mother nature is a man and other observations..

It seems to me that so much pressure is put upon us to be happy. In practicing the philosophy of Buddhism, happiness is a goal to attain. We all go through periods of life when happiness is impossible to feel. I realize it is perfectly fine not to feel happy all the time. Perhaps if born with a cheery personality, the feeling of happiness is easy. People are trying so hard to be happy, that they feel guilty not being happy all the time. Then, there are others who relish in their unhappiness. I prefer to use the description content or OK, and that is perfectly OK. There is much that contributes to happiness that I live by. A glorious feeling, although somewhat illusive. My brother , a psychiatrist for over 50 years said” patients look for a happy pill.” There is no such thing, if they dislike their life…

Fortunately, I don’t need to lose weight. I have been eating healthy and doing yoga for over 35 years. What I would like to do is let go of some stuff. I live in a minimal contemporary setting with little or no clutter. What lurks are the things. Some I haven’t worn, some I will never wear, some I wear rarely, but they are part of me and I can’t part with them. I once designed a line of clothing called Sensuous Sweats. Casual very practical and timeless. I rarely if ever buy clothes, shoes, handbags etc etc. I have learned over the years to collect what I love, and go shopping in my closet. I think of myself as very low maintenance. If by some miracle, I met a new love, he would never have to buy me anything. The only wonderful luxury would be a woman masseuse to…

The holidays, any holiday, but there are holidays, and then there is a holiday season. The holiday season is what I’m addressing. It’s that time of year, when applying behavior modification has to be very strong. By that I mean, think only of what I am grateful for, and not my voids. Controlling your thoughts may be one of the most difficult emotional tasks. It can be done, but requires work and energy. A favorite quote of mine is from the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin… “One should become the master of one’s mind rather than let one’s mind master him.” The words certainly seem easy enough, putting them into action, not so easy..The investment of effort brings positive results. First I try not to go back into my other life when the holiday season was full of joy and excitement. Festivities galore, topping it all off with a very formal…

A little metaphor based on Rainbow Bridge.
You see them all over town. On the ground, in the subway, on the bus, on top of the mailbox, outside a taxi, inside a taxi. A single glove just sitting there all alone. Sometimes covered in dirt, rain, or snow. No match in sight. Sad little glove. Actually they come in all sizes and colors. So this is a story about a lost glove. I am giving this one a personality. The glove felt useless because it was no longer in use. Nobody wanted one glove. The little glove had nowhere to go, but be put in a drawer and not be used again. The little glove wondered how it’s match was lost, it happened so fast. On a lap perhaps and fell off when someone stood up, left on a counter, fell out of a pocket? Oh well, how much time…