We ate lunch out today, at a Thai restaurant that just recently opened in our town. It was a wonderful experience -- the food was well prepared, well seasoned, and well presented, the service was great and the atmosphere was pleasing.
The food. Fresh well treated ingredients, carefully cooked and with every flavour just right to sing in the mouth. The classic Thai trio of sweet sour and salty was in full play.
Good food is a pleasure in it's own right, but the happiness it gives me goes beyond the pleasure of the physical. I enjoy understanding my food - knowing why the broccoli is that particular shade of pure brilliant emerald green, why the tiny clams are ruffled along the edges, why they are tiny. I enjoy seeing high quality ingredients cooked with care and respect so that they shine with their own qualities.
To know my food, and to know that it is well cooked, and that the person cooking it knew it, and knew how to cook it well, and did so.
Good food makes me happy.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
On Today
Today my daughter called me from the other room to come look at the "most beautiful sunset I ever saw".
Today my daughter and I sat and talked together while watching the sun set.
Today we sat at the table all together for lunch, said a blessing over our food, and ate and talked together.
Today I organized all the tea in my tea cupboard, and put out the tea bags in a colourful wicker basket on the counter.
Today is a good day.
Today my daughter and I sat and talked together while watching the sun set.
Today we sat at the table all together for lunch, said a blessing over our food, and ate and talked together.
Today I organized all the tea in my tea cupboard, and put out the tea bags in a colourful wicker basket on the counter.
Today is a good day.
Monday, December 25, 2006
The Contradiction of the Orange.
This time of year I bake with oranges a lot. Oranges are in season, plump and juicy and fragrant. I enjoy the meditative chopping of orange peel for candying, and the spray of oil from the peel of a fresh orange. I love the taste. And the scent of an orange stuck with cloves hanging over the stove...
Oranges fulfill my winter need for sunniness, glowing in the glass bowl on the table, perfuming my kitchen, swirling zesty through the center of the saffron orange sweet buns on Yule morning.
It bemuses and pleases me that this sun-ripe citrus is at its best in the darkest coldest times. It is a coincidence of place and palate that never fails to make me smile.
Oranges fulfill my winter need for sunniness, glowing in the glass bowl on the table, perfuming my kitchen, swirling zesty through the center of the saffron orange sweet buns on Yule morning.
It bemuses and pleases me that this sun-ripe citrus is at its best in the darkest coldest times. It is a coincidence of place and palate that never fails to make me smile.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
On Today
Today I have created some order out of some chaos. Today I have read poetry to my daughter. Today I have filled my kitchen with the scent of oranges and cranberries as I bake. Today I have rested. Today I have knit, making progress on a hat that will warm my husband in the cold.
Today is a good day.
Today is a good day.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
On Illness
Illness imposes luxury on us - the luxury of sleep, of sunlight across the bed at hours we are normally up and busy. The luxury of being cared for - brought toast made by a child, given a cold drink that someone went out and got just for you. The luxury of time to think slowly - indeed, illness often forces us to think slowly by stealing away the energy needed for panic and worry.
I am never happy to be ill, but I find that it isn't not impossible to be happy while ill.
I am never happy to be ill, but I find that it isn't not impossible to be happy while ill.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Five things
Sun hot tomatoes
the scent of lemon
knitting quietly at night
friendship
chamomile tea at bedtime
the scent of lemon
knitting quietly at night
friendship
chamomile tea at bedtime
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Harvest
The first harvest of tomatoes is in - five twee cherry tomatoes, three yellow and two red.
The deliciousness of summer distilled into a single sweet explosive bite.
Today is a good day.
The deliciousness of summer distilled into a single sweet explosive bite.
Today is a good day.
Happiness
I believe that there are two kinds of happiness -- a deep soul happiness that allows you to live with quiet contentedness even through the hard times, and a welling joy that is most often lured out by outside events.
When you have that deep soul happiness, it is much easier for that welling joy to appear in your life.
I think that often people become confused, and believe that the welling joy is the only kind of happiness there is. Perhaps because the deep soul happiness is so rare that we do not know how to recognize it.
When you have that deep soul happiness, it is much easier for that welling joy to appear in your life.
I think that often people become confused, and believe that the welling joy is the only kind of happiness there is. Perhaps because the deep soul happiness is so rare that we do not know how to recognize it.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
On Today
Today the first tomato came in. Today I made tabouli, a food I love beyond reason or speech to tell.
Today my daughter snuggled on my lap under a gaudy neon sunset and we sang 'Well done, Sister Suffragette' to each other.
Today I have played, and worked, and taught, and learned and laughed.
Today is a good day.
Today my daughter snuggled on my lap under a gaudy neon sunset and we sang 'Well done, Sister Suffragette' to each other.
Today I have played, and worked, and taught, and learned and laughed.
Today is a good day.
Friday, July 21, 2006
On Today
Today has been a good day.
Today I have celebrated, today I have worked, today I have played. Today I have finished a piece of knitting. Today I have floated in the scent of tomato and read sweet words. Today I have prayed.
Today is a good day.
Today I have celebrated, today I have worked, today I have played. Today I have finished a piece of knitting. Today I have floated in the scent of tomato and read sweet words. Today I have prayed.
Today is a good day.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Faith
My soul sings with Her today, and I am glad.
The sun is hot, the tomatoes perfume the air where I sit, words that have long been nothing but writing to me glow with meaning again.
I was once was lost, but now am found.
Such joy, to feel again what I once felt, to know again what I once knew.
The sun is hot, the tomatoes perfume the air where I sit, words that have long been nothing but writing to me glow with meaning again.
I was once was lost, but now am found.
Such joy, to feel again what I once felt, to know again what I once knew.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Tomatoes
My great tomato jungle is growing well this year. Already there are some tomatoes as large as my fist on the the plants - and many many little ones.
I love the heat, and the prickliness of the feel of the plants, and the scent.
I love the heat, and the prickliness of the feel of the plants, and the scent.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
On Yesterday
Yesterday I wrote.
Yesterday I took joy in writing, and in cooking, and creating. Yesterday I loved, and was loved.
Yesterday was a good day.
Yesterday I took joy in writing, and in cooking, and creating. Yesterday I loved, and was loved.
Yesterday was a good day.
Friday, July 14, 2006
On Yesterday
Yesterday I worked, and played, and cooked.
Yesterday I took joy in food, and in laughter, and in love. Yesterday I loved and was loved.
Yesterday was a good day.
Yesterday I took joy in food, and in laughter, and in love. Yesterday I loved and was loved.
Yesterday was a good day.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
On Yesterday and the Day Before, and the Day Before That.
Recently I have had joy in busyiness.
These days have been good days.
These days have been good days.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Alone
I love solitude. To be alone with myself, free to think what I think without interruption or distraction.
Monday, July 10, 2006
On Yesterday
Yesterday I had joy in creation, in experimentation, in solitude and in loving my daughter.
Yesterday was a good day.
Yesterday was a good day.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Heat
Heat is
sun on the water in August
the last quarter mile of the race
the steaming tea
a deep tub in winter
the alchemy of cooking
passion of the body and mind
chilies in soup
sun on the water in August
the last quarter mile of the race
the steaming tea
a deep tub in winter
the alchemy of cooking
passion of the body and mind
chilies in soup
Saturday, July 08, 2006
On Craft.
I prefer the word craft to skill. Skill implies a degree of sameness to what you do. Craft implies a depth of knowledge.
Skill is knowing the proper grammar - craft is knowing when not to use the proper grammar.
Skill is knowing how to make a knit stitch - craft is knowing when to use a knit stitch.
Skill is knowing how to boil an egg - craft is knowing how to season a boiled egg.
Talent lies somewhere beyond skill and craft -- to be talented is to have an intuitive grasp of the principles of a skill and it's craft. Talent can, on occasion, cover for a lack of skill and craft - excellent skill and craft can, on occasion, cover for a lack of talent.
If skill is lamp, and craft our technique in lighting it, it is our talent that decrees how brightly it burns.
Skill is knowing the proper grammar - craft is knowing when not to use the proper grammar.
Skill is knowing how to make a knit stitch - craft is knowing when to use a knit stitch.
Skill is knowing how to boil an egg - craft is knowing how to season a boiled egg.
Talent lies somewhere beyond skill and craft -- to be talented is to have an intuitive grasp of the principles of a skill and it's craft. Talent can, on occasion, cover for a lack of skill and craft - excellent skill and craft can, on occasion, cover for a lack of talent.
If skill is lamp, and craft our technique in lighting it, it is our talent that decrees how brightly it burns.
Pleasure
Warmth when you are chilly.
A cool breeze on a hot day.
The taste of lemon.
The scent of garlic.
The feel of a silk skirt.
The hand of a soft wool.
Walking in the scent of roses on a hot day in early June.
Lovers hands braiding my hair.
A cool breeze on a hot day.
The taste of lemon.
The scent of garlic.
The feel of a silk skirt.
The hand of a soft wool.
Walking in the scent of roses on a hot day in early June.
Lovers hands braiding my hair.
Friday, July 07, 2006
On Today
Creation. Play. Work. Restful sitting. Playground rescuing. Experimentation. Cooking. Tea.
Today is a good day.
Today is a good day.
Five things.
Tea, traditional. The gentle ritual of choosing and blending the leaves, warming the pot, boiling the kettle, steeping.
Tea, chanoyu. The deeply peaceful action of measuring the tea, boiling the water, whisking the tea, sipping the deep emerald brew.
Writing with a fountain pen. The smooth almost silky flow of ink, the way the writing just floats off the nib onto the paper. The fiddly care of soaking and wiping nibs, refilling and replacing cartridges.
Knitting with wool. The scent of lanolin and the soft fluffy feel of the yarn moving through my fingers, around the smooth bamboo needles.
Cooking. The alchemy of fire and time tranforming the raw to cooked, the sharp to mellow deliciousness.
Tea, chanoyu. The deeply peaceful action of measuring the tea, boiling the water, whisking the tea, sipping the deep emerald brew.
Writing with a fountain pen. The smooth almost silky flow of ink, the way the writing just floats off the nib onto the paper. The fiddly care of soaking and wiping nibs, refilling and replacing cartridges.
Knitting with wool. The scent of lanolin and the soft fluffy feel of the yarn moving through my fingers, around the smooth bamboo needles.
Cooking. The alchemy of fire and time tranforming the raw to cooked, the sharp to mellow deliciousness.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
On Today
Today I have taken joy in the feeling of soft wool yarn. Today I have had joy in silence, and in listening to my daughter singing. Today I have taken joy in popcorn.
Today I have worked, and played, and created. Today I have loved, and been loved.
Today has been a good day.
Today I have worked, and played, and created. Today I have loved, and been loved.
Today has been a good day.
Silence
Silence is
the calm quiet of the early morning
the choice to turn off noisy electronics
listening instead of talking
remembering to say nothing when you can't say something nice
a warm scented bath lit only by a candle in the next room
Silence is soothing.
the calm quiet of the early morning
the choice to turn off noisy electronics
listening instead of talking
remembering to say nothing when you can't say something nice
a warm scented bath lit only by a candle in the next room
Silence is soothing.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
On Today
Today I have taken joy in experimentation, in smoked meats, in the cokong of rice. Today I have taken joy in creation, and in exploration. I have read, worked, played, loved, taught, learned.
Today I have knit in the sunshine with the wind on my shoulders under a blue sky while my daughter played laughing on the grass. Today I have seen the baby tomatoes and smelt tomato plant smell on my hands.
Today has been a good day.
Today I have knit in the sunshine with the wind on my shoulders under a blue sky while my daughter played laughing on the grass. Today I have seen the baby tomatoes and smelt tomato plant smell on my hands.
Today has been a good day.
Miscellany
sun on tomatoes
length on a scarf, knitting growing daily
tea - always tea
conversation with a like mind
chilled white wine on the 4th of July
fireworks
length on a scarf, knitting growing daily
tea - always tea
conversation with a like mind
chilled white wine on the 4th of July
fireworks
Monday, July 03, 2006
Rhythm
I want in life
the insistent rhythm of Frost's
Snowy Evening
Each day a sweep
of easy wind and downy flake
like poetry
fit to my life
and my life fit to it in patterns lovely
and dark and deep
- not habit, nor routine, nor schedule
Rhythm
the insistent rhythm of Frost's
Snowy Evening
Each day a sweep
of easy wind and downy flake
like poetry
fit to my life
and my life fit to it in patterns lovely
and dark and deep
- not habit, nor routine, nor schedule
Rhythm
Sunday, July 02, 2006
On Today
Today I have taken joy in rice, and in the fresh scent of newly dried clothes, and in knitting. Today I have taught, and learned, worked and played.
Today I have loved, and been loved, and known peace.
Today is a good day.
Today I have loved, and been loved, and known peace.
Today is a good day.
On Work.
Work pleases. To create something is deeply soothing and satisfying at the same time, when work is undertaken for it's own sake.
Work need not oppress, depress or repress the worker. It can be a avenue of spiritual growth and solace, an expression of creativity and passion, and the home of joy.
Work is a good thing. I do not know why our culture has forgotten this.
Work need not oppress, depress or repress the worker. It can be a avenue of spiritual growth and solace, an expression of creativity and passion, and the home of joy.
Work is a good thing. I do not know why our culture has forgotten this.
Mise En Place
First you review your recipe - do I have everything I need in sufficient quantity? Do I have the proper tools ready and at hand?
Then one gathers. The sieve is in the dishwasher - get it out. The bowl is in the cupboard. The pot is dirty - wash it. I will need six spoons, but have only two - have the basin filled with soapy hot water for washing them.
Then measuring, and preparing - two cups of chopped potatoes, one stalk of celery, chopped. A tablespoon of salt. Each thing called for made ready and set out.
Then I am ready. Then, can I cook.
Mise en place of the mind is more difficult. How does one know what the recipe is? What the ingredients? What preparations are required for a day? For a lifetime?
Then one gathers. The sieve is in the dishwasher - get it out. The bowl is in the cupboard. The pot is dirty - wash it. I will need six spoons, but have only two - have the basin filled with soapy hot water for washing them.
Then measuring, and preparing - two cups of chopped potatoes, one stalk of celery, chopped. A tablespoon of salt. Each thing called for made ready and set out.
Then I am ready. Then, can I cook.
Mise en place of the mind is more difficult. How does one know what the recipe is? What the ingredients? What preparations are required for a day? For a lifetime?
What I Like
I like
early mornings
hot tea
green scents
music
fountain pens
knitting
embroidery
writing
reading
the color blue
handkerchiefs worn in the hair
flowers on the table
placemats
tomatoes
early mornings
hot tea
green scents
music
fountain pens
knitting
embroidery
writing
reading
the color blue
handkerchiefs worn in the hair
flowers on the table
placemats
tomatoes
Saturday, July 01, 2006
On Today
Today I saw a single huge orange blossom in a pumpkin patch. Today I knit. Today I steeped coffee beans in cream for a custard.
Today I have taken joy in unexpected lonely orange. Today I have had joy in sitting by the pool watching my daughter swim. Today I have taken joy in creation.
Today I have loved, and lived well, and played, and been loved.
Today is a good day.
Today I have taken joy in unexpected lonely orange. Today I have had joy in sitting by the pool watching my daughter swim. Today I have taken joy in creation.
Today I have loved, and lived well, and played, and been loved.
Today is a good day.
Creation
Out of nothing - something.
Out of chaos - order.
Out of tangles - skeins.
Out of fevered dreams - tales.
Out of heat and raw things - food.
Out of meditation - serenity.
Out of observation - wisdom.
Out of writing - peace.
Out of chaos - order.
Out of tangles - skeins.
Out of fevered dreams - tales.
Out of heat and raw things - food.
Out of meditation - serenity.
Out of observation - wisdom.
Out of writing - peace.
Friday, June 30, 2006
The Search for Delicious
Delicious is
grape leaf rice
homemade lemonade
hot sweet tea
perfectly cooked beans
cranberry pudding
thai iced coffee
Jane Austen's sense of humor
Chopin's music
chilled white wine on the fourth of July
and of course
a cold glass of water when you're very very thirsty.
grape leaf rice
homemade lemonade
hot sweet tea
perfectly cooked beans
cranberry pudding
thai iced coffee
Jane Austen's sense of humor
Chopin's music
chilled white wine on the fourth of July
and of course
a cold glass of water when you're very very thirsty.
Pu Erh
Pu Erh tea is unique. Like lapsang souchong, it's a tea you either love or hate.
There is no middle ground with a tea that smells like manure.
It's flavor is very rich and earthy - some people call it winy, but those people are also usually paying through the nose to buy pu-erh's that are years upon years old. While dark in color and usually sold with black teas, it is not techinally a black tea, having it's own unique processing.
Pu Erh tea is considered medicinal in Chinese medicine, and there is some scientific evidence supporting this - particularly suggesting that pu erh consumption can help reduce cholesterol levels. Anecdotally, I can offer my personal experience and opinion that a strong cup of pu erh tea is excellent for alleviating the digestive difficulties experienced after gall bladder surgery.
I brew pu erh tea very simply - 212 F water, five minutes.
Drinking pu erh tea makes me happy -- there is a peaceful pleasure in the careful brewing, in the scent of animal, in the spreading comfort in the belly. It is an experience of deliciousness and nurturing.
There is no middle ground with a tea that smells like manure.
It's flavor is very rich and earthy - some people call it winy, but those people are also usually paying through the nose to buy pu-erh's that are years upon years old. While dark in color and usually sold with black teas, it is not techinally a black tea, having it's own unique processing.
Pu Erh tea is considered medicinal in Chinese medicine, and there is some scientific evidence supporting this - particularly suggesting that pu erh consumption can help reduce cholesterol levels. Anecdotally, I can offer my personal experience and opinion that a strong cup of pu erh tea is excellent for alleviating the digestive difficulties experienced after gall bladder surgery.
I brew pu erh tea very simply - 212 F water, five minutes.
Drinking pu erh tea makes me happy -- there is a peaceful pleasure in the careful brewing, in the scent of animal, in the spreading comfort in the belly. It is an experience of deliciousness and nurturing.
On Yesterday.
Yesterday I read to my daughter, read to myself, and knitted. Yesterday I found joy in creation and in unexpected success.
Yesterday was a good day.
Yesterday was a good day.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Vital Signs
tea
solitude
sleep
writing
sunshine
reading
Without these things I wither. With them I bloom.
What are your vital things?
solitude
sleep
writing
sunshine
reading
Without these things I wither. With them I bloom.
What are your vital things?
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Endings
I find joy in the endings of things.
Long walks.
Poems.
Writing projects.
Loud anger.
Bad books.
Strands of spaghetti I am sucking into my mouth.
Baking times - particularly the baking times of brownies.
Long walks.
Poems.
Writing projects.
Loud anger.
Bad books.
Strands of spaghetti I am sucking into my mouth.
Baking times - particularly the baking times of brownies.
A Few of my Favorite Things.
My joy is composed of simple things.
Hot tea with sugar, cold tea with lemon, a hammock in the sun.
A good book unread, a story unwritten blazing in the mind. The flow of ink from a fountain pen.
The smoothness of paper, the smoothness of skin, the smoothness of water.
Lemon, garlic, parsley, butter. Olive oil and sage.
Coolness in heat. Warmth in chill. Snow on the windowsill, dandelions in a bowl.
Vacuuming, and the brushed texture of a clean carpet.
The rhythm of the broom.
Music that sings tales.
Rice.
Hot tea with sugar, cold tea with lemon, a hammock in the sun.
A good book unread, a story unwritten blazing in the mind. The flow of ink from a fountain pen.
The smoothness of paper, the smoothness of skin, the smoothness of water.
Lemon, garlic, parsley, butter. Olive oil and sage.
Coolness in heat. Warmth in chill. Snow on the windowsill, dandelions in a bowl.
Vacuuming, and the brushed texture of a clean carpet.
The rhythm of the broom.
Music that sings tales.
Rice.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
On Today
Today I have cooked, and slept, and received gifts of myself. I have written and laughed, and given comfort.
Today I have tasted sweetness, and breathed of the green, and listened to water.
Today is a good day.
Today I have tasted sweetness, and breathed of the green, and listened to water.
Today is a good day.
On Passion.
It has been a passionate day here. Passionate writing, passionate posessiveness.
Passion lights us up - the depths and heights of experience are passionate ones.
Passion lights us up - the depths and heights of experience are passionate ones.
Gently and Long
There is a trick to cooking beans, a very obvious and simple and nearly impossible trick.
Patience.
Cook them gently - just below the boil, a medium simmer. Any setting in a slow cooker will do it, but nothing about medium on a stove top.
And cook them long - a decently fresh dried bean will be cooked enough for a recipe in perhaps 45 minutes, for eating on its own in perhaps an hour and a half. Chickpeas will take twice as long.
I cook beans thusly - beans in a pot with water to cover by two inches, a solid glug of a good olive oil on top of the water, a tsp and a half of salt per pound of beans, and a good shake of sage over the top of it all. Cover, if I can find the cover to the pot that I am using -- otherwise, I just add more water as needed.
Almost any bean is good this way - pinto beans prefer an onion and some garlic to sage.
It's the secret to a good pot of beans, and to a good lot of other things in life.
Gently and long.
Patience.
Cook them gently - just below the boil, a medium simmer. Any setting in a slow cooker will do it, but nothing about medium on a stove top.
And cook them long - a decently fresh dried bean will be cooked enough for a recipe in perhaps 45 minutes, for eating on its own in perhaps an hour and a half. Chickpeas will take twice as long.
I cook beans thusly - beans in a pot with water to cover by two inches, a solid glug of a good olive oil on top of the water, a tsp and a half of salt per pound of beans, and a good shake of sage over the top of it all. Cover, if I can find the cover to the pot that I am using -- otherwise, I just add more water as needed.
Almost any bean is good this way - pinto beans prefer an onion and some garlic to sage.
It's the secret to a good pot of beans, and to a good lot of other things in life.
Gently and long.
Monday, June 26, 2006
On Today
Today I heard bullfrogs by the pond at dawn. Today I saw two wild cats sit and regard me. Today I ate strawberries and chickpeas and drank fine beer.
Today I have worked, and today I have played, and I today I have loved, and been loved, and read an amazing book.
Today we went to the library and I was surrounded by shelves of writing and the scent of paper.
Today has been a good day.
Today I have worked, and today I have played, and I today I have loved, and been loved, and read an amazing book.
Today we went to the library and I was surrounded by shelves of writing and the scent of paper.
Today has been a good day.
Nameless
I have just finished reading Joan Didion's book, 'The Year of Magical Thinking'.
The writing stuns me with pleasure even as I weep at what is written.
The writing stuns me with pleasure even as I weep at what is written.
Haiku
from one tongue
haiku respoke in others
-tangles in the brain
One haiku by Basho and three translators
haiku respoke in others
-tangles in the brain
One haiku by Basho and three translators
The butterfly is perfuming
-RH Blyth
It's wings in the scent
Of the orchid.Orchid breathing
-Stryck
incense into
butterfly wings.Lady butterfly
-Beilenson
perfumes wings by floating
over the orchid.
Joyfully I took
ctrl-c ctrl-v to this page
-my thanks!
Sunday, June 25, 2006
On Today
Today I have had joy in tea in a public place, and in writing, and in a chicken sandwich made for me by my husband.
Today I have bathed in deep hot sweetly scented water, seen a rabbit dust bathing itself, and dreamed about the future.
Today I have worked, I have played, I have loved, I have been loved, and I have had bright conversation with a stranger.
Today is a good day.
Today I have bathed in deep hot sweetly scented water, seen a rabbit dust bathing itself, and dreamed about the future.
Today I have worked, I have played, I have loved, I have been loved, and I have had bright conversation with a stranger.
Today is a good day.
Chanoyu
I find happiness in tea. The gentle rituals of brewing and sipping, the minutia of leaf and temperature and time.
Beyond happiness there is chanoyu, the tea ceremony. It something that has had a presence in my mind for many years, and which I have only recently begun genuinely studying.
So far I have learned that my hands are large and I am uncomfortable with artful action - it pleases me to know these things, to think of chanoyu and to know that in the whole of my lifetime I will always have this deep bowl of learning to drink from.
Beyond happiness there is chanoyu, the tea ceremony. It something that has had a presence in my mind for many years, and which I have only recently begun genuinely studying.
So far I have learned that my hands are large and I am uncomfortable with artful action - it pleases me to know these things, to think of chanoyu and to know that in the whole of my lifetime I will always have this deep bowl of learning to drink from.
Renew your Spirit
My spirit is renewed by
tea
sushi and miso soup
green apple scented shampoo
laughter
creating mise en place of the mind before cooking
my fish
green and growing things
the humid green scented air of greenhouses
silence
solitude
wisconsin fried cheese curds at the county fair
What renews your spirit? What will you do today?
tea
sushi and miso soup
green apple scented shampoo
laughter
creating mise en place of the mind before cooking
my fish
green and growing things
the humid green scented air of greenhouses
silence
solitude
wisconsin fried cheese curds at the county fair
What renews your spirit? What will you do today?
On Yesterday
Yesterday I took joy in helping my elders, in drinking beer, in watery blue silk, in walking in a crowd.
Yesterday I walked at dawn and saw the lightening sky, and was light hearted. Yesterday I ate chirashi and drank green tea.
Yesterday I worked, and played, and laughed. Oh how I laughed.
Yesterday was a good day.
Yesterday I walked at dawn and saw the lightening sky, and was light hearted. Yesterday I ate chirashi and drank green tea.
Yesterday I worked, and played, and laughed. Oh how I laughed.
Yesterday was a good day.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
'Tis a Gift to be Simple
In 1774 Ann Lee and eight other members of The United Society of Believers in in Christ's Second Appearing emigrated from Manchester, England to the New World - they settled on a communal farm in the town of Watervliet, New York.
Members of the Society believed in communal property, pacifism, celibacy, and the sacredness of work.
For their pacifism, the Society members were persecuted during the Revolutionary War.
For their communism, they face enduring criticism, though it was founded upon biblical example.
For their celibacy, they have almost vanished. There is only one community of the Society left in the United States. It has fewer members today then Ann Lee brought to Watervliet in 1774.
For their belief in the sacredness of work, they have become immortal. Hands that crafted in the service of God gave birth to a aesthetic of simplicity and elegance expressed in un-paralleled worksmanship. Today, we remember them only as the Shakers, and more people know of them as a style of chair then as a people.
But I do not forget their philosophy, and it's simple gift of understanding that work uplifts the soul as it glorifies God.
Members of the Society believed in communal property, pacifism, celibacy, and the sacredness of work.
For their pacifism, the Society members were persecuted during the Revolutionary War.
For their communism, they face enduring criticism, though it was founded upon biblical example.
For their celibacy, they have almost vanished. There is only one community of the Society left in the United States. It has fewer members today then Ann Lee brought to Watervliet in 1774.
For their belief in the sacredness of work, they have become immortal. Hands that crafted in the service of God gave birth to a aesthetic of simplicity and elegance expressed in un-paralleled worksmanship. Today, we remember them only as the Shakers, and more people know of them as a style of chair then as a people.
But I do not forget their philosophy, and it's simple gift of understanding that work uplifts the soul as it glorifies God.
Friday, June 23, 2006
On Today
Today I have had joy in success, in teaching, in cooking and in tea.
Today I have heard birdsong in the morning, walked in the mist, listened to water boil, been hugged by a child and smelled rain.
Today I have touched tomato plants, seen the yellow flowers that promise tomatoes in August.
Today I have worked. Today I have played. Today I have loved.
Today is a good day.
Today I have heard birdsong in the morning, walked in the mist, listened to water boil, been hugged by a child and smelled rain.
Today I have touched tomato plants, seen the yellow flowers that promise tomatoes in August.
Today I have worked. Today I have played. Today I have loved.
Today is a good day.
Accomplishment
How do you measure accomplishment?
Is it in completing the story?
Or in winning the prize for it?
Or are they seperate joys, to measured on different scales and both rejoiced in?
Is it in completing the story?
Or in winning the prize for it?
Or are they seperate joys, to measured on different scales and both rejoiced in?
Brick by brick, my citizens, brick by brick.
To build a joyful life I follow Hadrian's advice. Brick by brick. (Though to be honest, I am quoting Seabiscuit, which quotes Hadrian. Unless of course the screenwriter just made that up.)
My bricks are:
tea
fountain pens
order
good scents
mornings
the grandeur of nature
My bricks are:
tea
fountain pens
order
good scents
mornings
the grandeur of nature
The life fantastic.
"We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same." - Anne Frank
Last night I found myself filled, overflowing, with a strange deep mirthful joy. Being American, I am of course frightened by this, and wonder if it is some sign of illness of the mind, or impending disaster.
I wish to celebrate joy. To exalt the happiness of here and now. So much of life is spent distracted by the inner darkness that I want a very public place to proclaim joy.
Last night I found myself filled, overflowing, with a strange deep mirthful joy. Being American, I am of course frightened by this, and wonder if it is some sign of illness of the mind, or impending disaster.
I wish to celebrate joy. To exalt the happiness of here and now. So much of life is spent distracted by the inner darkness that I want a very public place to proclaim joy.
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