Found Exhortation (with Commentary)
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This bumper sticker (on an enormous black SUV with suburban plates) is likely intended to have only a message about the current wars in which the US is engaged. I wholeheartedly support the sentiment at that level.
What if we took it at other levels? What if we applied it to spiritual-religious practices? We could interpret this as suggesting that we honor the great teachers who have gone before us, invite religious observance and spiritual practice to heal ourselves and others, and dissolve notions of differences among religions and spiritual practices as bases for conflict. How many wars between countries or civil wars would end if saw unity while still honoring difference in this regard?
Perhaps most cogent for the yogi: what if we thought of the exhortation in terms of our own personal practice? It would be an invocation to honor our ancestors, heal the wounds of our family and upbringing (samskaras), and release inner conflict. This is, I think the point of practicing (whatever the style of practice) so that true peace can abound.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
The Photographer’s Dilemma (and “Morning Sprout Sandwich”)
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At which point I put down the camera and ate. Uma turned her back and looked out the garden.
Morning Spout Sandwich–whole grain toast, tahini, avocado, assorted homegrown sprouts, fresh herbs picked the moment before garnishing (dill shown here), a sprinkle of sea salt (optional)
Types of Theists
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Do you have to be some type of theist to have a “spiritual practice” or to self-identify or belong to a particular religious group?
Here are some types of theists: atheist, nontheist, monotheist, polytheist, pantheist, post-theist, modern theist (I just made that one up), theist ? (agnostic), none of the above.
What type are you? Does it matter to you what you are? Do you think it matters to others what type of theist you think you are? Which comes first: the spiritual or religious practice/group or the type of theistic belief/identification?
Do you think that a world where where this sort of identification and question did not exist would be freer from strife?
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
Friday Night Out on the Town (and Nataraja)
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Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
A Table Near the Kitchen (and an Opportunity for Gratitude)
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As I was finishing my lunch today, my server came over to see if I wanted dessert or something hot to drink. I declined, but she chatted with me a little. I had made a reservation for two, but ended up eating by myself, and she took the time to be friendly. “I didn’t think to bring my journal,” I said, “though I did have the Blackberry to blog.”
“I always have a couple of magazines with me, but at least you are near the kitchen and can enjoy watching the food come out,” she added.
“It’s my favorite spot. I always ask for this table,” I replied.
“Some diners don’t like it. One diner posted a review on ‘Yelp’ saying that the food was good, but complained that they always stuck him near the kitchen.”
“Not me. It is so much fun to look at all the possibilities and expand the feast with the eyes.”
As I was eating, I had felt a minor trepidation because I thought of myself as sitting at a plum table. The restaurant was crowded, and I knew that by ordering only a salad entree, the server was not getting the tip on a table for two (a table that I never would have gotten with a reservation for one).
I was sad my friend could not join me. We get together about once a month to catch up and to eat good food, and we always enjoy our lunches. After I was already sitting down at the table, I had gotten a message that she had gotten off the metro and was heading to the restaurant when her firm had called her back to the office to handle an emergency.
As I was already seated and had water poured, I decided to stay and eat. Two trains of thought while I was eating stayed at the forefront.
Though the food was lovely and I affirmatively like dining in solitude, it was not quite as tasty eating alone than sharing with someone who likes to share and discuss the food when that was what I had been expecting.
More important, though I was bummed, missing the opportunity to swap stories and enjoy the company of my friend, I was incredibly grateful that this was my big disappointment for the week. I am sure it was harder for my friend than for me. I was still getting a break and a nice meal. She was dealing with an emergency of some sort and also disappointed not to have our treat of the monthly lunch. I am sure she is, too, keenly aware that her disappointment and the emergency she was addressing were small compared to the suffering that so many millions of individuals face each day.
I left lunch with my appetite sated, my tastebuds replete, and my resolve firm both to savor everything more deeply and to try to live in a way that spreads more joy and alleviates suffering.
And I left a big tip to thank the server for being kind and sent proposed dates to my friend to reschedule.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
Found Message
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I have been cleaning out old files. Mostly I keep my drawers and closets relatively free of clutter and the unnecessary, but there are occasional pockets that have lived on because they were not a priority and neat enough. Found among postcards and letters from friends was one I received from a friend of a friend in October 2001. I never got to know her well. My friend has since moved out of the neighborhood and his friend moved back to Germany several years ago to start a family. Here is what she sent:
a picture from India [not shown] and a saying for you –
Live with intention
Walk to the edge
Listen hard
Practice wellness
Play with abandon
Laugh.
Choose with no regret
Continue to learn
Appreciate your friends
Do what you love
Live as if this is all there is.
A super sweet message. Now that I have shared it, I will recycle the original piece of paper. Thank you Uta. I hope all is well.
Yoga for Our Troops
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It is too far from my current world and beyond my temporal limits at the moment, but if you are interested, please contact my friend Robin through the website link below, who writes:
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Take care and thanks so much, Robin
A Memory Triggered (and a Reminder to Live Each Day to Its Fullest)
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The home page of The New York Times on-line today had photographs and an article about a deadly tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Reading about the devastation brought the spontaneous emotions of compassion and concern, as we have with all such news. I was moved to read the article more thoroughly than I might otherwise have done because for a couple of years of my life, I was deeply engaged in a matter that concerned Joplin and traveled there a number of times.
The original intent of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (known by its acronym ERISA)–my legal specialty– was to make sure that if workers were promised a retirement benefit, they would actually get it. What has happened with the expansion and revisions of the law since is like any complicated matter in a society that is subject to the entanglements of the economics of business and human nature and far beyond the scope of this blog.
At its most basic level, the ERISA requires that if a company promises to pay workers a certain amount on retirement, they must put money in trust to be able to pay it. A company in Joplin had promised dozens of workers a retirement starting long before the enactment of ERISA and continued making the promise until the company closed in the late 1980s, but never made any effort to comply with the law when it was enacted. The family and executives were fine financially when the company closed its doors, but a cadre of mostly pink collar retirees were left with no pension. I was new to the Department of Labor and still litigating. I was assigned the case to hold the owners and responsible executives responsible for not properly ensuring in accordance with the legal requirements that the necessary funds had been put in trust to pay the workers’ pensions. This meant that I had to travel to Missouri to interview witnesses, to take depositions, and to appear in court.
One trip required a deposition in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To save money and time for the government, I simultaneously scheduled interviews with witnesses in Joplin, which is about a two-hour drive east of Tulsa. On that trip, an attorney junior to me was attending so that he could start learning with someone there to observe him. My plane to Oklahoma was delayed by over 24-hours–first massive thunderstorms in DC; then, the bankruptcy of Transworld Airlines, which stopped flights while I was waiting for the new flight after the original had been cancelled due to weather. Instead of arriving in Tulsa the night before, I got there at 10:30 am the day of the deposition, which had been scheduled to start at 9:30. The defendants refused to wait and bullied the extremely nervous junior attorney into starting without me. He muddled along and then I finished when I got there, although the defendents certainly had created an atmosphere of antagonism that is not really necessary. (The best lawyers I know treat everyone involved in a case with courtesy, respect, and friendliness, with the recognition that each one has a duty to best represent the interest of his or her client.)
While the deposition was pending, one of the attorneys who was based in Missouri got a telephone call that the judge had ruled on the defendants’ motion for summary judgment–a filing that asks the court to rule that as a matter of law, there is no way that the other side can win regardless of what facts might come out. This was before email and cell phone, etc., so we had to wait to find out what was in the ruling. During the course of the day, the defendants threatened to go after the government for costs if we continued the deposition because they were so certain that they had won. It was a long and challenging day, but we persisted.
At the end of the work day, we got into our rental car and drove from Tulsa to Joplin. It is flat, open land–tornado country. There had been afternoon thunderstorms with towering clouds and breaks of sun and blue. Even though we were as tired as one might expect from this story, we managed to enjoy the roadtrip aspect, spinning the am radio dial at every song to find one we thought worth hearing. As we neared the end of our trip (getting ready to check into the Ramada on the highway amidst the strip malls and fast food joints that had put out of business all the small family-owned shops with any charm in the downtown), we saw an enormous and full rainbow light up the sky. One end was right in Joplin.
When we checked in, we were handed the decision of the court, which a co-worker had faxed to us. We had prevailed on all counts; the case on behalf of the retirees could continue (not long after, we settled for as much as could have been gotten at trial because of the ruling). That was almost 20 years ago, but I still remember the feeling that at the end of the rainbow was the small pot of gold for those workers. Many of them were already in their 70s and older in 1992, and those that are living are truly getting on in years. I hope they are ok.
Aerial Views of the Garden
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In response to requests, here are some photos of the garden in its current state.
The vine on the left is grapes–there are many dozens of bunches forming. The vine on the right is a kiwi. I planted it four years ago, and finally there are some fruits–at most a couple dozen, but it’s a start. There aren’t enough strawberries to bring inside, but there are always a couple to eat when I am out working.
Current herbs: cilantro, basil (thai and genovese), Mexican and Greek oregano, parsley, sorrel, tarragon, lemon balm, spearmint, kentucky colonel mint, garlic chives, savory, sage, thyme, rosemary, lavender, stevia, and dill. Greens include mesclun, arugula, kale, chard, and are ready to eat now.
Snowpeas are on there way (and I ate snow pea greens with garlic scapes and herbs for dinner tonight). Beans are blossoming; cherry tomatoes and cucumbers have formed, as have a couple of zucchini and a variety of peppers. Blueberries are ripening and figs are just starting to bud on the new growth. Carrots and turnips are mostly just a promise, but I expect at least a few. Leeks and spring onions are poking through, but don’t seem to be getting along with this year’s weather patterns.
What’s growing in your garden? (Even when I lived in an efficiency apartment in school, I had herbs growing in pots. And sprouting is its own kind of gardening and only requires a kitchen counter.) A garden can be made wherever you are, if you want one enough.
Random Quote for the Day (Atharva Veda)
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Sometimes when I am looking for inspiration, I take a book off of my shelf, let it fall open where it will, and see whether there is a sentence or phrase that resonates for my day. Here’s my random quote for the day:
“May we be without fear/ by night and day!/ Let all the world be my friend!” Atharva Veda, XIX, 19 (Raimundo Panikkar, The Vedic Experience Mantramanjari)
keep looking »