Yearly Archives: 2013

Daily Life

Eye Opener

2 Comments
Winter trees on parade
Winter trees on parade

Kathleen Taylor, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor gave a speech at TEDx TampaBay (about 10 minutes long) and she stated that people at the end of their lives are incapable of bullshit. People when they are faced with mortality become these distilled crystallized pure version of who they really are.

Facing with mortality, people become more open, and honest to themselves. The things that people usually do in their daily lives such as being right, being important, and being selfish suddenly vanished. That’s what made these people become more human than any of us. They are open to changes, even if they were certain for their entire lives that they were right. They apologize, They forgive, express love whenever possible.
From Bucketlistly Blog

Thanks to Julius for the link. The talk is well worth taking the time to watch. You especially DO NOT need to be at the end of your life to watch it. Keep warm, it’s getting chilly out there tonight.

Daily Life, Teachings

Breathe Out Well

2 Comments

Snow in the morning light
Snow in the morning light
I’ve heard that Jade is read on the train. On the way to work or on the return. Perhaps you read while standing waiting for the bus or to order coffee. If you derive benefit well that’s good. However as you read why not pay attention to breathing. Most of us have a nasty habit of holding the breath, as one might if under water! But life is not sustained well like this! Breathing out well makes space for the new breath to arrive, of itself.

I’ve been thinking about the subject of change and embracing change. I can think of no better way than to breathe out well, literally as well as figuratively, and make space for the new. As surely as night follows day, breathing out is followed by breathing in. Renewal, change comes thus. There is no holding back, unless we want to drown!

Britain is excited this night. We have snow! Not that much but enough to remark on and frozen enough to take care when out and about. 

Uncategorized

Not Knowing

Leave a comment

At dawn
At dawn
At this time of night I’d normally reach for my diary and see if there was an inspirational saying to share with you. But a new year has turned and I have a new diary, with no quotes in it. But what’s this? Last years diary, still beside me. Here is the last quote of the year.

Not knowing
when the dawn
will come,
I open
every door.
Emily Dickinson

Well, I’ll have to contemplate that one.

Teachings

Writing To Encourage Reflection

2 Comments
Red sky end to sunny day.
Red sky end to sunny day.

I’m not that surprised to read in this article How Users Read on the Web to find that…we don’t! We don’t read every word, apparently we scan. So I’m all taken up with reading (Applying) Writing Guidelines for Web Pages instead of doing what I really need to be doing! Which is READING a lot of on-line text. Like 79% of readers I will most likely be scanning to get the gist. And there in lies a problem. For me. Is it disrespectful of the author(s) to scan. Do I need to write differently to respect the need readers (in a hurry) have to get the point, understand, appreciate my point – fast? Faster.

Red faced
as the sky
in the
night.

I can
write and
cause
confusion.

OR?

Encourage
you to
think
for yourself?

So after all my on-line reading today I will probably not be changing my writing ways. Sorry to say. Jade is not an instruction manual after all. My wish and my hope is that it points you back into your own mind and heart.

Falls Between the Cracks, Out and About, Teachings

Sympathetic Joy

Leave a comment

Moss Star
Here seeming to float above the top of a gate post is a mossy star! Amazing! Here to show, once again, that nature decorates SO well! However sometimes nature gets a helping hand, for the fun and joy of sharing our human endeavours. Thus we have another collective wool crafting event in Eastern Cumbria. But anybody in the world can join in.

Help us to transform the woodland of National Trust property Acorn Bank with thousands of woollen artworks, in support of the Campaign for Wool. We are inviting schools, groups, organizations and individuals to make and send in woollen artworks, made using any wool craft technique or woollen material. Absolutely anyone can get involved! This new project follows on from our 2011/12 ‘Join the FLOCK’ project, that saw over 5000 people sending in pom-pom sheep to form a giant art installation.
Woolen Woods.

Join the flock at the Woolfest Cockermouth
Inspired by a friend’s friend who had unraveled a home-knit and then knitted it into the most beautiful fine scarf I rifled through the local charity shop for wool this afternoon. But nothing turned up. At the very least I’d like to knit a spider and a butterfly for the woolly woods.

Yes, I champion such collective efforts, they bring people together. And I rather like the lone knitters who wrap up fences and lamp posts at dead of night with their home knits. Just why is that I wonder? Partly it brings me joy to encounter creative efforts freely shared, boldly displayed. And want to share that with you.

In this post titled A Joyful New Year on Field of Merit Rev. Alicia talks about joy. Doing that which brings joy. Perhaps I derive joy from others joy! Did anybody hear of Mudita one of the four sublime states? Mudita, sympathetic joy.