Part 5:The Waste Land Redux: Five Quintets

[Note: This is the Fifth (and final) contemplation in Five Pieces

that was initiated in the February 1, 2026 blog post.This all started

with the witness and sharing of the Venerable Buddhist 

Walk for Peace and a friend's reaction and what happened

and continues to occur with this writer. 

(Thank you for your kind support and comments on this series. 

I am humbled. )

" As the rain and the snow

   come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

   without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

   so that it yields seed for the sower 

and bread for the eater.

so is my word that goes out from my

mouth:

   It will not return to me empty,

but it will accomplish what I desire

   and achieve the purpose for which 

I sent it

You will go out in joy

   and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills

   will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

   will clap their hands.

IS 55: 10-12

"There is nothing permanent except change"

- Heraclitus

" I have seen all the works that are 

done under the sun;

and behold , all is vanity and 

chasing after the wind ."

Ecclesiastes 1;4

Inspirations and the Writing: 

Sub Specie Aeternitas

Admittedly, this recent journey of recalling Zen-like moments

has focused on the magnificent overwhelming incidents of ineffable

experiences  - moments of consolation and , dare I say , quiet illumination.

Yet, the deeper I dove the moments "'little victories" and everyday 

occurrences , the more  I awakened to the presence of the eternal spark.

A gentle stream of those simple 

wonder-filled moments -  bliss , Zen, consolation, illumination,

presence, flow , the eternal now and the cloud of unknowing

- continues to surface. I am humbled and grateful as these

remembrances arise.

What follows are two more recollections not considered 

"significantly grand," but rather ones that left a flame burning on 

my spirit that this seeker can not let go.

* The Zen of Fly Fishing 

40 plus summers ago the seeker found his way to a Fly Fishing school 

set in a pastoral Catskill valley.

The "father of fly fishing" in America , Lee Wulff, and his champion

fly caster wife were the proprietors and revered teachers.

Joan Wulff,the caster extraordinaire, observed how the novice

forced his casts with determined vigor,

jerking the rod and line that seemed to go anywhere except the

direction which he had envisioned.

She coached this student to let go and just be. 

    "Just let the rod and line be an extension of your body 

     and spirit. Relax.Take the rod and imagine waving it 

     gently like waving a flag with gentle joy

     on the Fourth of July. Let it flow."

He did and almost miraculously changed everything. Victory!

The grand master, Lee Wulff,  then guided a cadre of students to a local stream.

His soft,,experienced voice instructed them as they stood knee-deep

in the easy running water. Reaching down into the little eddy, he calmly

retrieved an insect floating innocently on the rippling surface.

 A sudden smile spread across his wrinkled face as his eyes

glowed, piercing each of the gathered apprentices. 

  "Look at this . This little bug should not be here and watch the water ..."

   as a local trout peaked through the slow ripples reaching for their meal.

Then this seventy-six year old,  world renowned guru of rivers and streams,

 joyously proclaimed ,

    "Isn't life wonderful where one can learn something new everyday day? 

     All you have to do is just be  - patient and present."

Fly fishing ,  the great peace  - and the personal odyssey- 

was never  the same for this seeker student.

Sailing Serenity:

The seeker and his life companion decided that sailing might be 

a way to enjoy the tranquility they sought. 

Upon graduation with honors from "The Sailing School" 

on the banks of the Chesapeake ,

they felt equipped enough to purchase their first sailboat.

On the day of launching  their new vessel ,  a local

old salt observed their struggles in leaving the dock. 

He offered his advice as they welcomed him aboard. 

The two novice sailors were oblivious to the lake's sudden,

periodic wind shifts as the overconfident helmsman tried desperately

to keep the boat steady and on course. 

Calm and deliberate, the old salt 

counseled the pair, who were beginning to second guess

 their decision. ,

   "At times like these, when you feel you're losing control,

    just let go of the tiller and she will  right herself into the wind.

   You know if you don't chase the wind. Adjust the sails

    and just let the wind carry you 

    to where you think you want to go.""

The seeker -sailor did so, and the panic of losing control abated

as the sailboat rested calmly on the water ready to return to the journey..

"Letting go and not chasing the wind " became enduring

lessons -  the wisdom the two sailors carried into managing

 rough seas of every aspect of their quest.

    " Well, it's not far down to paradise...

    Oh , the canvas can do miracles.... sailing" - C. Cross

Amor Fati'

 - JF Sobecki

(   Sub Specie Aeternitas : "under the aspect of eternity."

     Amor Fati : "A Stoic philosophy - love of fate , embrace everything")

------------

Second Chance Dance Playlist Songs and Poetry 

June 1, 2026 -

For your listening pleasure and contemplation:

There are some special videos here.

Click the link below

( Click on the link below to listen and be )

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB8FrnVEQMJC0PWvIH2etMFyhFSQ_DbnW&si=fm5izYP7DOevqxlQ

May peace be with you and yours all ways

Coda:

Listen - be present - breathe ...what simple gifts do you recall ?

(click on link below)

https://youtu.be/baNueuDCue0?si=krLSFJg2N-CFevEo

Whether you "believe" or not...this might be interesting:

* Research indicates that even with significant differences

the major religions and spiritual practices around the world 

they share the following common perspectives and themes:

- Compassion and love - how we treat others

- promote human welfare and reduce suffering

- Practice loving kindness all ways

- All life ( existence) is connected.

- A good life is measured by your kindness to others

- Seek truth, wisdom and understanding

- Be grateful , present and aware of each moment

- There is a higher purpose in life than materialism

- Service to and care of others, be selfless ( especially those 

   who cannot help themselves) 

"One day I will find the right words and they will be simple."

 - Jack Kerouac 

"If this is well written and to the point , that is what I desired, 

if it is poorly done , it was the best I could do." 

- 2 Maccabees 15:38-39 

AMDG 

Copyright 2026 JF Sobecki LLC All Rights Reserved

An April Fool Reflection : The Contented Fisherman

The Story of the Contented Fisherman:

The rich industrialist from the North was horrified to find the Southern fisherman lying lazily beside his boat, smoking a pipe.

"Why aren't you out fishing?" said the industrialist.

"Because I have caught enough fish for the day," said the fisherman.

"Why don't you catch more?"

"What would I do with it?"

"You can earn more money" was the reply. "With that you can have a motor fixed to your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more fish. Then you would make enough to buy nylon nets. These would bring you more fish and more money. Soon you would have enough money to own two boats... maybe even a fleet of boats. Then you would be a rich man like me."

"What would I do then?"

"Then you can really enjoy life."

"What do you think I'm doing right now?"

-       Anthony DeMello SJ

Passing through the door leading into the next season the pilgrim sailor wondered about the progress, if any, that he may have made along his journey. He realized how he easily got lost . One can get lost along the way especially when he is distracted by state of his attachments to things and people and worrying about the pieces he can’t control.

“What have I learned?”, he reflected .

He thought about those aspects of his existence that he truly loved…his girls, his friends, the mentors, the people and places and experiences that filled him with joy. He thought of all of nature  - especially the majesty of dawns and sunsets and birds singing freely and the sea. Then he recalled the poems (…yes, the poems) and the books and music that comforted, inspired and continue to fill him up.

He is glad that he no longer fights the battle to fill his silos.  Sometimes he tries too hard to be authentic. Sometimes he realizes that being human is imperfection. Sometimes he is attentive to bringing a little smile to those in pain or those who are alone. Sometimes he just finds himself lost in being mindful of the present, the divinity of all things, and the wonder-filling grace. Sometimes he is aware of the fact that he just needs to let it all go and just be.

April is national Poetry Month

“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”

-       Dead Poets Society

“The Gate of Heaven is everywhere”

-       Thomas Merton

"True spirituality is not a search for perfection or control or the door to the next world; it is a search for divine union now. The great discovery is always that what we are searching for has already been given! I did not find it; it found me. “

-       Richard Rohr, The Naked Now

The Buddha's Last Instruction

"Make of yourself a light "

said the Buddha,

before he died.

I think of this every morning

as the east begins

to tear off its many clouds

of darkness, to send up the first

signal - a white fan

streaked with pink and violet,

even green.

An old man, he lay down

between two sala trees,

and he might have said anything,

knowing it was his final hour.

The light burns upward,

it thickens and settles over the fields.

Around him, the villagers gathered

and stretched forward to listen.

Even before the sun itself

hangs, disattached, in the blue air,

I am touched everywhere

by its ocean of yellow waves.

No doubt he thought of everything

that had happened in his difficult life.

And then I feel the sun itself

as it blazes over the hills,

like a million flowers on fire-

clearly I'm not needed

yet I feel myself turning

into something of inexplicable value.

Slowly, beneath the branches,

he raised his head.

He looked into the faces of that frightened crowd.

                                -       Mary Oliver

The Layers

I have walked through many lives,

some of them my own,

and I am not who I was,

though some principle of being

abides, from which I struggle

not to stray.

When I look behind,

as I am compelled to look

before I can gather strength

to proceed on my journey,

I see the milestones dwindling

toward the horizon

and the slow fires trailing

from the abandoned camp-sites,

over which scavenger angels

wheel on heavy wings.

Oh, I have made myself a tribe

out of my true affections,

and my tribe is scattered!

How shall the heart be reconciled

to its feast of losses?

In a rising wind

the manic dust of my friends,

those who fell along the way,

bitterly stings my face.

Yet I turn, I turn,

exulting somewhat,

with my will intact to go

wherever I need to go,

and every stone on the road

precious to me.

In my darkest night,

when the moon was covered

and I roamed through wreckage,

a nimbus-clouded voice

directed me:

“Live in the layers,

not on the litter.”

Though I lack the art

to decipher it,

no doubt the next chapter

in my book of transformations

is already written.

I am not done with my changes

- Stanley Kunitz

_______________________________________________________

                                   April 15, 2013 Boston Strong …Remember!

     - and keep all those who were killed or injured and their family and friends in your prayers.
                                                http://youtu.be/vdoo6mGNTlI

                                             (click link if not viewed on smart phone)

                                         

amdg