Suffering And Compassion

“Suffering is whenever we realize we’re not in control.” -Richard Rohr, The Naked Now: Learning To see As The Mystics See “Compassion is our capacity to relate in a tender and sympathetic way to what we perceive. Instead of resisting our feelings of fear or grief, we embrace our pain with the kindness of aContinue reading “Suffering And Compassion”

View post to subscribe to site newsletter.

Moments And Meanings

“Time is not the sun going up and down. It is not a clock. It is not a calendar. Time is an eroding, infinite mystery. Time is, in fact, a son of a bitch.” -Preston Jones, playwright (Hat tip to my friend Summer for inspiring this post during during last night’s discussion of the playContinue reading “Moments And Meanings”

View post to subscribe to site newsletter.

Alive Time Vs. Dead Time

“If you’re just letting the time pass at your job, it’s just dead time and you’ll never get it back. If at that job you’re learning and you’re observing and you’re seeing about people and connections, it’s suddenly alive time.” -Robert Greene Vvivre Sans Temps Mort (Live Without Wasted Time) -1960’s French political protest sloganContinue reading “Alive Time Vs. Dead Time”

View post to subscribe to site newsletter.

Picked Or Produced?

Do you want your art to be picked? Or produced? I know, I know, you’d like both. Who doesn’t? Institutional validation is a powerful thing. And let’s face it, it’s far easier (and cheaper) if someone else does the heavy lifting of producing. The first question to ask…How important to you is this particular pieceContinue reading “Picked Or Produced?”

View post to subscribe to site newsletter.

Take Notice

“The greatest gift one can give is thanksgiving. In giving gifts, we give what we can spare, but in giving thanks we give ourselves.” -Brother David Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer “Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off whenContinue reading “Take Notice”

View post to subscribe to site newsletter.

“I Wish It Need Not Have Happened”

“The Master allows things to happen. She shapes events as they come. She steps out of the way and lets the Tao speak for itself.” –Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu (Tranlsation by Stephen Mitchell) “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do allContinue reading ““I Wish It Need Not Have Happened””

View post to subscribe to site newsletter.

When You Arise

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer hasContinue reading “When You Arise”

View post to subscribe to site newsletter.

For Want Of A Nail

“Among the maxims on Lord Naoshige’s wall there was this one: ‘Matters of great concern should be treated lightly.’ Master Ittei commented, ‘Matters of small concern should be treated seriously.” -Excerpt from Hakagure, The Book Of The Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Translated by William Scott Wilson “For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.ForContinue reading “For Want Of A Nail”

View post to subscribe to site newsletter.

Habitual Outcome

“Life is easier when you know what you want—but most people don’t take the time to figure out what they want. It’s not that we are completely lost, but our efforts are often slightly misdirected. People will work for years and ultimately achieve a lifestyle that isn’t quite what they were hoping for—often, simply, becauseContinue reading “Habitual Outcome”

View post to subscribe to site newsletter.