|
|
|
|
Bill's Blog - Monthly Summary
|
Hello! Here's a summary of my posts from the past month. I'm glad you're with me on the journey. My goal for this journey through life is to "wake up, remember and come alive," and help others do the same. So to that end, take what's helpful here and leave the rest! (Looking forward to reading some of your post comments as well.) |
Anonymous Survey...Can I ask for a favor? Please fill out this short ANONYMOUS survey about some online courses I'm creating. I'd love to get your feedback! Thanks! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CK89JPM |
Why Were You Not Zusya? There is a tale of a Hassidic rabbi named Zusya. He was a timid man, a man who concealed more than he revealed. One day Zusya stood before his congregation and he said: When I die and have to present myself before the celestial tribunal, they will not ask me, Zusya why were you not …
Read more. |
As If to Demonstrate an Eclipse (by Billy Collins) I pick an orange from a wicker basket and place it on the table to represent the sun. Then down at the other end a blue and white marble becomes the earth and nearby I lay the little moon of an aspirin. I get a glass from a cabinet, open a …
Read more. |
The Ride of Life. “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” - Hunter S. Thompson We might as well not play …
Read more. |
"Suppose you read about a pill that you could take once a day to reduce anxiety and increase your contentment. Would you take it? Suppose further that the pill has a great variety of side effects, all of them good: increased self-esteem, empathy, and trust; it even improves memory. Suppose, finally, that the pill is all natural and costs nothing. Now would you take it? The pill exists. It’s called meditation. "
Jonathan Haidt
Read more. |
The Vacation (by Wendell Berry) Once there was a man who filmed his vacation. He went flying down the river in his boat with his video camera to his eye, making a moving picture of the moving river upon which his sleek boat moved swiftly toward the end of his vacation. He showed his vacation to his camera, which pictured …
Read more. |
Relax (by Ellen Bass) Bad things are going to happen Your tomatoes will grow a fungus and your cat will get run over. Someone will leave the bag with the ice cream melting in the car and throw your blue cashmere sweater in the drier. Your husband will sleep with a girl your daughter’s age, her breasts spilling out of …
Read more. |
Your Breath. An average person takes 16 breaths a minute, 960 an hour, 23,040 a day, 8,409,600 a year. How many of those do we take for granted? Someday we'll take our last. What an important reminder to be aware to mindfully breathe, become present and enjoy our lives while we have breath. And some say not all breaths are …
Read more. |
Humor isn't for everyone?! “I realize that humor isn’t for everyone. It’s only for people who want to have fun, enjoy life, and feel alive.” Anne Wilson Schaef. Walking through a shop in Saugatak Michigan. My wife saw a card and tried to show it to me. Funny thing is, the print was so small I couldn't read it - needed …
Read more. |
Why I Wake Early (by Mary Oliver) Hello, sun in my face. Hello, you who make the morning and spread it over the fields and into the faces of the tulips and the nodding morning glories, and into the windows of, even, the miserable and crotchety– best preacher that ever was, dear star, that just happens to be where you …
Read more. |
Peony Buds. "'Peony hugging,' I think to myself as I move from clump to clump. Each place I become more aware of the hard and heavy buds. Their weight has already begun to bend the stems toward the ground. In a few days the blossoms will open, and they will be huge. The whole plant will groan. "I think of …
Read more. |
Let Down Your Bucket. It seems that there was a party of sailors who were shipwrecked and drifting in the Atlantic Ocean in an open rescue boat. They’d been drifting for several days, had run out of water, and were starting to suffer the agonies of thirst. They had no water to drink. It was scary and frustrating. ‘Water, water …
Read more. |
When grieving the loss of a dog - poems and reflections to help you grieve well. I put this together for those I know who are grieving the loss of one of their best friends. It's a hard truth to remember that we overcome not by walking around but through our pain, sadness and grief. As you read, reflect and weep may …
Read more. |
Our True Home is in the Present Moment (by Thich Nhat Hanh) Our true home is in the present moment. To live in the present moment is a miracle. The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now. …
Read more. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
