The Thoughts That Do Not Matter

Sometimes I get scared. And then I wonder why.

Thoughts come and go, no more than a side-show

I mean really – anyway – what do they know?

 

To the wind, may some get splintered and scatter 

Such are the thoughts that do not matter

 

The fears that do not ultimately matter 

Reveal as anger from characters such as the Mad Hatter

 

All that’s left is a hammer and the sound of shatter 

So goes the fears that ultimately do not matter 

 

That which matters originates deeper from within 

This is the starting point, the haven from which we begin

 

Served in a feast upon the most sacred of platter 

Now we really knows what truly matters

 

 

 

A Puppy's Life

Some time doing some "puppy yoga" can really give you some perspective. 

Today I had the privilege of being in the presence of entities displaying an enlightened, superconscious higher mind. A rare treat, this experience was such a gift to my soul. I must have done something right in this lifetime (and perhaps previous lifetimes) to be invited in as witness of the divine. 

I have been present for the "darshan" of specific living avatars - Sai Baba in Southern India in 1990 and 1996, Mata Amritanandamayi in her California visits many a June, Shivabali Yogi in a special gathering in Laguna Beach in 1991.  

However today was a bit different, as it held the sort of freedom found in mind, heart and soul - a state of consciousness uncommon to so many sentient beings.  

This was the "Puppy Yoga" event at the Pacific Beach studio called Spirit Yoga. 

Yes, there they were, like a dream of effortless flow. 

Unattached, emotionally liberated, mentally all over the freaking place without a care, embracing a free spirt, a high level of equanimity and a joy unsurpassed. 

This is a goal of many a soul. And yet apparently, this is a common happenstance for all these scurrying, hurrying, flurrying beings of absolute bliss, living completely in the moment. 

I believe in my Transcendental Meditation practice, I am to ultimately reach a transcendental state, an elevated level above all worries, concerns, anxiety and judgements. 

Whereas I spend 20 minutes, two times a day in my TM practice - whereas I have spent three decades in the emotional healing field - whereas I have led numerous empowerment meetings within my men's circles, whereas I have taken countless courses in Compassionate Communication, energy work, intuitive sciences - whereas I have brought forth the higher mind in so much of my sacred writings ........ what the hell?  

These puppies seem to have reached such an advanced state simply by ... being BORN A PUPPY!

As they flew around the room, playing when glee was the need, reaching out spontaneously for a playmate, peeing when nature called, it was indeed an inspiration. These gentle and sometimes not-so-gentle guides offered me the insight:

* Don't take yourself so seriously.
* Make mistakes; it's gonna be OK.
* Chaos can be cool. 
* If you mess up, either clean it up, or someone else will; no biggy. 
* Have fun. 
* Interact - there will always be someone around to play with.
* Find others who also have fun and don't take themselves too seriously. 
* A nap can also happen.
* It's OK to ask for help - yip if something goes wrong. 
* Grab the moment; live in the moment; run in wild abandon, seize the day and seize the play.  
* Freaking GO FOR IT! 

OK - got it. 

While the highest humans may be able to reach is to "sign the waiver," I will take this puppy play, this doggy "darshan," as the gift it was meant to be. 

Watch out world. I'm inspired, uplifted, mentally and emotionally stretching and ready to live a life liberated, free ... unleashed.  

I’ve Admired You from a Distance

One of those experiences where I said a phrase "I've admired you Mary Beth from a distance" and I do a double take. Hey that sounds like a poem! Yup, this one from the vantage point of a spirit guide, higher self or angel. 

So far, so far away
I look upon you, with grace, every day
A higher self, a higher mind, a higher being
You may not know the truth that I am seeing 
Without the judgment of a divisive right or wrong
The place you stand is where you belong
Though at times lost, you wander alone in the dark
Before, eventually, you get the horse before the cart
Alas the gift: your very presence, your very existence
Just so you know – I’ve admired you from a distance
 
The list of struggles and stressors are real 
Those who search for the sustenance of a simple meal
Those who have no shelter, no room, no home, no bed
Those who battle inner demons in their own head
You who falter on promises to stop the latest addiction 
You who get bad news of the latest medical affliction 
You who fall prey to the latest government sponsored racket 
You who work hard for money lost in your tax bracket 
In the end, you need not struggle with any offense or defense
For little did you know – I’ve admired you from a distance
 
Those who cheat another for no other reason but because they can
Those who meet their mirror – the karma they come to understand 
Those who believe they have fallen, blindly, too far 
Alas, those who have forgotten who they are
Every hair on your head, everything will be held to account
While every barrier, challenge and mountain you shall surmount
With each resistance met with a soul’s endless persistence 
No, not so far, not so far away – your very existence  
Dissolution discarded, unity embraced, within this very instance 
I will admire you eternally – knowing there is no distance 

A BRAND NEW LIGHT THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN

Who knew that buying a fun Date Night deck of cards could bring such uplift?

What do you know?

Turns out it really isn't that difficult. 

I guess it never was. 

You hear a lot of times where couples find challenge in maintaining the new energy in their relationships, falling into a pattern without intrigue or innovation. 

Well, that's silly. 

There can be something NEW every day! Case in point ... have you ever thought of making candles together? Bet not! 

But I do get it. Everyday life can come along and set solid the routine. Such a routine routine can steal away the idea of new adventures. 

That's why I believe couples need to keep an open and flexible mind. The idea of no new horizons must come from an old and lazy way of thinking. 

My wife and I do well in considering new trails to blaze, especially since we get in a 30-minute walk daily. 

For Valentine's Day, I bought my wife a book "Fun & Adventurous Date Night Box - Scratch Off Card Game with Exciting Date Ideas." Within it, there are 35 cards representing a creative date idea a couple can use each week.

They even make it somewhat suspenseful by having the ideas on the cards accessible after scratching off the gray covering, like a lottery scratch-off ticket. 

So far, we've had three creative "Dates" - a scavenger hunt around the house, a Dollar Tree 5-gift extravaganza, and for tonight: making our own candles. A brilliant idea, these date suggestions help to channel the intrigue and adventure that is already alive within the relationship. 

I think couples just need a structure and a nudge. The love is already there, the fun is already there, the connection is already there. 

Nothing is lost really except for possibly a bit of focus.

And with that refocusing can come a ton of fun, some adventures never dreamed of, and the return of a light that has never gone out. 

Come on folks. It's not that difficult. Turns out it never really was. 

#justwrite31

https://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Couples.../dp/B08YWP5QRF

 

The Gift of Yes

 

Today I saw a photo within one of those Facebook memories.

Not just any photo.

It was one of those photos that stands out, has one take pause, and then offer a message, magically captured within the camera’s lens and upon the picture frame.

1000 words? Neigh, this would offer, somehow, so many more … at this moment in time, for this mind of mine, anyway. 

 

Here was a daughter and a mother.

 

On a train.

 

The young one resting her head upon the shoulder of the mother. 

 

Beyond the veil of a simple train ride – a long, tiring one at that – I perceived a storyline, the length measured within lifetimes.   

 

For some reason, I imagined that once upon a time these two souls – presently named “Dawn” and “Samantha” – gave each other the gift of a "yes." At some point, in between what we understand as a life on earth, the two spirits looked upon another and decided they would follow through on playing the role of mother and daughter.  

 

As if, the words would have been: “Shall we be born into form once more? Shall we be family? Shall you be mine, and I be yours?” 

 

As if, the answer would have been “yes.” 

 

Is such a conversation real? Is there a reality of “another side” and the return here again and again? 

 

Who knows?

 

Who knows what takes place beyond this mere measly lower plane of awareness. 

 

What I do know, though, is that on some level we all answer the question of whether to relate with another person with a “yes” … or “no.” It can take place in the most simple way – a first date, a neighborhood game of basketball, a support group meetup, a lifetime of marriage. 

 

It reminds me of the Joni Mitchell song “Secret Place.”  It goes like this:

 

Out of all of the girls that you see
In bleachers and cafe windows
Sitting flirting with someone
Looking to have some fun
Why did you pick me?
For the secret place

 

Think of all the relations that have taken place – for a season, for a lifetime, for a reason – wherein on some very real level, both of you decided to join here in experience. 

 

On whatever level the choice was made, for better or worse, for the sake of lessons and growth, for the grand life experience that relationships can bring … once upon a time we made an agreement.  

 

This is the story that this photo told me today. It’s a sweet one … full of mystery, purpose and beauty. 

 

We are indeed blessed. 

 

Whenever we recognize the gift that is “yes.” 

What Comes After Meditation?

For this writing, I did an experiment to see what came through after my morning meditation. Hmm, only took about 25 minutes. Nice!

What comes after meditation?
After some sacred time in contemplation
After the bliss of silent whisper, a surreal song
The gentle reminders of an eternal calm
What arrives after that serene stillness sublime?
Perhaps a few words placed in meter and rhyme
But the one major theme that can not be denied
Is that there is an outer world, as there is one inside
There is a world not always made of sugar and spice 
Upon arising from meditation, there is always this life

Life in all of its many myriads of form
Some I wish to discard; some I wish to adorn
There are parts of life that are, yup, a complete drag
And then the treasures of experiences I’m so glad I’ve had 
There are ups and downs and smiles and frowns
With a circus of every sort of face on the clowns 
Yes, this can be a circus with its wacky wacked-out whacks
And stacks of stupidity with attacks from the back 
Yet there is also a nature supreme beyond this mere dream
Bringing a beauty, a light, a love - beyond that which is seen  

So what do we with all this after sitting so still?
Surrender to the circus or to God’s divine will 
Maybe we embrace whatever comes our way
And leave it to the archangels to clear clouds away
Perhaps we bring that inner stillness to all that we have here
Or just carry it closer, as the darkness comes near  
Life will bring us everything, in a million different forms 
With our inner light, we can weather any turbulent storms
And so what comes after meditation to this poet’s mind?
I imagine some inspiration born of meter and rhyme

Walking The Daily Walk With You

For my wife, our 10 year anniversary at hand, as I reflect on the walks we take every day.

Step after step, some slow, some swift, left and then right 

Down Berry Street, east on Mt. Vernon, then south on McKnight

Looking for relief from the world of mankind, looking for love 

We take our daily walk with nothing but the sky and clouds above 

Passing trees and lawns, passing neighbors who oftentimes wave 

Trying to process the junk and gunk of the working day 

Beyond the retirement home stillness, beyond friendly Ricardo’s

This is the path of least resistance; this is simply the way it goes 

Sometimes in life, there really is nothing more to say or do 

Walking the daily walk with you

 

Recalling different memories, my father’s “It’s great to be alive” 

Down Berry Street, left on Mt. Vernon, then right on Gold Lake Drive

We walk against the wind heading west, but we do our best 

An abandoned house, a barking dog or two, a grounded bird’s nest

Planning future adventures – some bring agitation, some bring smiles 

Another installment for our friendly visit for “The Nala Files” 

Past the council member’s manor, alongside school grounds and gravel 

With mixed emotions … recalling the one missing on our travels

Sometimes in life, there really is nothing more to say or do 

Walking the daily walk with you

 

Now over the years, there is a sacred stroll that we can recall

Embracing experiences from the first day, embracing it all 

Our 10-year anniversary, April 7 it will be, so much we have seen

With so many walks and talks, and so many miles in between

For better or worse, we find the laugh in the gap, we enjoy the ride

For beyond the bless or curse, the Divine joins us there in stride 

The path of least resistance; never to turn away or snub 

It was there, Point Loma, Santa Barbara Street, the Thursday Club

When you walked the aisle, in front of family and God, the ocean view

Sometimes in a lifetime, there truly is nothing more to say or do 

Walking the daily walk with you