smilecalm

Category: “Thich Nhat Hanh”

  • Volunteer Presence Season

    Serena felt well enough to be wheeled out & sit on the porch on this warm, pleasant October day. “Do you know what season this is”, she asked? “It’s autumn now”, I said. “No, this is winter, it’s my winter”, she seemingly scoffed. This hospice volunteer smiled and said, “it can be any season you…

  • Celestial Meditative Healing

    Lately contemplating overwhelming, personal headaches, body-aches and heartaches, while sitting out late at night under real dark, new moon skies. Imagining navigating difficulties by stars, just like our curious ancestors. My dilemmas bearing down as well as those facing all living beings seem less imposing against a background of the universes countless stars. Was that…

  • You, Me, the Sea

    From this glowing long-cycle’s sweat. To these lines from sadness’ dried saline tears To this semen which has produced nothing yet. To drops of blood from actions taken in anger or fear. Even millions of years after ancestors evolved from the sea. Still the sea’s salty currents flow all throughout me. The bells of mindfulness…

  • No Barriers of the Heart

    Mountains, oceans, deserts & more; Mother Nature’s gifts of geographic diversity. Over time, ancestors found ways of overcoming challenging barriers and experiencing personal discoveries. Yet for all their seemingly impressive conquests many failed to find a most precious treasure; true happiness of their heart. Looking for happiness, contentment & love out there, somewhere; maybe it’s…

  • Traffic Cone Cycle Slalom

    Been hurt going too fast finally has slowed me down. Yet, even moving slowly, no faster than I can pedal, seemingly unavoidable obstacles hinder otherwise graceful momentum. Hints of road rage become bells of mindfulness to momentarily pause, breathe calmly & smile. Upon remembering I’m alive & well, compassion is borne for myself & others…

  • Mindfulness Sweetens Our World

    How wonderful that it is now raining in Northern California. From Native Peoples I’ve lived with, especially Hopi, I learned to express deep gratitude I feel for rains, which sustain all life. These current rains here are blessing us with clean air to breathe and putting out the devastating wildfire. Thank you land ancestors for…

  • Solemnly Remembering Paradise

    Remembering that time when my journey landed me upon a special high forested mountainside, inhabited, mostly, with friendly older folks, who called the place Paradise. Perhaps you can remember being in such a pleasant place, yourself. Hadn’t thought about Paradise for such a long time (several hour drive there) until the other day when darkness…

  • We Are the Mural

      Speaking for myself, for the longest time youthful buttons pressed, some even before childhood, seemingly pushed me, chronically; to keep on truckin’ passed supposedly known, or otherwise misperceived, colorful, ordinary backgrounds. Many difficulties later, after training to stop, then, many more times stopping; to be less busy, I obtained glimpses of spaciousness-yielding freedom. Lots…

  • Calmly Camped ‘tween Falls & Firestorm

    Heading north, out on a joyful camping holiday picturing grandparents motoring west, seeking refuge & religious freedom from repression, they experienced back east. Ahh, to encounter Volcanic Legacy Byway’s free-flowing, free-falling waters high in rugged, forested northern California between tranquil Shasta & Lassen volcanoes. Experiencing freedom ancestors sought. After wonderfully blissful, but hot forest days…