Category Archives: Teachings

Dying Meticulously

Dying Meticulously, those two words together say so much don’t they. Sorta connected to the post Giving It Up. This poem came in an email along with the sentiments at the end of this post. Published with permission.

BUSY WITH MANY JOBS

Busy with very urgent jobs
I forgot
one also has
to die

irresponsible
I kept neglecting that duty
or performed it
perfunctorily

as from tomorrow
things will be different

I’ll start dying meticulously
wisely optimistically
without wasting time

Tadeusz Rozewicz

Dying and being born WHILST doing urgent jobs very thoroughly is living I guess.

It’s really difficult. I struggle to sit regularly on my bench. I’m better at sitting in my head, in between doing urgent jobs – sometimes.

Dear Good Friend,
Very many thanks for the poem and the insight about living. Like it. I’m tempted to say give up the struggle and sit anyway – Uh! guess I said it.

Giving It Up

This morning. Half awake. Half asleep. Caught in that in between time. Half formed thoughts flowing on from a conversation yesterday. We were talking of the difference between giving up in the way one does which is looking down. And giving up in the way of giving up while looking up. Give it up. That’s what I came to, half awake/half asleep this morning. Give it up means giving up while looking up.

My early training would be full of instructions to let it go, offer it up. To be honest such instructions seemed to paralyze rather than move me on. Now give it up speaks more clearly of how it is. Not the giving up of despair more….let me think now…..more that giving is center stage, gratitude is center stage. Not that I think grateful thoughts all day long. Such thoughts hardly come up at all. Giving it up has a powerful connotation, for me, of release. Of release into activity. No namby pamby (which was the younger me) will I won’t I. Ought to. Should do.

Increasingly I find myself at a loss. Lost in the labyrinths of words when words, bless ’em, are what we have. Lost without them, lost with them. But let’s not get into that trap. The lost, tired, where am I and what’s to do thoughts are common to all. They, such thoughts, are the trap. Or can become so. They call out, come wrap yourself up in what you know, wrap yourself up so warm and cozy so even your eyes can no longer see, your ears can no longer hear. And you can no longer move or speak.

If all you think you know
Is all you know
And that uncomfortable/comfortable knowing
Has you wrapped up all warm and cozy…

Then, literally
Open your eyes
Allow what is there
To be there
Literally.

Beyond your eyeballs
Behind your eyeballs
Where is the boundry?
Give up – look up!

There is then, nothing more than this…it is enough.

Well, this might work for a handful of readers. And if it does great, and if it doesn’t don’t worry. Look out for your wisdom as it races past you. Follow it knowing it is not yours to hold and keep. Give it up!

No Pressure!

Adrienne has been mardy. A friend (gosh who could that be?) has been, apparently, applying pressure on her to write. So she has written, about responding to pressure, in a post titled Too Much Pressure?

Don’t worry, I am no pushover. When this pressure was being applied I didn’t just cave in and comply. I recognise an attempt to undermine my status quo when I see/hear one. I had an immediate up-rush of resistance to defend my position. If anyone out there understands the term Mardy then I was the embodiment of being in that state. Internally I was stamping my feet, good and proper!

Now I happen to know that Jim has an animal rescue story up his sleeve and Andrew is bound to have something cooking, literally or figuratively.

No pressure!

Rattling In The Boot

Gotta rattling in the boot (trunk). It’s heavy, it’s big (and very very useful). But. It is getting late, getting dark, temperature’s dropping. Driving on, driving.

It’s heavy. The neighbour will lift it. I’m fairly sure the neighbour will lift it. Take it to the kitchen. I’m so happy to have it. Of COURSE the neighbour will lift it.

Nope. No one in. Nobody to lift it.

I lifted it. Carried it. Took it to the kitchen. What is it? A microwave oven!

There is an ever present rhythm in us. Beating out it’s beat. It’s with us constantly but sometimes it misses beats, flutters, speeds up, slows down. And sometimes stops – then starts again. Heart beat. Breathing beat. Waking, sleeping, walking beat. Rhythms. For the most part they go unnoticed until they change, or are changed. Or the presence of rhythm is heard. How did I miss the beat!

This post is for all those very many people, some I know, who every day do not know if there will be another one when they close their eyes.