Western pond turtles live here! Here is Golden Gardens park, in west Eugene. It’s nearly 200 acres of land, with a mile walking path that weaves around ponds. This area became ponds after gravel was removed to build freeways. Back then they didn’t demand that gravel businesses restore the land. Instead, they left steep loose… Continue reading Turtle Club Med
Category: blogging
Perseveration
Perseveration can bring heated thinking, frustration, and even anger. It’s not very fun. There is a lot of perseveration around and I think we need to cool it. I notice there is so much concern about if something is right or wrong, good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. Health and lifestyle and social understandings aren’t… Continue reading Perseveration
A few days in Joseph, Oregon
I didn’t rinse off my paddleboard after this trip. I wanted it to absorb and hold the water molecules of Wallowa Lake. This water is sacred. I think all bodies of water are sacred, but this lake seems acutely so. I paddled to the middle of the lake. I laid on my back, face to… Continue reading A few days in Joseph, Oregon
Swimming with herons
It’s true what Heraclitus said about getting into a river. Every time, it’s not the same river and you aren’t the same person. I went to the Willamette river to update the settings of both the river and of me. Get a feel for what is currently happening in our current. What is the flow… Continue reading Swimming with herons
Passing through
I walked behind a man leaving the library. He glided out, totally avoiding contact with the door, to let it slam shut for the next person, me. I can open a door, so it’s not a hardship. I just think we need to realize we are not the only ones walking through doors. I hold… Continue reading Passing through
At Home
I might sell SCOBY* babies for $1 at my house. It will be like U-Pick; you pick and I sell it to you. Today I thought of giving one to someone I know to help with gentle focus. It would never make kombucha. It would provide a jar for intent, attention toward something small that… Continue reading At Home
Wild Iris Ridge
Half the group waited at the wrong trailhead. After an hour of walking, we found the group we were looking for. Wild iris ridge opened in 2017 and is part of Eugene’s ridgeline trail system (though not actually connected). Many large oaks, madrone clusters, and bushels of poison oak decorate the landscape. The views are… Continue reading Wild Iris Ridge
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?
Look, a bird!
I didn’t mean to end up in the shaman section, but that can happen when you are looking for books about trees. I was at the library. I couldn’t find the book about cottonwoods, so I had to ask the librarian for help, which made me feel about eight-years old. As the librarian lead the… Continue reading Look, a bird!
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?