I videotaped a performance last night and since I was hand holding the camera, I paid much attention to the composition. My focus was keeping everyone in the frame and keeping the camera level and steady.  Not easy to do when music is playing and my body wants to move with it.  It was a bit of a yoga to keep my body still but I’d given myself the job to tape the gig.  Sometimes it’s a hard choice between attending something and throwing myself into the Now, or taking notes or video or photos to enjoy later and to share.   I think everyone should have photos and video of themselves in creative action, so I’m always glad to take them for friends.  So it’s most often after the gig, when I’m home reviewing the videos, that I can enjoy the performance. It’s always been that way with speakers as well.  Do I sit and just listen and take in their message, or do I take notes and interview for my reader?  I decided that one several years ago and wrote about it here Shall I experience this experience or record it to share with others?  Ah, I should learn to do both!

Ok. But I’d want to know…

A friend remarked that I’d been critical with them until recently. They asked why I stopped.  I stopped because once they pointed it out to me, I realized what I was doing and that wasn’t who I wanted to be.  I want my friends to call me out when I’m saying or doing something they know I do not truly intend.  It helps me keep it real.

An early morning romp in the yard with lots of love bites to show for it. The bamboo is skyrocketing, I know how it feels! I put the final touches on the September Horizons and set it aside to proofread later. I went into my yard and began picking up the branch deadfall from last night’s rains.  On evenings it’s cool enough to have windows open, the night blooming jasmine outside my bedroom is intoxicating. Last Spring I created several privacy walls in the yard and now the turk’s cap, copper bush, arbicola and jasmine cuttings have taken hold and created a secluded garden space. I’d planned my cuttings well, they grew in exactly as I intended. Continue reading →

I woke up this morning with a Shiva chant resounding in my head. My spiritual lineage is that of twice daily meditation and chanting. I am living proof of the difference it’s made in my life: I am one of the most centered and serene people I know.  My mate also chants daily and it’s inspiring to have a partner in spiritual practice. When I wake up with a chant in my head rather than my To Do List, I know I’m stress free.  If you’re interested in chanting, you’ll find the following links helpful.  .  .  Continue reading →

The evidence of what you are living right now is the proof of where you have focused your  attention most recently. Take responsibility for both the flourishing and the neglect, as it was your choice in every moment which to make the priority. Did you learn anything about yourself in the process?

I use AOL because I like how it organizes email. A galpal uses it as well. I never get much spam but this day I got about 30 by breakfast time.  It took about two moments to remove it as I thought, “small price to pay for having AOL.” My friend called later that day and apparently she get really ticked at how much spam came in on one day that she spent the morning chatting about it with friends. She was furious by the time she got to me, because by then all her friends had all discussed it and agreed with her.  I felt my job was to make the best of the spam-getting situation by deleting it and not giving it a second thought, so I could get on with my happy life. She felt it was her job to get to the bottom of the situation and rally others around her to be active. Two different perspectives, two different paths in life. To each their own.

A friend emailed:  “Can you enlighten us on what is going on in the earth’s energy field?  We are feeling strange in a not too pleasant way.  Thank you.”
I replied, “Uh oh, I may not be the one to answer that.  I look at things a whole different way.  I know that everything is always evolving and changing and our biggest job in life is to surf the environment we find ourselves in and make the most of it. I think it doesn’t matter what is happening to the earth’s energy field, that we each are personally very powerful vortexes of energy ourselves.  My experience is that our personal energy can override the prevalent energy of any physical locale, that we are indeed the vortex. Continue reading →