Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself? —Lao Tzu
I woke up yesterday looking forward to the day ahead. My Friday morning routine at the local Y is something I really enjoy. Two hours of high intensity cardio followed by an hour of Chi Gong/Tai Chi. Sweat it out. Burn it off. Release the accumulated stress of the week.
And yet, when I arrived at the gym, I was discombobulated, jittery and uneasy. Was it the morning fog that slowed my drive? Was it the audiobook I’d been listening to on my drive? Was it …. I really didn’t know …. but I had arrived …. I was here …. it was time to ….
You may not know that this international game is based on Latin Squares, first developed by a Swiss mathematician and featured in French newspapers in the 19th Century as Number Place, modernized in the USA in the 20th Century and then renamed and popularized in Japan as Sudoku which means “single number”, mass produced by The Times (London) in 2004 by a Hong Kong judge, “Wayne Gould, who devised a computer program to rapidly produce unique puzzles” and the first World Sudoku Championship was held in Lucca, Italy, from March 10 to 11, 2006. The winner was Jana Tylová of the Czech Republic.” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku
Today is National Dog Walker Appreciation Day. Whether it’s a paid serviceperson or a volunteer for a rescue facility, walking dogs is an important activity with benefits for the dog, the owner and the walker. Quality attention time, exercise and bodily relief are just the beginning. See https://nationaltoday.com/national-dog-walker-appreciation-day/
First celebrated in 2016, this holiday was organized by Wag!, the platform that connects pet parents with local dog walkers. See https://wagwalking.com/
I am very grateful to be a volunteer dog walker for:
I walk 4 – 5 dogs singly every Wednesday morning and the human-animal bond (HAB) grows exponentially each week. Yesterday, I walked Wayne, Piper, Minion and The Supreme. We give each other such joy along with the time for staff to refresh their apartments while we’re out. I strongly recommend this activity for the nearest rescue facility in your neighborhood. It will do a world of good for all involved. 🙂
Today’s haiku: National Dog Walker Appreciation Day
Born September 7, 1860, Anna Mary Robertson Moses, aka Grandma Moses, is “an artist who remains an inspiration to people starting careers late in life. Despite her advanced age, she defied the odds and set out to become one of the most celebrated artists of her time.” (See https://nationaltoday.com/grandma-moses-day/)
She began painting full-time at age 77 and continued until her death at age 101. Grandma Moses’ first paintings sold for as little as $3 dollars in a drug store, but her work went on to sell for over $1 million dollars for a single painting. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Moses)
As 68-year-old poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, proclaimed in Morituri Salutamus: Poem for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Class of 1825 in Bowdoin College
“too easily we are inclined to imagine that God created this world for a purpose. We are so caught up in purpose that we would feel more comfortable if God shared our preoccupation with work. But God plays.”
Are we a blank state? I disagree, there is no blank slate. We never start with nothing since we are all composites of what came before us. Today is the continuation of yesterday. My brain is a collection of neurons and the synapses that result. This moment is filled with energy from multiple sources.
As I sit here behind a laptop computer, I see a backyard with a row of beauty berry bushes attracting birds and many trees with squirrel nests and waving branches from the breeze blowing through and…..
In this office there are many books, pictures on the shelves, more pictures on the walls, a desk, two small file cabinets, three musical instruments and a music stand close by.
How many objects are needed for inspiration? Actually, none. Inspiration is our life force; we can’t help but think and ponder and dream and create and…..
We are co-creators in this cosmos. We are holograms of the life spark. We are “chips off the old block” and the Big Bang keeps banging away. Inspiration, change, creation are all words for the same thing: life.
As long as we keep breathing, we keep thinking, I think. I’m curious – what are you thinking right now?
My father was a carpenter who became a Skilled Trades Supervisor for a major US utility. He retired early to golf, fish and construct wood picture frames for fun.
My first father-in-law was a Welding Foreman for a global office furniture manufacturer who turned down a promotion to Production Superintendent to ensure he had time for the freshwater fishing and the golf that he loved.
My second father-in-law was a Production and Inventory Control Manager who went on to become CEO of the same global office furniture manufacturer. He retired and was recalled for a year before living another 25 years, many on the golf course and doing some occasional fishing.
So, what do these three men tell me; what can I learn from my “forefathers?” Is my life a journey from blue to white collar work and are my “golden years” to be spent enjoying fishing and golf?
My father told his four sons to retire earlier than he did at age 59 because retirement was the best time of life. My father died at age 77 and had only one regret that I know of which was agreeing to elective heart surgery to replace a pacemaker. He died one week after the surgery and told his sons at his hospital bedside what a mistake it was to agree to that final surgery.
My first father-in-law told me to get a couple of hobbies early in life to ensure I had a way to escape home life whenever I needed. He advised specifically joining him in fishing and golf, which I did for many years. He died at age 64 of medical complications from diabetes.
My second father-in-law advised world travel which was another hobby he had. Otherwise, he didn’t say that much to me as he was very active in his own pursuits and demonstrated his values more than spoke of them. He died at age 93 and unfortunately his last three years were using a walker and napping a lot. He had beaten colon cancer, multiple melanomas (from so much fishing and golf?), and finally the debilitation brought on from a stroke.
I gave up golf many years ago and haven’t fished in years. My full-time work life began as a spot welder and progressed to a Human Resources Director before moving on to my career as a Human Capital Consultant for the last 24 years. So, some similarities to my forefathers but some possible differences in my final life chapter.
I’m now focused on joining the Order of Interbeing as a Zen Christian practitioner and my goal this year is to begin an Animal Chaplaincy program, write a fourth book of poetry and become a Dharma Mentor in the next year or so.
Not sure how much longer I might live but want to live my “golden years” doing what I love. How about you?
Big dogs, little dogs, all dogs poop; ideally, outdoors, somewhere you can easily collect and dispose of it. Somedays aren’t ideal.
This morning, Zorro, our 7-pound Chihuahua, ate his breakfast and, before I could take him outdoors, he deposited his little pile of poop on one of our Oriental carpets. Fortunately, he returned to me and guided me to the location so I would know where it was. So, I would not step in it accidentally. So, I would collect it and clean the carpet. So, there would be no sign of his “accident” for anyone, especially Mom, to see, or smell, or step in it.
Fortunately, Zorro much prefers to poop outdoors. He doesn’t like poop in his living space, and he knows neither do I.
Not to anthropomorphize but, tangentially, my Zen Mindfulness teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, has a short poem about “using the toilet” which goes like this:
Today is the first month of my animal chaplaincy program. I have acquired my textbooks, re-arranged my office and calendar, and am eager to attend the first class.
I will be journaling this 10-month program that leads to graduation in June ’23. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or offer commentary as your spirit moves.
Life Matters 