January 2017
Moving Forward
Jan/01/2017 16:44 Filed in: vignette
winter sun
burning tired eyes
clears vision
冬の日光 疲れ目に焼き付き ビジョン晴れる
fuyu no nikkō, tsukare me yakitsuki, bijon hareru
“Another years over and what have you done”, I posted on FB Dec 30.
Then I said, on a scale of 1 to 10, I give myself a 5. Fair enough I guess.
12月３０日ＦB でこの言葉をポストしました。
「また一年が終わり、[あなた]はどんなことをしたのだろうか？」
1から10のスケールで、私は自分自身に5を与えるでしょう！まあまあかな。。
and Now….それから……..
"Moving Forward" 「前向きに」（今のところは英語のみ）
Jan.1, 2017 ２０１７年１月１日元旦
Making progress towards something, now a senior (nearly) but young at heart, always telling people I am stuck at 33 years old, the age at which I “retired” to the country life, which is not retirement at all but the beginning of, or continuation of, a never-ending-story as I am fond of saying. So here I sit, New Year’s morning 10AM at the sunny and toasty dining room table, putting down a few thoughts.
Trying to start off “good”, I awoke fairly early and did my meditation before the sun came up. Not super cold today so was able to do it outside under the cherry tree in my usual spot. Last year, I went to the beach to see the sunrise, but this year decided to be “home” in “my spot”, my center of the universe from which I hope to start each day and make a difference in the world.
Though its nice to have the sunrise right before or about half-way through the meditation, this time of year it doesn’t hit my spot until nearly 8AM, so I was in the “shadows of the gods” so to speak. After meditation, I did take two cameras and make a few shots of the symbolic first sunrise of the year.
Now the plan is to have a slow day, with some reflection, and relaxation. I am always amazed by serendipity and synchronicity and being in the right place at the right time. But I like to have guidelines and rules since “rules are for fools”, they say! I like to have a plan. Maybe it’s my temperament to want to make good use of my time, not just my personal time, but to keep my place, to hold my place in the flow of time. And somehow finding that balance point between my will and a greater will which in traditional language I call Divine Will.
So no matter what the new year’s resolutions and goals are, its good to imagine the affect they may have on me and the affect on the whole greater picture.
Here is the short list that should keep me occupied well into the future:
Things to work on:
- the need for better quality sleep and relaxation to recharge mentally and physically (spiritual enlightening dreams would be a bonus)
- the need to better handle the regrets that come in daily life and hang around too long like unwelcome guests — ah the quest for perfection is a good goal but it is a continuous journey
- the need to stay personally sensitive without having sensitivity turn into regret
- the need to channel cosmically felt sensitivity into compassionate action
Things to stay committed to:
- a diet that is good for me, the planet, and all living things
- kindness, big and small…I really enjoy the mini stories that happen
- generosity, big and small, local and global
- keeping the garden as a bridge between humans and raw nature, pretty as a picture, and as metaphor for life
Things that don’t help:
- lack of confidence in what I am doing, even if I think its good and right
- forgetting the bigger picture
- feeling alone…(counterpoint: we are all in this together, so listen to a bird song, a favorite singer, or an inspirational speaker; feel the wind and know that someone somewhere is caressing you)
Things that do help:
- find a phrase or image that inspires, describes, pushes, mirrors, stretches my intentions and will….Remember it with repetitive practice.
- stop and feel the stillness and also keep moving.
As a Buddhist prayer that fits everyone says:
“Be Well, Be Happy, Peace”
burning tired eyes
clears vision
冬の日光 疲れ目に焼き付き ビジョン晴れる
fuyu no nikkō, tsukare me yakitsuki, bijon hareru
“Another years over and what have you done”, I posted on FB Dec 30.
Then I said, on a scale of 1 to 10, I give myself a 5. Fair enough I guess.
12月３０日ＦB でこの言葉をポストしました。
「また一年が終わり、[あなた]はどんなことをしたのだろうか？」
1から10のスケールで、私は自分自身に5を与えるでしょう！まあまあかな。。
and Now….それから……..
"Moving Forward" 「前向きに」（今のところは英語のみ）
Jan.1, 2017 ２０１７年１月１日元旦
Making progress towards something, now a senior (nearly) but young at heart, always telling people I am stuck at 33 years old, the age at which I “retired” to the country life, which is not retirement at all but the beginning of, or continuation of, a never-ending-story as I am fond of saying. So here I sit, New Year’s morning 10AM at the sunny and toasty dining room table, putting down a few thoughts.
Trying to start off “good”, I awoke fairly early and did my meditation before the sun came up. Not super cold today so was able to do it outside under the cherry tree in my usual spot. Last year, I went to the beach to see the sunrise, but this year decided to be “home” in “my spot”, my center of the universe from which I hope to start each day and make a difference in the world.
Though its nice to have the sunrise right before or about half-way through the meditation, this time of year it doesn’t hit my spot until nearly 8AM, so I was in the “shadows of the gods” so to speak. After meditation, I did take two cameras and make a few shots of the symbolic first sunrise of the year.
Now the plan is to have a slow day, with some reflection, and relaxation. I am always amazed by serendipity and synchronicity and being in the right place at the right time. But I like to have guidelines and rules since “rules are for fools”, they say! I like to have a plan. Maybe it’s my temperament to want to make good use of my time, not just my personal time, but to keep my place, to hold my place in the flow of time. And somehow finding that balance point between my will and a greater will which in traditional language I call Divine Will.
So no matter what the new year’s resolutions and goals are, its good to imagine the affect they may have on me and the affect on the whole greater picture.
Here is the short list that should keep me occupied well into the future:
Things to work on:
- the need for better quality sleep and relaxation to recharge mentally and physically (spiritual enlightening dreams would be a bonus)
- the need to better handle the regrets that come in daily life and hang around too long like unwelcome guests — ah the quest for perfection is a good goal but it is a continuous journey
- the need to stay personally sensitive without having sensitivity turn into regret
- the need to channel cosmically felt sensitivity into compassionate action
Things to stay committed to:
- a diet that is good for me, the planet, and all living things
- kindness, big and small…I really enjoy the mini stories that happen
- generosity, big and small, local and global
- keeping the garden as a bridge between humans and raw nature, pretty as a picture, and as metaphor for life
Things that don’t help:
- lack of confidence in what I am doing, even if I think its good and right
- forgetting the bigger picture
- feeling alone…(counterpoint: we are all in this together, so listen to a bird song, a favorite singer, or an inspirational speaker; feel the wind and know that someone somewhere is caressing you)
Things that do help:
- find a phrase or image that inspires, describes, pushes, mirrors, stretches my intentions and will….Remember it with repetitive practice.
- stop and feel the stillness and also keep moving.
As a Buddhist prayer that fits everyone says:
“Be Well, Be Happy, Peace”
January 1, 2017