Summer light, clear as water, June 2012

Our new puppy, June 2012

As fearless as a swallow defending her nest, June 2012

Ordinary beautiful

Watching TV, March 2012

Ordinary beautiful

See, dream, March 2012

Ordinary beautiful

Time is short, April 2012

A little bit country

Slow unwind, August 2011

That's about right, August 2011

Small planet, August 2011

Grand entrance, August 2011

Red clay road, August 2011

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I am awesome

Nothing to change, July 2007

I've been considering how important intention is. "It's all about your intention," the teachers say. I didn't quite get it until I found this quote by Gandhi:

“It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”

We all want to be perfect now. Be happy. Be financially secure. Be in love. Be loved. Be healthy. . . . All these "be's" form a humming hive. They swarm together at times and dominate our attention. (You have to keep an eye on "be's.") They are industrious and focused and they take us away from enjoying the life we have in front of us. Look away from that hive and notice how enormous the world is. How huge life is!

Each of these be's is a goal. Short term goals like paying off a debt or losing weight. Long term goals like writing a book. We all have them or we at least feel like we should have them and beat ourselves up because we don't. (Never mind what we do when we don't achieve our goals!)

Today, I feel like putting my goals into perspective, like perhaps they have become my tyrants taking my focus off the true prize of this gift we all have to exist in this life. (Insert references to Seligman and positive psychology here!)

I've chosen mindfulness as the path to the present. Mindfulness guided by my intentions. But what exactly are my intentions? I haven't really thought about this! They have to be simple, behind the scenes, like scent of lilacs in summer. How about this for a start?

I intend to be kind to others and myself.

I've italicized "and myself" because I think we are often least kind to ourselves in this life. I mean the whole premise of being born in sin is more than just a lesson from Christian theology, it is a reflection of how many of us (most?) look at ourselves. I am not good enough right now; I need to fix something.

What if we change this belief to I am perfect; I love myself the way I am? And then get on with the business of treating ourselves like we are.

“It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”

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Marty gets an idea

Maybe I sacrifice one of my humanz to make Spring come, March 2011


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