The season of spring is vigorous and forceful because things have to grow. We need to move like the wind and in fact, wind is the weather of spring. Spring is the the color of bright green, the element is wood, and the organ is liver. Liver’s partner is the gall bladder. Anger is associated… Continue reading Liver spring
Category: self care
Comfort within
A man made bird sounds on an early morning bird walk. He tweeted, squeaked, squawked, whistled, buzzed and whooshed with his mouth making him my favorite bird that morning. A couple weeks ago, two people I’ve never met stood at my front fence and voiced observations: “I love your squash forest!”“I love your amaranth! It… Continue reading Comfort within
Spring
Spring is a marching band. At first the ground is cold. The earth, parts of it, are still sleeping from winter. Buds flower and awaken pollinators and people. Action is the call of spring. Movement is the motion. It is more yang than yin. We leave the yin of winter for the yang of spring.… Continue reading Spring
2021
In the end, we burned patriarchy. But, that’s not where things started. The following day I made vegetable soup like my mom made, and like her mom made. No reason to throw that ritual out. Besides, that’s matriarchy. I was out of vegetable broth so had to go to Sundance Natural Foods and have the… Continue reading 2021
Floating
Today I needed reasons. I needed reasons to feel balanced. To balance on water, to be small on a big lake allows this to happen for me. The planet is old. It has wisdom, not through words but through presence. I just skitter around on it without listening most of the time. So I packed… Continue reading Floating
What makes this a sacred moment?
This won’t be a linear story. When it was over, I walked away and saw a rainbow between two clouds. I went to the Oregon Pain Summit 2020 this past weekend in Lebanon, which is surrounded by pastures of sheep. A bunch of healthcare professionals got together and talked about how to take care of… Continue reading What makes this a sacred moment?
Needs of the people
Yesterday I served Quaker Oats to Quakers! I’ve always dreamed of this. It started as a joke, as most good ideas do. Me and Penny, of the hospitality team, made an oatmeal bar, a place to put oatmeal into a bowl, then add toppings. Choices were: peaches, raisins, chia seeds, bananas, walnuts, apples, brown sugar,… Continue reading Needs of the people
Keep your pilot light on
Winter solstice 2019 I got out of bed and out the door by 6:30, in darkness. I walked by woods but not in them as I couldn’t see through the brush, trees, and pouring rain. I heard the water rushing by in Amazon creek. It’s the most active thing, besides the rain. My steps quickened… Continue reading Keep your pilot light on
What’s your call? What’s your song?
I had a next-step salon before I knew what it was. There were five of us, approximately 40-80 years old, talking about how to make change or react to change. We took turns sharing about something we were thinking about doing, trying, or re-doing. It was an in-between space; a temple for open discussion for… Continue reading What’s your call? What’s your song?
What causes you suffering?
It’s a great ice breaker to ask, “what causes you suffering?” I’ve been asking people this lately and they tell me immediately and seem relieved to be asked so directly. This is what happens if you read too much Thich Nhat Hanh. You get all Buddhist about things. You might even start applying stuff from… Continue reading What causes you suffering?