Changing Places

$100 Brooks’ tennis shoes that correct my pronation: invaluable.

$8 sweater from the Cancer Society resale shop: a bargain. Jewelry created by Valerie Bailey, a friend who is a silversmith: priceless!

These are my luxuries…

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common – this is my symphony.” — William Henry Channing

“Real luxury is time and opportunity to read for pleasure”
– Jane Brody

“Luxury is the wolf at the door and its fangs are the vanities and conceits germinated by success. When an artist learns this, he knows where the danger is.” –Tennessee Williams

“I love luxury. And luxury lies not in richness and ornateness but in the absence of vulgarity. Vulgarity is the ugliest word in our language. I stay in the game to fight it.” — Coco Chanel

“A country where flowers are priced so as to make them a luxury has yet to learn the first principles of civilization”
– Chinese Proverbs

“The ultimate of being successful is the luxury of giving yourself the time to do what you want to do.”
– Leontyne Price

“Somehow we are going to have to develop a concept of enough for those at the top and at the bottom so that the necessities of the many are not sacrificed for the luxuries of the few.”
– Marian Wright Edelman

“Too many people in the modern world view poetry as a luxury, not a necessity like petrol. But to me it’s the oil of life.”
– John Betjeman

Photo courtesy Laughing Squid

A thousand people showed up in San Francisco last night for a massive pillow fight. Too fun…

Aww…..

Foto Pherret Wednesday

Self-Portrait Tuesday

Somniloquism

Too funny….

Dawn Gaskill, Abundance
Dawn Designs

Sun in heaven.
Abundance in great measure.
Supreme success
In the midst of impermanence.

The midday sun in summer is the hottest and brightest of all. It symbolizes a zenith, a fulfillment, a period of great brightness. In the affairs of people, it stands for the combining of strength and clarity, which yields brilliance. When the times are in accord, abundance cannot be opposed.

The period of abundance is a time for vigorous action. Bright light shines not only on the good but on the bad as well. Therefore, when evil is revealed, all good people must oppose it. Pluck in out by the roots and energetically promote the good.

Abundance is a cause for celebration, but followers of Tao also remember to be cautious. No zenith can be preserved forever. In fact, the time of abundance just precedes an inevitable path of decline. Nothing in life is permanent. Therefore, the wise person enjoys and is gladdened by abundance. But while they take advantage of the time, they also prepare for what will follow.

Deng Ming Tao, 365 Tao

The more you learn what to do with yourself,
and the more you do for others,
the more you will enjoy the abundant life.
— William J.H Boetcker

Happiness is not simply having material needs met. Thus, society has set up a system of rewards that go beyond material goods. These include titles, social recognition, status, and political power, all wrapped up in a package called self-fulfillment. Attracted by these prizes and goaded on by social pressure, people spend their short lives tiring mind and body to chase after these goals. Perhaps this gives them the feeling that they have achieved something in their lives, but in reality they have sacrificed a lot in life. They can no longer see, hear, act, feel, or think from their hearts. Everything they do is dictated by whether it can get them social gains. In the end, they’ve spent their lives following other people’s demands and never lived a life of their own. How different is this from the life of a prisoner or slave? . . .

In the short time we are here, we should listen to our own voices and follow our own hearts. Why not be free and live your own life? Why follow other people’s rules and live to please others?

– Yang Chu , Lieh Tzu

A psychology of abundance flows naturally from the Tao, the way of life. Moving from the unity of the Tao, from the experience of oneness with all of life, we receive the natural abundance of the universe with ease in a spirit of gratitude and joy. Thus, the energy flows freely in our lives, and we fulfill our innate destinies. Recognizing the innate power and dignity of all of life, we live in harmony with it and its natural cycles. Respecting our humanity above any outer goal or reward, we cultivate the sense of leisure and peace necessary to appreciate the beauty and order inherent in life, and thus, allow it to express itself through us in all we do….

While no individual can single-handedly change the global economic system, each of us can transform our own experience of abundance. Where once we saw lack, debt, and conflict, we can begin to see gifts, opportunities, and mutual support. We can each, in our own way, challenge the widespread belief that we live in a world of lack.

– Laurence G. Boldt, The Tao of Abundance Excerpt at Spiritwalk

“Not what we have, But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.” — Epicurus

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present — love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure — the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach

We went through several years of not having much money and being heavily in debt while my kids were small. I had made the decision to be home with them while they grew up, in part because I came across the phrase, “The work will come again, but childhood won’t.” I also went back to school to get my MBA, which added to our debt, but I needed to invest in myself, so we sacrificed other things. We didn’t have much money and at times it was stressful, but I felt blessed to be able to be there watching my kids grow up and furthering my education.

Now, we have plenty. And yet, we didn’t move up to that bigger house I had once imagined, we still drive the used cars we bought then, and while we’ve spent a bit of money to fix up this house, we haven’t made the choice to go deeper in debt and buy something bigger or fancier. What we learned while we were broke was that the things that were most important to us were not material things. What made our lives abundant was our family, our friends, and the feeling of taking care of what we had rather than abandoning it to pursue something else.

We had lack, and debt, and conflict – when you are struggling financially, it certainly creates conflict! But now, we do have gifts, opportunites, and mutual support. But we had to trust that those things would happen. We had to believe in ourselves and our ability to create abundance.

So if you are in abundance, celebrate. Stop stressing about what you lack and celebrate what you have. And if you lack something in your life, trust in yourself to be able to find it. Trust in those around you to help you find it, and ask for their help. If you have abundance, share it with others, don’t be selfish about giving, because what you give to others will return to you in ways you least expect.

Realize that when you have abundance, you can plant the seeds that will grow in the future. What seeds do you want to plant? What future do you want to leave for the next generation? Are the fancy toys or big house or car so important that you must have them now, or can that energy and abundance go to energizing the seeds of the future? Another quote that struck me in those difficult times was,

“One hundred years from now, it will not matter what your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove, but the world may be different because you were important in the life of a child.”

We reap the rewards of our harvest, but we also need to store some away to sustain us through the lean times that may be ahead and preserve some seeds to plant in the future as well. Only in that way can we sustain the abundance we enjoy today.

Namaste.

[ This is a repost of an old Tao posting of mine on Abundance from last August. Interestingly, I just ordered "The Tao of Abundance" on paperbackswap.com last week - talk about synchronicity!]

Lots more interesting statistics at this site, especially if you are a writer.

Para Publishing – Welcome to Para Publishing

Writers and Authors

81% of the population feels they have a book inside them.
27% would write fiction.
28% would write on personal development
27% would write history, biography, etc.
20% would do a picture book, cookbook, etc.
6 million have written a manuscript.
6 million manuscripts are making the rounds.
Out of every 10,000 children’s books, 3 get published.
–Jerrold Jenkins. 15 May 99.

http://www.JenkinsGroup.com

Who is Reading Books (and who is not)

One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Many do not even graduate from high school.

58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.

42% of college graduates never read another book.

80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.

70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.

57% of new books are not read to completion.
–Jerrold Jenkins.

http://www.JenkinsGroup.com

Most readers do not get past page 18 in a book they have purchased.

Via Swerve Left.

The Rambling Taoist: Revisiting Was Jesus A Taoist?

For the Taoist, spiritual peace is achieved by living a life of absolute child-like trust in the One beyond our ability to understand and comprehend; in a life of humility where good works are performed without the desire for recognition or ego-bulging praise; in a life of simplicity where “less is better”; in a life lived in spontaneity where we trust the Tao to provide and direct the course of the day’s events; and finally in a life of compassion toward others, allowing them to progress spiritually in their own time and way. Does this path sound familiar?

Indeed…..

One theory about artistic creation is that extraordinary artists come into this world with a different way of seeing… As the robustly sensuous painter Georgia OKeefe once said, “In a way, nobody sees a flower really, it is so small, we haven’t time — and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” What kind of novel vision do artists bring into the world with them, long before they develop an inner vision? That question disturbed Cezanne, as it has other artists — as if it made any difference to how and what he would end up painting. When all is said and done, it’s as Merleau-Ponty says, “This work to be done called for this life.”

– Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses

Almond M&Ms. Colorful and tasty, too! Happy Valentines Day to all tomorrow….

Almond M&Ms are part of my luxurious pampering for the week, as Julia has us thinknig of abundance. They give me a sense of feeling decadent, yet half of that decadence is really a healthy almond. Coated in just enough chocolate to feel indulgent. I savor them and can feel quite decadent with only a few.

1. Four wishes dreams and desires

1.) I wish I had a crowd of great friends to play with
2.) I dream of having a golden retriever ranch
3.) I desire to travel and see more of the world
4.) I desire to take a lot more art classes

2. Four Imaginary Lives

1.) Biotechnology engineer
2.) Singer
3.) Golden Retiever Ranch owner
4.) Cowgirl

3. Four things I should change

1.) Lose 30 pounds
2.) Have a studio
3.) Do more art
4.) Take more art classes

4. Four people I admire

1.) Teresa Heinz Kerry
2.) Kate McCavitt
3.) My father
4.) Georgia OKeefe

5. Four things I like about The Artist’s Way

1.) Reading all the great blogs in this community
2.) Seeing all the cool art everyone is doing
3.) Getting a sense of what is possible
4.) Being inspired to actually work on some art

6. Four things I still hope to get out of the Artist’s Way

1.) More connection to the Artistic Community
2.) A better sense of myself as an artist
3.) More great artist’s dates!
4.) More time to enjoy creating some more art

Now I am going to tag: Anyone who hasn’t done this exercise yet and would like to do it!

ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

They are nice to count when you have trouble falling asleep. Like sheep jumping over the fence in your mind, you can go: “Abramoff, Plame, Ohio rare coins, Katrina, illegal spying, The Governator, No Child Left Behind, Diebold, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo,…” I’m sure I forgot a few. None of these are of course as exciting as getting a blow job in the Oval Office, though all of them are much more serious.

Then of course you are wide awake, with your heart beating like that of a frightened wingnut fearing terrorists under the bed, and you have to get up. Except that most Americans don’t have this handly list for the insomniac moments, because so many media channels and writers are more interested in Dean’s scream and how the Democrats have no clear agenda. The “no clear agenda” point is like saying that it is you who are wrong when your temper-tantrum-throwing toddler threatens to burn the house down and you as the responsible parent point out that this might not be such a good idea. Only in America…

I often look at Republican voters like sheep, being led like dear little lambs to the slaughter. Honestly, if your income isn’t in the top two percent, you have no business voting for these people – they really couldn’t care less about your issues, only about increasing their wealth. The Bush family happens to specialize in making money off disasters, so they seemt o like creating them. It doesn’t matter what happens, they’ll find a way to get someone else to be blamed for it.

Well, only 40 percent of Americans left to wake up. But, I doubt most of those ever will. They’re too busy worriying about gay boogeymen jumping out of the closet at them.

Had a fabulous artist’s date today – went to the Mingei Museum, several art galleries and antique stores. It was way cool. Saw glass works by Dale Chihuly, wooden horses and lots of other cool stuff. It was… really wonderful.

My first attempt at scanner art. These are only a part of what is in bloom in my garden today. No, this is not a normal February – it was about 80 today in my part of San Diego! And dry… we are in La Nina – drought conditions this year, which means a huge fire season later on. But for now, we enjoy the flowers, the lovely weather, and the gloriousness of it all.

Sorry to be so quiet this week – there is a lot going on internally, and in my morning pages, but not a lot coming out yet. I’ve done very little art this week. I’m doing garden chores I normally don’t have to do this time of year, and just a lot of thinking things through. Sifting the bits in my head, deciding what to keep and what to toss, letting go of thoughts that just really aren’t doing me much good at all. Cleaning up, both mentally and physically.

Create your own Tartan pattern here!

Knock Knock // Daily Affirmations

Too fun. Since I never write my affirmations, maybe I need these.

The Rambling Taoist

A short time before he was assassinated, Mohandas Gandhi was asked what his most key message was. His answer was short, to the point and oh so eloquent. His response? “My life is my message”.

When we look back at the life Gandhi led, it’s quite easy to understand his statement. In fact, examining the lives of all sorts of leaders, celebrities and spiritual figures will net the same kind of result. Yet, too often, each of us fails to recognize that EVERY life is a message too. It doesn’t matter how seemingly important or unimportant a life is. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich and powerful or poor and impotent.

Our lives are OUR messages to the world.

It’s not so much how we each comport ourselves in so-called defining moments. It’s not how we each choose to react to glowing successes, dismal failures or unexplained tragedy. No, it’s housed in the more mundane aspects of every day existence.

It’s how we treat others when no one else is looking. It’s how we relate to Mother Nature. It’s how we think silently inside our heads before springing or not springing into action. It’s who we are day in and day out.

What is your message to the world?

My message to the world is to accept and embrace change, rather than being afraid of it. Fear of change creates so many problems in the world. We fear when we ourselves change, we fear when others change, we fear when conditions around us change. If we learn to simply embrace change instead, life becomes simpler and we become clamer, able to deal with people and situations around us more easily.

In the winter, I feed the birds and provide this bird bath so they are able to find food and water easily. In summer, I will still fill the bird bath, since conditions around me are usually dry, but I will not fill the feeder. This way, the birds eat bugs in my garden. It’s an easy and effective natural form of pest control.

When my children were small, I fulfilled many of their needs. Now that they are older, they must learn to be resonsible young adults. Somewtimes I remind them that they need to fulfill their responsibilities, and they get angry at me. Oh well. I don’t rescue them, they have to suffer the consequences of their actions now, whether it’s repeating a class or payin gmore for insurance since they didn’t keep up their good student discount. It’s hard to let them learn these lessons, but they will.

Our country is in trouble because those in power don’t want to accept the changing realities of the world. They think they can control and create reality the way they want it to be. Others don’t want to accept their reality and react to the conditions that are imposed upone them. If we had leaders who accepted and embraced change, as Ghandi did, we might learn that those we consider powerless are not so powerless after all. They do have ways and means to fight our reality if we don’t consider their needs, and they will.

In our personal lives, not being accepting of change leads to conflict. We don’t want to realize our friends have changed, our spouse has changed, our children grow and change, our work has changed, we have changed. Any of these things can trigger a major crisis. We age and the issues of getting older become problems for us. The realities of death create problems for us.

The simple fact is, life is about change. Our response to change determines whether or not we can be happy in life. Embracing the changes we encounter, accepting them, and working with those changes rather than against them is the secret to enjoying life. We will either flow with the stream of life, or standing in the current, yell against the flow until we are swept away. And woe to us if we try to actually swim against that current. We will only tire ourselves out and end up exhausted.

Embrace change, flow with it, and move with the pace of life. That is my message.

This is a great site that lets you recycle paperbacks you no longer want and also get new ones – for free! Very cool. I just signed up tonight and am already swapping two books and have requested two.

Oh, if you sign up, please use donna at woodka dot com as your referrer, and that way I get credit. Thanks!

http://www.paperbackswap.com/

Make your own word cloud here

With thanks to Jennifer….