Greetings

From the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

where life is magic

Be Sad

I admit I've thought of sadness as a bad thing, trying to eliminate it from my life but after reading this wonderful post on the Shambhala Sun Space, I will embrace my sadness and accept it as a part of me and my life's journey. Just one small part and I don't need to dwell in it but know it is ok to be sad.

Karen Maezen Miller - The Laundry Line Oct 6, 2009 1:45 PM - Show original item

We can get so worked up trying to be happy that I wanted to strike a different note to the tune of full disclosure:

Sad.

What about when you’re sad? What about when bad things happen or good things don’t? What about tears and disappointments?

As long as you’re in the mode of self-improvement and life enhancement, it’s easy to think of sadness as the enemy of happiness. To think of bad times as the opposite of good. But they are only opposites in the realm of antonyms. They are only opposites in your thinking mind, the mind that compares and judges things to be one way or the other. In the real world, happiness and sadness, highs and lows, spring and fall, occur in one place — the same place — your life.

So is being sad somehow less than good? Is it wrong?

Sadness can be a springboard to a spiritual practice. Because most of us suffer when we are sad, and cause others to suffer too, it can lead us to seek solace and resolution. Sadness is a useful sign. You might notice, for instance, that when you begin a meditation or yoga practice, you begin to cry for no good reason at all. This can indicate that you are releasing long-held emotions and fears. It feels good to cry. And it feels good to stop too. By itself, crying always ends, eventually. Sadness changes to something else. Because all things, even strongly self-identified emotions, change when we let them.

One time I went to see Maezumi Roshi after a meditation session in which the tears streamed in rivulets down my cheeks.

“I’m sitting in a field of sadness,” I said to him. I was a tiny bit pleased by my poetic expression. I thought we might talk about it, rooting out the cause, and apply a kind of treatment.

“When you’re sad, be sad,” he said. And that was all he said. I confess I found it abrupt, considering my experience with other kinds of counselors. He didn’t criticize me, he didn’t correct me, he just didn’t dwell.

In life, nothing dwells. The wind blows and then stops. The blossoms burst forth and then fall. Things come and go. The melody drifts back onto an aching E-flat and then back to E again. The song of your life is played on white and black keys.

Sadness is a cornerstone of Buddhism, an essential truth of human life. But let’s not dwell there. Not while the song is still playing.

Sock Inspiration

There are toes on the needles and I've been contemplating the design I'm going to incorporate into the pair of socks I'm knitting. I don't want nothing too complicated, I want to enjoy myself so I'm using the center design of the socks above as my inspiration. Onward to the foot.

New Toy

Technology is amazing, I've watched it grow from infancy in my 28 years of working in computer production and design and it's nice that the folks I love most have embraced it too.

I'd checked out some Netbooks and after my son brought one home I knew I had to have one too. So today this post is being delivered via a Dell Mini 10 Netbook, it's cute and sweet and I wonder how much further my sons and all our children will take us into the unknown next century.

Prayer Flags

It never hurts to bring positive karma into your heart and home.

I bought a few items from Dharma Shop the other day and was very happy to get these

"The Gods are Victorious"

prayer flags for free!

This set of 10 flags have been made especially to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan exile community. Tibetans climb to the top of mountains and throw tiny paper prayer flags and shout the gods are victorious. This set of flags has the windhorse with the tibetan saying proclaiming that in the end, peace and the Tibetan people will endure.

I think they look wonderful on the casita

And these are "Om Mani" Small Prayer Flags

There is one symbol per flag spelling out the mantra of compassion: Om Mani Padme Hum

Fresh

Calabazitas con Maiz

cooked the corn first in salted water,

then sauteed the zucchini in a little olive oil,

added corn (cut off the cob) and

seasoned with salt, pepper and a pat of butter

Yum

Winery Love

Visited Casa Rondeña Winery today after the visiting the local farmers market. I'm so proud of myself for getting an early start before the "Heat" kicked in.

It was a beautiful morning in the North Valley.

Mellow Yellow

Did a little knitting over the weekend (it helps me think and get my head back on straight) and finished up a pillow I've been working for a while. Feels good to have a finished project again so I'm gonna keep my hands busy and work on the socks that have been on the needles.

Get Your Knit On!

Get your needles out and get ready for World Wide Knit in Public Day (more like 2 weekends)

WWKiP Day 2009 Dates: the 13th & 14th as well as the 20th & 21st of June

Garden Photos