Soul Retreat 1.29.08

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"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground."
Rumi, a Sufi Poet.

I love this garden, it is one of the places that I go in my mind. I am not sure where it is , but I like to picture this is what Bali looks like, one of my favorite soul retreats. When it is bitter cold and frozen out, this is where you will find me.....or part of me.

*[Click the Title + George Micheal sings a beautiful Classic, that a friend sent me monthes ago.....it is soothing}*

Beautiful Snow Walk.....

"The basic teaching of Buddhism is the teaching of transiency, or Change. That everything changes is the basic truth for each existance" Shunruyu Suzuki

After last night....I am feeling hopeful...I think alot of people are...I feel Hopeful...and that Change is indeed Possible and that we can Embrace Change....No one can take that feeling away...No One.

It was finally finally above 20 degrees today....so I took Yellow Dog for a long walk...
She was so happy...dancing through the snow and sniffing with glee as the sun set...
The air was crisp and clean and the snow very white...almost blue.

While I was out walking I decided that I would fix her something Special...and for us too....
I had Dan Fogelberg in my head...his songs always remind me of snow, so Click the Title it's Wisteria.

Enigma Snow Chicken:
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Chicken Strips
Casserole bowl
Chicken Boullion ( 2 cups)
red grapes -Handful
tangerine oranges- 5
French Drsg. ( 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons honey mustard
10 cloves garlic
Cilantro Paste- 2 tsps.
One half diced red onion....
Sprinkle Ginger and nutmeg on top...

Throw it all into Dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes...It will smell heavenly..

Enjoy.....have a good sunday night.....

Aloha.....

I had a patient- Gary.....a long time ago....In Seattle...I used to go see him every Thursday....and we used to go sit in his car. He had a 1952 Buick. It was a thing of beauty, it would take your breath away. It looked like the car in this painting. Shiny royal blue and soft white leatherette. The Front Seat was a Sofa of comfort. We would do his vitals and the Blood Draw, and talk about his Disease, and then if it was a rainey gloomy day we would go to his garage, and he would turn on the Lights and the Music and we would sit in his car. The Back wall of the Garage was a beautiful Mural of the California Coast....of a Beach that was surfers dream....And then he would pick music to play on his bitching Sound system. That Garage was like something out of a movie. The Car itself was Heaven. Sometimes it was Surf Music, and sometimes The Boss, and sometimes Old Beach Boys.

We would sit and talk about Things, mostly I listened. I listened to his Broken Dreams, and What AIDS did to his life. His Traveling Days were over, and the Car was his escape, even for just a few minutes. His vision was fuzzy like a "Monet "Painting he would say. Hie Beautiful blue eyes did not reveal the Retinitis that had eaten his vision. But I also listened to his stories of his past, being a lawyer, his love of art, how he wanted me to tell his mom what was Wrong with him, would I look after his young lover when he was gone..... And when I would leave he would always stand in the door and say "Aloha" with a wave and a smile.

" Life is a Fine Ride. Share it with people, don't ever let it be lonely."

I arrived one Thursday, a cold wet January Day, and he was not there. So I went to the Hospital, and I stood in hall with the bag of Fresh Ginger Snaps and stared at his empty bed. He had died that morning....After coming the night before for breathing troubles.

" I don't like Goodbyes. They make me Cry". He had said. IT was why he always said Aloha.

He had bought the car, The Beauty, and restored it. It was made the year he was born. When he died he tried to Leave It to Me. "The Bessie". I gave it to his Lover, I could not keep such a Piece of Heaven......

**{{ CLick the Title : The Boss + Born to Run}}**

Someday We'll Know.....

Monday Night Music and Thoughts 1.21.08

Saturday Night Music 1.19.08

Ever have that moment where you meet another creature and you both surprise each other, catch each other completely off guard ? And for that one moment you both trust each other and are able to look each other in the eye ? Trust is a fragile thing, and so is faith, and you can not have one without the other. The Election process is actually amazing, because after all that we have been through....you would think people would be more reluctant to trust, but instead they are wanting to trust again...that is something....Amazing.

But for Trust to be rebuilt, there is one other piece that must be in place. The ability to move forward, to not be stuck in the pain and angst of these past seven years....

I have added the song Landslide to the Title, click it, it is a beautiful video. There is a moment in this video where Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks really look at each other, it is a moment of great tenderness and Forgiveness. For those of us that have watched them and listened to them for many years, it was very special....it was the moment that they really moved forward....forward enough to Make Music together....again. But she sings about Change, and Changes that we go through, and the song is also about Healing, and how the Changes don't just happen, until there has been some healing, it is a hard lesson as we get older......But the Changes Come....and what we do with Changes and how we embrace them is What Matters.

*{ Click the title : Fleetwood Mac + "Landslide" )*

Friday Night Music Post of 2007

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It has been a long week....a night to make Savory Soup....and play Free Rice...
Light some vanilla candles....and clove incense......
Have a good weekend...namaste

It is All in How you Look At It....

Sometimes it is just a Tree....and Sometimes it is Something More.....

More on King....The Last Speech

This past week, the Dialogue went in the Wrong Direction.....We need to Remember and Honor What and Who Matters in Our History.

This is Martin Luther King's Last Speech....it is prophetic.

The Bucket List....

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Am I the only one that lays awake at night and makes lists of things that I still want to do....I don't think so....I think that alot of people do it...Okay so name FIVE things on your Bucket List.....Just five...they can be small, it does not have to be grand.

Okay here are mine ( I have a long list....)
(1) Bali....just cuz...
(2) Going to the Asian Art Museum to drink tea
(3) Trekking in Nepal
(4) Watch the Bird Migration at Sanibel
(5) Do the Manatee Count in Florida with 6-6

Unity...

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Chinese Symbol for "Love"
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I hate that there is already friction.....sniping and that divisions are forming.
It seems like it is too soon for that to happen....but as always we are not really in control of this Chess Game on Steroids.
I just wish it wasn't this way....But I guess the main thing is that we are united to get the Bushco Machine OUT...
and that is all that matters....

Atleast Apathy has not settled in...

Have a good night. namaste.

Waiting for the World to Change....1.09.07

I think all of us are trying to ride this wave and see what happens. We want Someone that will Address ALL of the Big Issues, and there are many from Iraq to the Economy to Healthcare to Restoration of Justice. But we need to pace ourselves and do what we can to feel a part of the Election, because we all want Change....and it is hard to be patient after 7 years of Hell. Waiting for the World to Change....it is hard work.

Something Happening Here...1.07.07

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I was not going to Blog about Obama over on this blog....
But I have been so inspired....moved by these crowds...I found myself mesmerized , by the
numbers of people, and all kinds of people. The Media keeps saying that it is the just "Young People",
that is not totally true. The crowds are diverse, old, young, and all colors, and all levels of the social strata....
WE THE PEOPLE.....
This man is reaching and touching millions...he is Connecting.

This reminds me of another era.

I have had the Buffalo Springfield Song, "Something Happening Here" stuck in my head....all weekend..

( if you have time, do look at the Google Images "Obama+ Crowds"...it is breathtaking...)

Hope Weekend 1.5.07

I will be hanging out this weekend watching Cspan...working on the GED with 6-6....and throwing a whole bunch of HOPE to New Hampshire. That the Voters there to get to really get their Questions answered...that they connect with the Candidates. That the Repugs Make Mistakes.....That Edwards and Obama feel the love and respect that they need to move forward, that they know we don't want them sniping at each other.

Lets Have Some Hope....for the First Time in a long time...
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Song is "You Get What You Give" by the New Radicals. It is a GreenPeace ad ( it has some graphic parts in the beginning, but it is a Wonderful Video. I have been thinking about the Young People that made a difference in Iowa, they made a Huge Difference in Iowa. They are our Greatest Gift, we need to appreciate them more. They are making a difference. Anyways it is a very Inspiring Courageous Video, we can not have Hope without Courage.
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"This Whole Damn World could Fall Apart,
You'll be Okay, follow your Heart....
This World is gonna pull though,
Don't Give up,
We Only get What we give.
Don't be afraid to live".

New Years Day

Thank you all for coming by to wish me and 6-6 Happy New Years. We watched CNN, bad old movies, and some football ( ALL of my teams lost....every one...oye). Today we are hanging out and discussing the Caucus Process, because we really don't understand it. He is still pulling for Obama, and I am still rooting for Edwards. But bottem line, I need to keep reading on all of them. Awoke to Snow, and it snowed all day and all night, so I am sure we have more than a foot ? really windy and cold, 23 degrees..Heater is hanging in there, still making the Screaming Bird Noise....Stay warm and enjoy the music.

The Music today is Jackson Browne's "Hold On , Hold Out". As we are coming down the final monthes of the home stretch of this godawful wretched Criminal Administration, I find myself humming this song alot. We all need to hold on....and hold out.