Saturday, January 31, 2015

Old - Random Reflections

                             

                 Old – P.Simon ( smart phones click on link)
                                         http://youtu.be/tKsjty-yT6U

So with just weeks away from another birthday I have had a number of reflections and ideas about a blog post bouncing round and round in my head. I have drafted at least four separate posts but I thought I would highlight just some random sections from these drafts as the post today.

* Less than a week has gone by since my 20 something daughter and fiancĂ©’ gathered to celebrate the music of the not-ready-to-retire original members of Fleetwood Mac. There in the oceanside city that refuses to die, where lost sheep seek dreams and gamble their fortunes is where we found ourselves. It was observed that “The Mac still got it and time ain’t got nothing on these players!” The congregation of pensioners and newbies danced and sang the night away.

“Everything that dies some day comes back. Meet me tonight in Atlantic City.”

* So there is a friend who is telling me that he is getting concerned about his age as he moves forward in his second career, which in all truth should have been his first. But that’s for another post. This friend and I know of a peer of ours who has posted his age as being ten years younger than he really is. Hmmm? A recent 6-week bout with sciatica as a result of two bulging discs reminded me that I couldn’t do the same things the same way I did years ago. (Hey now…I am talking about golf!) While in pain I couldn’t read, write or even play music. I did worry for a while but the worrying didn’t change anything. Physical therapy and prayer helped!

* There are some Buddhist monks who spend days carefully creating intricate works of art called “Mandelas” with millions of colored grains of sand only to brush away the work of art when their work is done. They believe that the “art”, the sacred experience is in the doing…in the “creating”, in the being “present.” Being present is to be lost in the moment of the task at hand and all that fills the spirit. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow mystery and the present is a gift.” All is impermanence some say. There is no need the boast about what was finally completed. It is being present to the moment that matters. I like to get lost in the doing and the flow...

* The pilgrim was asked to create a profile that featured his experiences, achievements and credentials. He wrote down that he is most proud of his two daughters. The newly designed automatic electronic digital form that was to collect his input wouldn’t accept that response. So he tried again. This time he wrote about his family, friends, playing music, running marathons, meditations and walking on the beach at Cape May watching the sunrise. Again, big red letters appeared “ERROR: NOT VALID ENTRY!” and wouldn’t accept his input. There were designated spaces about educational degrees earned, work titles and employers and memberships to organizations. “That’s not who I really am”, he thought.

* A dear friend sent me this quote in response to some correspondence about my letting the winds and waves carrying me to where I need to be…. Coincidence or a greater plan, who knows?

“Perhaps the best river runners are Taoists at heart. Taoism considers someone wise if they accommodate themselves to the rhythms of the universe.”

* Becoming a first time grandfather recently has changed everything. All of a sudden the sacred has exploded like some beautiful fragrant flower in the middle of the winter of my life and even I feel reborn.



* I read the quote below years ago and only recently did I begin to grasp it’s meaning. I am not sure if I am correct but it doesn’t matter in the end does it?
“Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.” ~Zen proverb

        Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac  ( Smart Phones click on link)

                                    http://youtu.be/1PhEtl_jsOg



           Atlantic City – B. Springsteen ( smart phones click on link)
                                    http://youtu.be/g2TmSB8ccLY





amdg

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