That more beings
find faith
in themselves,

that they could
find in
themselves
that pure being,
and uncover it,

allowing the peace,
the compassion,
the joy
that is
their essential
nature
shine in
this world.

All that we are
is the result
of all
that we have
thought

and from all
we thought
became all we felt
and all we
experienced

and so we
follow karma
like a shadow
follows
a body.

The good new is,
Karma can be
changed.
Look not for
results!

Some ripens now,
some not.
Cultivate the mind
from which flows
the thoughts
and feelings
and experiences.

Well, I have
to work
to stay in shape.
It feels good,
but it's work!

Staying active
won't change,
just where I
put that energy.

Dare I say
omniscience?
Enlightenment?
I suppose
with palms up.

I olok forward
to the time
when there
is no
post=meditation
state to be in,

and having done,
I would like to teach.

Until that day
when there is
no more suffering.

Well, I see you answer
a question
with more than
a one or two word
answer.

You actually tell
a story. You can laugh.
Not everything
to you
can be summed
up by a
cynical or
sarcastic
quip.

You engage.
Your eyes are open,
as well as
your mind.

You ask questions.

Yes, you are
the easy one
to be with.
But not all are like you.

Some people can't
handle people.
They are too afriad,
or don't believe
in themselves.

And so they
over compensate.
Sometimes to the
point of annoyance.

How much they know.
As if their opinion
was fact.
What team is
the best, or tool,
or truck,
or what have you.
Actually, what
they have
and you don't.

They are less easy
to be around,
though they too
have stories.

I remember once
a client who was diificult
to be around.
So the boss said.

So one day, as he
silently simmered
as we worked,
I asked him
about his hobby,
so evident
through his house.

For 10 minutes,
I made a friend.

Less ego,
less grasping
less ignorance
of my true nature.

More compassion,
more joy,
more wisdom
to create
peace on earth.

Letting go of
wanting the most.

The most
difficualt thing
about love

is letting go
of the fear
that resides
in it's place.

Fears from
a long time ago,
that still drive
our bus,
that tell us
we can't trust,
we'll disappear,
we can't completely
surrender.

Fear lies to us
to protect itself.

"Do you take
this woman...?"

Well, no, Ive
since learned
we share
each other.

I've also learned that
there is no
end to the discovery
and demand
of that question.

So worth it.

I can't kiss and tell....

The Screamer by Munch.

Which partly answers the question from a couple of days ago about winter. Here on the Island we aren't capable of handling the level of snow we have, which yesterday was about a foot standing in the front yard.

I say the above in jest mainly because it is this snow which created the situation in Seattle at the airport that we were a part of. Fortunately for us we were able to extract ourselves and get home after many hours of rescheduling flight &c. Today we head back, with the possibility of even more snow, albeit lesser quantity, coming tonight.

Our airport isn't designed for this level of snow, which is why they closed it. Seattle's snow plow crew numbers 27 trucks. Just for the city. So when we left the airport two days ago, and drove back to the island at 30 mph, we did not see one plow on the highway the whole time. By the time we reached the exit for the ferry dock, the ususal lane markers of two bald tracks in the snow were gone.

The trick now will be getting down to the ferry from home, which thankfully is a short drive of 10 miles or so, on roads that most likely haven't been plowed yet. However, the weather today is supposed to be partly sunny and highs in the mid thirties, so travel should be easy. Park the car, shuttle to the airport, catch tomorrows early flight (hence the need for getting off the island today because ferries don't run 24 hours) and be on our way!

Yea! Michigan here we come!

Could it be
not intoxicating
my body,
or my mind
with outside
influencers?

The less I
intoxicate,
the less
I dissipate,
and am
more present.

There is a
bliss
that comes with
liberation
that can
never go away.

When the fire call I just returned from turned into a no show. The reporting party saw lots of flames, and no smoke.

Hmmm.......

Yes, that is a wrong picture. And we drove all over, and saw nothing but each other, which is always a worthwhile time.

The fire is burning, the chowder coming together, good books and company on hand. What's not to smile about?

Getting to Detroit
was an adventure.
We were snowed out
of flight #1,
and drove home
in the snow.

We tried
three days later,
and again,
it was snowing.
Yet we got out.

So that was
an adventure
as we traversed
from hotel to
airport,
considering
the options
of driving to
Portland
to fly out,
or driving
from Seattle
to Detroit
and flying home.

But flights weren't available,
nor were cars,
or clear passes
through the mountains.

So we re-booked,
and made it to
Detroit
for holidays
with family.

I aranged
several poetry
 readings this year.
Some were a bust.
Some were great.

I spent nine months
learning what it
takes to be
an officer
for the fire district,
to fail the test
by one point.
The first test failure
in 33 years.
  
But that all
pales in
comparison to
the adventure of
exploring the
ultimate frontier
of the mind,
so elequently displayed
in it's core and depth
and breadth
in how it reacts
to all the
other adventures
that life brings.

I've left my body,
and been in space,
but that is
still nothing
compared to
realization
of mind's true
nature.

It's an adventure
one can
expereinece
every day.