Mindful


 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Barbara Mattio

“Every day
I see or I hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me like a needle

in the haystack
of light.
It is what I was born for—
to look, to listen,

to lose myself
inside this soft world—
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant—
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations,
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself, how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these—
the untrimmable light

of the world
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?”
—Mary Oliver

This poem is taken from one of my favorite poetry books, “Dancing With Joy.” For me reading poetry is akin to meditation. It is slowly drawing up that long slow breath and holding it for those moments of balance, and then the slow gradual exhale. Then the energy begins to flow and you dance with the Divine.

Dancing With Joy; Photo by Barbara Mattio

Our Home Mother Earth


Well, yes I am writing again about our beloved trees and caring for Mother Earth. We have a responsibility to her and yet it is more than responsibility.
Mother Earth gives us our home and amazing beauty. If you love something, you need to care for it. Caring for our home is imperative or else she and we will die. There are a million things each of us can do, one simple thing is to plant a tree somewhere. The energy of trees is so tremendous and we need all of our growing things.

There is a very simple scientific principle which brings home the importance of our trees and flowers and gardens. When humans breathe we exhale carbon dioxide which plants and trees need. The trees and flowers and crops give off oxygen which we need to breath. It is a cycle that happens every second of every day. It takes no effort, except that we not cut down our rainforests and green areas. It is vital though to our existence.

“May our corner of the earth join us
in blessing the Lord
fruit-laden papayas, fig trees in bud
You, guavas, replete with promise,
bougainvillaeas of every color,
beans that twist and clamber,
tomatoes and all green vegetables
and you, fields of rice in the valleys,
O praise the marvels of the Lord!

And you, Bamboo, who own neither flower
nor fruits, sing a song of praise to the Lord,
for you are rich in other ways:
supple and lively, hold your head high,
yield before the storm, but do not break.
Your shoots, hugging to one another all close,
will confront the hurricane.
Then, when it’s passed,
lift up your head!
And if the typhoon sweeps you away,
let it carry you with it.
Someone will find you lying on the road
or maybe you will kindle a poor man’s fire
or be made into a balance pole
to ease Man’s burdens!

If need should arise, let yourself be split
into strips by the hand of a clever craftsman.
Thus you will become a mat or a basket,
a broom or a brush—-again, on demand,
let yourself be used whole, without hesitation,
to support the sail of a sturdy junk
or enable a fisherman to cast his net.

In you, Bamboo, some will seek inspiration
to guide their brush towards lines of beauty,
or make of you a flute or a pipe.
Let yourself be emptied of self that you may
sing a melody new.
Some may try to make of you a barrier
to separate people one from another
Then let your leafage vibrate with the rustle
or a call which will resound near and far
and invite them to live in unity and love!

—Translated from the French by Mary Rogers


Guy Bergstrom's avatarThe Red Pen of Doom

I try to stay away from politics on this silly blog. HOWEVER: government peoples in Iran just banned women from 77 different college degrees.

I am not making that up. Read the story here: Anger as Iran bans women from universities

Women are about 65 percent of college students now and the men who decided this new policy wanted to drop women below 50 percent. How? By making those degrees — including dangerous stuff like English literature — “single gender.”

Here are three reasons why that’s not wicked smart.

View original post 517 more words


silentlyheardonce's avatarsilentlyheardonce

FOR those who live in states THAT ARE NOT voter suppressed. Please make sure you know where your polling places are. The notices were sent out in Queens, NY 2-3 weeks ago. My polling place has been changed. The GOP knows that they WILL NOT WIN FAIR AND SQUARE SO THEY ARE CHEATING AND USING CHEAP TRICKS. They are betting that you will not notice the change. Go to the wrong polling place, get frustrated and not vote. DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO WIN THIS WAY. Call or go on-line to check your polling place with your local board of elections. I’m sure these changes were made to prevent the overcrowding that occurred in 2008. Just be aware.

This election campaign is disgusting. The open racism is horrible. I’ve heard people who support the GOP say they are not racist but believe POTUS is not doing a good…

View original post 1,212 more words


Tea Party Slayer's avatarTea Party Slayer

# 5. Seniors Already Have Choices:

Although Medicare is often regarded as a monolithic system, it’s actually already evolved into the type of competitive system that voucher advocates say they want. Seniors have choices about what sort of health-care coverage they desire. Medicare enrollees today may choose from an average of 24 plans, including 10 health maintenance organizations, in addition to traditional Medicare.

 

#4. Spending Measures Have Already Been Taken That Will Help Seniors:

Significant measures have already been taken to reduce the future growth of Medicare spending. Under Obamacare, the formula that governs payments to health-care providers was changed to reduce outlays significantly—about five hundred billion dollars over ten years. Their impact will be very noticeable to the benefit of seniors. Using numbers from the Congressional Budget Office, Medicare premiums, currently estimated to be 11 percent lower than private insurance premiums for the same benefit package, will be about 30 percent lower by the end of the next decade. Ironically…

View original post 277 more words

Pampering Yourself


“Self-nurture is not about being selfish. It is about self-care.”
—-Alice D. Domar PHD

Yes, I am advocating self-pampering. For men or women, small steps of pampering yourself may feel wrong or frivolous. In 2012, we run from one task to another. We race through the day giving everything little pieces of ourselves. We spend most of our lives burnt out and empty. This is not the way The One wants us to experience this life. We are drowning in deadlines, insomnia, bills, politics, stress eating and kids breaking curfew. We almost need to be long distance sprinters.

Athletes have something we do not have. They have trainers and sports medicine and adoring fans. They lack our total exhaustion, feeling unappreciated, unsatisfied with life in general. This is a sure way to lose touch with ourselves, some people don’t even know who they are. They are fractured and left with nothing to give because they have nothing left inside. Society encourages and rewards us when we ignore the signs and symptoms that we need nurturing too. Pushing through, giving it all to your team or manager ends up making us sick. Being sick just pushes the circle around again.

Pampering is recuperative. It feeds the soul. It encourages the pleasant, happy, interesting and caring person inside to come out again. Being on vacation is good because you begin to get your balance back. You regain your spontaneity and flexibility. If it is raining, you read a book. If you are tired, you take a nap. You grin more often and choose to walk instead of taking the stairs or elevator. The strident, pushy, irritable you has gone and you actually like who you are. Pampering in this spirit is essential for human beings to maintain their joy and bliss. Sometimes, you just need to turn away from the needs of the world until you have regained your balance. You are now promoting your own physical and emotional health.

 

I like to rub my temples with an essential oil, and to keep a fragrant sachet under my pillow at night. I also use a sound machine when I can’t turn off my mind and sleep much deeper and awake refreshed. So remember self-pampering is medicinal and necessary for the well-being of our lives.

Sculpture garden, Windsor, Ontario Photo by Barbara Mattio

Praise


Hibiscus by Stephanie and Photo by Barbara Mattio

” Blessed sister, holy mother, spirit of the fountain,
spirit of the garden,
Suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still
Even among these rocks.
Our peace in his will
And even among these rocks
Sister, mother,
And spirit of the river, spirit of the sea.
Suffer me not to be separated
And let my cry come unto Thee.”
——–T.S. Eliot

Photo by Barbara Mattio

“Lord, make this world to last as long as possible.”
—-Prayer of an eleven year old child,
on hearing of Sino-Indian border fighting.

Mellow Yellow Monday All Day


Sunflower grown by my daughter, Elizabeth. Photograph by Barbara Mattio

Wild Geese

“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—-over and over announcing your place in the family of things.”

————-Mary Oliver

Life is not a Hallmark card and there are times we get to the edge of the cliff. We are weighed down with grief, loss, confusion and feel lost. The entire world is looking for us. We have much to live for and we need to immerse ourselves in the full experience that is awaiting us. Our humanity is what is waiting and we can walk tall and respond to the call of the world.

This human life is frail and we miss many simple acts of kindness and compassion. There are days when someone speaking kindly to us at the bookstore is what gets us through. So I believe that each day that is not a struggle for us is a day for random acts of kindness. The thoughtful gesture, the person who looks us in the eyes and really “sees” us, the brush of a hand, a human hand that reminds us we do really exist. Be the stranger who reminds someone that they are part of the human family.

Photo by Barbara Mattio