I am the dark; I am the light

My dear Ohana (friends, family, and “strangers”),

I’ve been thinking about you and sending you loving vibes in hopes of drawing out what is hidden and forgotten within you, Love.

The months leading up to the US election were crazy, but have you ever been through an election that wasn’t? It’s just the way things are, or the proverbial nature of the beast. But here we are, on the other side of the sea. The sun still rises and sets. The Universe with all of us in it, still embraces the all in Unconditional Love. I trust you are doing well. 

Our friend sent me this precious poem the other day, How Dark The Beginning by Maggie Smith:

How Dark The Beginning

By Maggie Smith

All we ever talk of is light—
let there be light, there was light then,

good light—but what I consider
dawn is darker than all that.

So many hours between the day
receding and what we recognize

as morning, the sun cresting
like a wave that won’t break

over us—as if  light were protective,
as if  no hearts were flayed,

no bodies broken on a day
like today. In any film,

the sunrise tells us everything
will be all right. Danger wouldn’t

dare show up now, dragging
its shadow across the screen.

We talk so much of  light, please
let me speak on behalf

of  the good dark. Let us
talk more of how dark

the beginning of a day is.

I have been pondering on Smith’s poem since I got it, especially her envoi or closing message. Like a slow unveiling, this gradually came to me during my morning meditation moment in bed; that is, being still and quiet. I hope it gives you some peace and comfort as it did for me. Namasté.

I am the Dark; I am the Light

By Daniel Chow

Once upon a time

I feared the dark

My eyes could not see

Through the thickness of the dark

I filled in the dark

With my monkey mind

Like a projection in the dark theatre

I watched fictions unfold

Then one day, as the dark approached

I cowered not, I stood still

In silence, I observed how the light

Gracefully gave way to the dark

As the dark gracefully gave

Way to the light on the other side

Peace embraced my heart

It quietly spoke

Be still my beloved

It is only I

I am the Dark

I am the Light

Rest

Don't make yourself miserable with what is to come or not to come — Rumi

You may call me a Pollyanna, but you know what, this Pollyanna is, although annoyed and disappointed, is quite at peace. 

It’s not the end of the world. No one likes changes. Try living in a house that is under renovation! We like things to stay the same or “normal”, but…

“Normalcy is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.” — Vincent Van Gogh 

He wanted it, but we made him work for it. We did not hand this to him on a silver plater. This could be the first time in his life he actually worked for something! 

Will he have learned from his past mistakes and change his approach, such as surrounding himself with competent, wise, and knowledgeable people who he’ll actually listen to?

Meanwhile, everyone needs to stop behaving like modern-day Pharisees, judging and condemning, whining and crying about who has ever so slightly violated their cancel and woke culture ideologies.

Many decades ago, someone fittingly said this, 

Arguments don’t lead to truth because they stem from a confused and doubtful state of mind or ego.

People argue because they’re confused, think they’re more important than others, or want to force their opinions on others. But everyone has the right to their own thoughts and ideas, and no two humans are the same, so we all have different perspectives and paths in life.

I too am very unhappy with the outcome, and that’s okay. We’re only humans. Embrace it. 智慧 reminds me to be still, compassionate and patient. Easier said than done, but practice makes perfect! 

Ponder on these wisdom from Thích Nhất Hạnh

Fear of the unexpected leads many people to live a constricted and anxious life. No one can know in advance the misfortunes that may happen to us and our loved ones, but if we learn to live in an awakened way, living deeply every moment of our life, treating those who are close to us with gentleness and understanding, then we will have nothing to regret when something happens to us or to them. Living in the present moment, we are able to be in touch with life's wonderful, refreshing, and health-giving phenomena, which allow us to heal the wounds in our-selves. Every day we become more wonderful, fresh, and healthy.

And

If through mindfulness of the breath you generate harmony, depth, and calm, these will penetrate into your body and mind. In fact, whatever happens in the mind affects the body, and vice versa. If you generate peacefulness in your breathing, that peacefulness permeates your body and your state of mind.

Don’t allow yourselves to become like snowflakes. Yes I had my share of meltdowns! We’re humans. Let your heart guide you while you ride this next crazy wave. Ride it like a seasoned surfer, calmed and composed. When you’re in a mindful and meditative space, the crashing waves around you become like ripples. It is still a beautiful life. Hmm, does this remind you of a story from the New Testament? 🧘🏻🧘🏽‍♀️🧘🏼‍♂️

Stop squandering your energy on anger and judging other humans. Instead, be kind, tolerant, and compassionate to one another.

Join us and surf like a seasoned surfer.

智慧

Replacing old habits with New ones

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Koi, oil on panel, 12 by 16 inches (gifted)

Let’s encourage our kids (and even ourselves!) to make time for reading a good book. If we could habitually spend hours on our smartphones doom-scrolling, then we have time to read a good book. And if we habitually have the time and energy to come up with reasons and excuses for “I don’t have time,” then we indeed have the time and energy to read a passage or a chapter!

A few months back, I realized how much time I was spending (wasting) on the internet. So, I reasoned that if I could effortlessly and mindlessly spend hours on the internet, then I surely could do the same reading a good book! But mindfully, of course.

It’s been so refreshing and enlightening. I still doom scroll occasionally, but I no longer mindlessly let myself get sucked into the internet black hole.

If you haven’t, I encourage you try it for yourself. Replace your internet doom-scrolling habit with reading a good book (paper book, ebook, or audiobook). Depending on which genre you choose to read, it could be good for your mind and spirit. It’s funny that you could learn so much and still know so little, but at least you could be more knowledgeable and wiser than your previous self. Life is not a competition.

I’m a slow reader with a short attention span. It has been months since I began reading Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History Of Time, and I am almost midway through. But that’s okay, again, life is not a competition. Find your own balance.

So, here are a few interesting books that I have read or am reading:

• Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History Of Time 🔭🤓

• Matt Strassler’s Waves in an Impossible Sea (He also talked about wavicles, which Thich Nhat Hanh mentioned in one of his books.) 🔭🤓

• Dr. Farid Mostamand’s Rumi Teaching, A Guide To Self-Discovery And Personal Growth which gives insights into Rumi teachings on love, mindfulness, and meditation through his poetries 👍 🧘

• Thich Nhat Hanh’s books (Also on love, mindfulness, and meditation.) 👍🧘

• Haemin Sunim’s The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down 👍🧘

• Robert Frost’s poems (Sorry, I think this guy is depressing. I wonder what happened to him on his life journey as Robert Frost.) 🤷

• Carlo Rovelli’s Reality Is Not What It Seems 🔭🤓

• Paul Halpern’s Synchronicity (It’s not New Age, like Rovelli’s book, it is about quantum science.) 🔭🤓

• Tao Te Ching (My head hurts trying to understand what this Chinese philosopher is talking about.) 🤷

• Eknath Easwaran’s translation of and insights on The Bhagavad Gita, and his other books.

• Winnie the Pooh books. Of course! 🥰

I’m also reading Meggan Watterson’s book, Mary Magdalene Revealed, which I’m reading again. First two times in ebook format, and the third time in audio book format. 👍🧘

Occasionally, comic books too! 🛸👽🪐🚀