Dan Zak about Buddhist Mont and Moral Code

 

Outside the Supreme Court last week, two Tibetan Buddhist monks surveyed the flowers and messages for Ginsburg. “When people are consumed by fear, it gives rise to anger,” says Miranda Coates, who is affiliated with a temple in Poolesville, Md. “We need to be respectful but courageous. Everybody’s truth is shattered right now. It’s like the ground has been taken away from you. Where do you find refuge? You must come to your heart, your moral code.”

by 

Dan Zak

September 28, 2020 at 6:00 a.m. EDT Washington Post....

An Astronaut's View of Earth....

 This picture reminds me how small our earth is from space. Beautiful yes, but small. Inside our small globe we have war, hate, and starving people. We have homeless people, displaced people, and people fleeing their governments for fear of death. As small as it is, we have animals in great numbers becoming extinct, oceans polluted with plastic waste, and climate change fueling forest fires.

They say that we all have a common ancestor. Many, many years ago, we were one people. How does on ancient people become many separate peoples who hate each other for no good reason. How does a brother turn on a brother, and sister fight with her sister? How did that happen so many millions of years ago? Does hate grow more hate? Does fear make people weak? Does having food give someone the ability to dominate the starving? 

Where does all our bad behavior come from and why can't we control these feelings of superiority? Why can't we help each other, educate everyone and give everyone a fair share?

What is wrong with us? Where did we go wrong? Or have we always been this way. A bad experiment gone wrong. Evil, hateful, and sinners one and all.  Is that where we are?

Sad, just plain sad the state of our minds, bodies, and souls.

It is a dark time that we live in. Please let in the light, please help your neighbor, and please be kind. 

Peace Day 2020

 “Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us and the world will be as one.” —John Lennon

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”
― Jimi Hendrix

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
― Albert Einstein

“The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

A Day of Reckoning, A Day of Self Love, and a Day of Goodbyes

 Last night I woke myself up from a dream. My subconscious sent me a suggestion to use the rose petals for David's Farewell Ash Drop in the Little River. Thank you to myself. A great idea. I knew that I was drying these red roses for something, but, not for the house. Now, I know their purpose is to say goodbye to a great friend and teacher.

This morning, I took my coffee and sat on the side deck in my bathrobe and slippers. I took a deep breath and looked into a deep blue sky. The fires in the West have coughed our skies into a haze for the last few days. Today the sky was deep lucious blue. Clear again. For some reason, I started chanting I love you Barbara Milhender and kept chanting it for about twenty minutes. Tears streamed down my  face. For the first time in a pandemic time, I felt like myself and loved who I am, was, and will be. I looked under the trees, and my stone buddha in the garden stolicly sat in mediation. 

It was just me in the universe. Blue skies and me. I felt so strong.

I then started to change May I be kind, may I have nourishment, and may I have peace. Then, I repeated this for ten minutes. Finally, I woke up to me. I drank some now cold coffee. 

I smiled, at me for me, and for all the people I love, and for the people of the world. 

A beautiful Sunday had started.  

 

A Sad New Year but looking for to a Good Year

 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died yesterday at the age of  87. It is said that if a person dies on Rosh Hashanah that they were a very special and noble person. She was a feminist, who helped women, and worked for the common man during all her years.

Now the battle for Trump to replace her in the short time left before the election starts in earnest.  

I hope that New Year brings closure to the Pandemic, elects a kinder, intelligent President, and that kindness will rule again around the world.

I know that this might not happen, but, I must stay positive. It is so much more productive than negativity.

I pray for peace for all people. I pray that all people have adequate food supply, I pray that all people have shelter. I pray that all people are kind. I pray that all people treat all people as equals. I pray that loving, caring people will rule the universe. 

Big Mac Trump Leaves me Speechless

 

This is A Pandemic Not Lent

 

Tony Bennett &Diana Krall, Love is here to Stay...cd playing

I was talking to my neighbor who told me that he is giving up wine, and beer for the pandemic. Another friend is painting for the pandemic. My husband is learning french and I am loving on line jigsaw puzzles.

I have stopped buying the huge dark chocolate bars. That was only for early pandemic.  You know candy and toilet paper era. Shopping now is more normal as normal can be. Masks, missing sold out items...

such as brillo pads, paper towels, and plastic wrap. It is all very strange. How can there be a run on brillo pads. Are people shining their pots for pandemic? 

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Wonderful music to contemplate life, the world and nature. Soft, pretty, nice rhythm and brushes on the drums.  

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Fall is moving forward. It is a beautiful day with some wind, sun, and warm in the sun.

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Sept 11, Nineteen years later.

 

 Sept 11, 19 years ago, it was early morning and I sat at my office desk drinking coffee. My boss called me on his cell phone. He was driving into work. All he said was " Barbara turn on your radio". That is how I learnt that the World Trade Center had been attacked.

Soon, all company members were advised to go to the dining room.A small Television had been set up. We watched as our world fell apart. Looking back on this day, this is when our country changed. This is when a good country turned away from its citizens. This is the day that our country turned dark.

We started a bad war in Afghanistan and Iraq which has lasted over 19 years later. Many lives have been destroyed or killed. Walking wounded vets come home with mental problems and loss of limbs.

People in the country wanted a change and voted for Trump who won and in four year, has destroyed our country even more. These past four years have been very stressful as this mad man destroys the democratic government that we once had.

He did nothing when the Corna 19 virus was killing hundreds of people in China. He told us to drink bleach. He refused to wear masks and his followers mirrored his bad behavior.   The Pandemic came and businesses closed, people lost their jobs, and people died. 

Six months of this Pandemic and people are still dying. The country has cities are rioting. National Guard and Police are shooting and killing people. 

I don't know what I will do if Trump wins the election this November or if he loses and refuses to step down. I just don't know what I will do.

It is a dark day and I think a storm is coming.

Tony Bennett and Diana Krall "Love is Here to Stay playing on the cd.

 Great Sound, duet sound, mellow, soft, love songs are in stereo earphones. Outside it is a very quiet Labor Day.in Newbury. Newburyport was crazy with lost people, cars, and pedestrian. I believe the Term is "Gridlocked" . 

Don't ask why I decided to drive into the thick of it. I had not left the house for days. I was getting a bad case of case of cabin fever. I have had it several times, and I must say that it is not pretty. So on I went to Green Street.  I did not get too far down Green St. Near the Funeral Home, traffic was at a dead stop.

Someone further down Green Street was made an illegal u town on a one way road. Traffic sat. I sat. Right off Green Street I banged a right turn, another right turn by the Pleasant St. Had the right of way at Green and Pleasant, I zoomed out and after a view scenic turns, I was out on High St, which in Newbury changes the name to RT1A. I was almost home. Quiet, save, and comfortable home. 

Picture: my dried rose petals, misc. small bowls, and Wild Orchid  stamp cover. They are all that is was left of my Green Belt Projects over the last three plus weeks. It is good to volunteer. It is healthy to get out of the house. Fresh Air ...oh mama, that's great.  I am saving them for an art project. 

From Washington Post Picture of the Week....Man Flies his Ballons

 I so wish I could fly. Planes are grounded during this pandemic. I do dream occasionally about flying... it has also been my favorite dreams. To be able to lift off the ground and take off like a bird. What could be wrong with that?

I wonder if I would be afraid to fly in space. Surrounded by black darkness. Doubt it, I think flying in blue skies is more my still.

The strangest and coolest thing about this pandemic is what is has done to our environment. Venice canals are blue now. Air pollution is at its lowest levels in years. Wildlife is returning to places that were toxic and now are clean. 

Is it that easy to clean up our messy earth? Stop the cars, planes, manufacturing and other bad activities and the earth will clean itself up? I wish it was that easy to eliminate all plastics from the oceans, and the lands. Ban its use. Ban plastic diapers, ban plastic toys, and just go back to nature.

I know this is just a dream, but you have to dream to start thinking of way to improve our earth.  

Rock, Paper, Sissors

 Rounder Records 2007 IBMA Sample

Good singing, picking and toe tapping music. Sitting at my desk with wet hair and no motivation to move, or do anything constructive. 

Vacation moved to Fall 2011. Who knew when we booked this trip in 2019, that we would have to keep postponing this trip. We did finally cancel the air and got the refund. But, that is not the point. We are in limbo. Life as we knew it has stopped. No place to go, no museums to visit, no inside restaurant are open.

Scissors, such a handy device and tool. I have at least seven   pairs of scissors. A small one for cutting paper pictures,, a large scissor with a broken handle, a pair of sewing scissors that have horse teeth for material, two sharp scissors for material, tiny scissors in my jack knife, a small scissor for cutting threads while doing embroidery, I don't have any as pretty as this one.

 I am a practical gal after all.

Jig Saw Puzzles and The Mystery of Life

 Norah Jones Not to Late

Such beautiful song I hear while I play a colorful Jigsaw puzzle online. Then the cd player stopped working in my computer. I need things to be simplified in my life. Not just my life, but, my tools, computer, phone, and anything else with computers inside it. 

 That said, I move on.