a deadly virus.  Success in this fight will require the full absolute measure of our collective strength, love, and devotion.  Each of us has the power through our own choices and actions to save American lives and rescue the most vulnerable among us.  Following the guidelines for the next 30 days is a matter of life and death.  This is going to be one of the roughest months we have ever had in our country. We're going to loose hundreds of thousands of people."

~ The President ~
April 1st:  26,473 new cases & 1,049 deaths
215,003 total cases & 5,102 total deaths

Fifteen

"No man is an island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thine own

Or of thine friend's were.

Each man's death diminishes me,

For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know for whom the bell tolls,

It tolls for thee."

~ John Donne ~

Fourteen

Morning Prayer

"Universe,

If there is anyone from my past or present that I need to forgive, whether I remember them or not, I now do so.  I love them - I bless them - I forgive them - and I release them into your care for you to work with in whatever way you feel is best.

And if there is anyone from my past or present that needs to forgive me, especially myself, they now do so. And we are all free to experience and a higher and greater good in our lives."

...The Greater Good...

Thirteen

"There is a Native American saying, 'Today is a good day to die for all the things of my life are present.' This embodies the possibilities of a life reviewed and completed. A life in which even death is not excluded. I am speaking here of a whole death that succeeds a whole life. A life caught up to, and lived in, the present, that rides the breath and knows the power of thought to create the world, experiencing itself in its fullness and emptiness.

"The more mindful we are the less there is to crowd us in our deathbed. When we are living our life instead of only thinking it, nothing remains undone, and if we should die that day we are pleased that our death can be so complete. When everything is brought up-to-date, and the heart is turned toward itself, it is a good day to die."

Book: A Year to Live
~ Stephen Levine ~

Twelve

“Oh Divine Mother 

Please dissolve it all 

Sweet Blessed Mother 

Free me your child 

Of this illusion 

Dissolve the separation 

Take away the pain and suffering 

I’m tired of being alone Mother 

I’m tired of doing it by myself 

Help me - Free me 

Shelter me with your Grace 

Let it rain down on me 

Rain it down on me 

I want to be free 

I’m ready to be free 

I’m ready to be me 

I’m ready - I’m ready - I’m ready 

Oh Mother hear my cry

Oh Mother hear my prayers 

Oh Mother please help me 

Fill me with your Grace”

MC I-AM 

Song: False Dreams

Eleven

“Friend? hope for the Guest while you are alive.
Jump into experience while you are alive!
Think... and think... while you are alive.
What you call "salvation" belongs to the time
            before death.

If you don't break your ropes while you're alive,
do you think ghosts will do it after?

The idea that the soul will join with the ecstatic
just because the body is rotten --
that is all fantasy.
What is found now is found then.
If you find nothing now,
you will simply end up with an apartment in the
          City of Death.
If you make love with the divine now, in the next
life you will have the face of satisfied desire.

So plunge into the truth, find out who the Teacher is,
Believe in the Great Sound!

~ Kabir ~

Ten

“We can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received

wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion....

This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need

for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated

philosophy, doctrine or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple.

The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and

dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need.

So long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are

learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some

other religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and

conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is

no doubt we will be happy.” 

~Dalai Lama~

Nine

"it’s also worth reminding each other that “social distancing” – usually a problem and now the solution - only pertains to physical isolation.  we can still love each other.  we must.  we can still communicate over the airwaves.  we can still mean well by each other.  however you do it, keep ‘touch’ alive.  losing touch can result in losing empathy, and that would be one sure way to make a bad situation worse. instead, let the longing build; it will help stave off loneliness and nihilism, and it will keep us feeling.  those of us who have experienced compassion, whether coming from us or towards us, know that it’s always there.  it just needs to be called-up and exercised.  it needs an excuse to show itself, and suffering provides that excuse. one day, we’ll be able to directly share all that affection again, and you can bet it will be with heightened appreciation and passion."

~BJ Miller~

Eight

“There is a safe spot within every tornado and my job is to find it.”

~ David Copperfield ~

Seven

Morning Prayer...

Universe,
Here I am!
Your vessel, ready to be filled with your breath.
Let me touch you as my fingertips touch each other.
Let me see you in the light behind my eyes.
Let me hear you in the sound of my breath.
Let the river of your love flow through me.
Let there be no separation!
No longer an “us”.
Only the one true self.
I am.
Sat Nam.

Six

“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.”

~David Mamet~

Five

For Today... do not try to understand the how or the why... instead accept what is.

Four

“It is wisdom to be silent.”

~Wayne Dyer~

Three

 “Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.”

Into The Wild

~ Jon Krakauer  ~

Two

The Tao by Us.

1.  Let Go and Let God
2.  Be yourself.
3.  There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.
4.  I am nothing and everything.
5.  What we love we need to learn to let go of.
6.  Follow your heart to co-create with the Universe.
7.  Be of service to those in need.
8.  Do what you do and be who you are.
9.  Enough is Enough.
10.  God resides within us.
11.  Find the empty space within.
12.  Less is More.
13.  What other people think of me is none of my business.
14.  You were never born and you will never die.
15.  Stop rushing through life.
16.  Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.
17.  Inspire by your own example.
18.  Live from your heart.
19.  Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.
20.  Own nothing and Nothing owns you.
21.  Stay in the Gap.
22.  Bend during storms.
23.  Rejoice in the now.
24.  The greatest prayer is simply: Thank you.
25.  Greatness attracts Greatness.
26.  Choose calm during chaos.
27.  Leave no trace.
28.  Go gently down the stream.
29.  Surrender.
30.  Make love not war.
31.  Turn away from all forms of violence.
32.  Down by the river.
33.  Know Thyself.
34.  The sun shines on everyone equally.
35.  Release addictions that block true happiness.
36.  Don't worry about being right.
37.  Don't "should" all over yourself.
38.  I am.
39.  I am a cell in the body of the Universe.
40.  Life is a return trip home.
41.  Live the Tao daily.
42.  Be an orphan and you will be embraced by the Universe.
43.  Relax and stop pushing - practice nonfiction.
44.  Practice knowing when to stop.
45.  Don't judge a book by its cover.
46.  Be content with what you have and where you are.
47.  To see the world look within.
48.  Let go of your things.
49.  I am kind because the nature of my being is kindness.
50.  You can witness the end without ending.
51.  The Tao places no expectations on you.
52.  Close your mouth and your ears, the Universe is contained within you.
53.  Respect all life.
54.  My life makes a difference.
55.  I attract the cooperative power of the Tao.
56.  Sit down and Shut up.
57.  Allow rather than rule.
58.  Morning always follows the darkest night.
59.  Give away more - Accumulate less.
60.  Respond from your inner nature.
61.  Get to the low point and let others flow towards you.
62.  Live in the warmth of the Tao - Retreat.
63.  Be Here Now.
64.  Take one step in the right direction.
65.  I know that I don't know.
66.  Lead by serving.
67.  Live by: Compassion, Simplicity & Gratitude.
68.  Do not fight anything or anyone.
69.  Let everyone into your heart.
70.  I am God - You are God - All is God.
71.  My body reflects my mind - release the destructive pursuit of addictions.
72.  All of nature is my Beloved.
73.  Slow down and Speak less.
74.  Dying is Living.
75.  Don't demand too much from anyone - including yourself.
76.  Find strength in flexibility.
77.  Do not hoard - redistribute your wealth.
78.  Approach life as soft as water.
79.  Be calm and Forgive.
80.  Live your best life.
81.  Stay Joined to me and I will Stay Joined to you.

inspired by Wayne Dyer.

One

Musee des Beaux Arts 

“About suffering they were never wrong,..

...In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water, and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.”

~  W. H. Auden ~