Happy Thanksgiving Peace on Earth
There is a cheese from France named Epoisses.It’s a soft cow’s milk cheese with an edible washed rind made with Burgundy wine.It is so pungent it is outlawed to be eaten in public spaces in France.When Pam buys me cheese for my Birthday she forgets which one smells like a drunk next morning at a frat house and I she buys it for me. Of course I love it and even in a bag in the fridge you can still smell it.The last nail in my heart stents came last night when I made myself some cheese and crackers and brought it into the bedroom to watch a movie with Pam.That will be the last time she buys me Epoisses ever again. So not only does “the rat stand alone” and “ The cheese stand alone” but also Adam stands alone.................... on the porch finishing his cheese.
We are thin canoes of peace floating in oceans of chaos. We use everything we possibly can to distract the ocean’s waves from coming over the sides of the boat.We have small distractions like a Big mac or large distractions like relationships.We have no fault of our own distractions like health or geography.We spend most of our days bailing water out of the canoes to stay afloat. By either practical means like earning money or by eating a Big Mac [avoiding is part of temporarily stopping the waves] we are bailing 24/7 so the canoe floats. The spiritual warrior turns to the ocean and says Come and get me mother f**ker. He throws his bucket and oars into the wake and stops bailing. Does this sound like giving up ? Yes it is.The warrior realizes that once you stop bailing the ocean disappears on its own.The waves still hit but they have no more power.By realizing your powerlessness it makes you the most powerful of all.
The ocean life guard as a last resort may punch the drowning person in the face and swim away so they don’t drown along with them in the panic. The ER doctor treating a mangled child must not cry into the wounds.They need to do their work.Your personal balance MUST take precedence above all else. Today will trigger millions of people including me.Anger rage sadness fear ALL of it will come up.Your personal equanimity needs to be valued above all else.Today I plan on making a nice dinner.Maybe imbibing and watching things unfold like I am in a movie theater watching the movie.The next step in spiritual growth is watching myself in the movie theater watching the movie.[this is called watching the watcher] While we are directly involved in our lives if you can take a half of a step back and observe your involvement this can lead to shock and awe. You are watching yourself watching the movie.Have you ever heard a famous person refer to themselves in the third person. ‘The hulkster is gonna rip his head off” They are very clear about building a false narrative. A character. If the day ever comes that you break free of the tremendous complicated facade you have created and crack open to what’s real you will feel like you are in a parallel universe. In the meantime protect your equanimity, especially today.
The Morpho blue butterflies lifespan is around 2 weeks. Based on any cosmic math, that two weeks is equivalent to the 80 years you may or may not get.Spend it.Eat it. See it. What are you wa
A couple of years ago I was sitting by a marsh on Long Island and out of the weeds floats this carnival of a bird. I was sure it was an art installation of some sort or a lost crazy decoy.As soon as I realized it was a living thing it was gone. I have never seen a more colorful and beautiful living thing before or since. It’s a Wood Duck..This quiet murky dark green swamp and shaaboom. It was like sitting in a desolate corn field in pitch black and suddenly a silent firework blew up over your head. I learned it looked this way to attract a mate.Once he does [Yes HE in the animal world it’s the males that get the bright color.] he molts into a more demure character. Most beauty is more muted than the wood duck.I found once you drop the inner narrative a bit the beauty is the old lady in the supermarket or the shape of an aged bridge. A perfect pie or a giant tree.It stops mattering once the channel is opened. All you need to see through this lens is get rid of all the filters.What’s left is sometimes magnificent.
I move slowly. I always have. I did a TV show a while back. When the host asked me why I move so slowly I told him I’m 60% smarter than everyone else so if I move 50 % slower I’m still 10 % ahead. Truth is I have always taken my time. I drive slow [ask wife]. I walk slowly. I eat slowly. I cook slowly.I never found a real reason to rush.I have been compared to a sloth.Which on the surface appears to be an insult.BUT the sloth is a fantastic animal. Its life span is around 35 years. WAY longer than its mortal enemy the Panther [15 years.]You would think moving so slowly would be a detriment BUT NO. The Sloth moves so little it kinda blends into the background.The Sloth can only be bothered to crap but ONCE a week. He even has a moth that lives symbiotically in his fur and nowhere else on earth.So while you are running around and stressing out. Look in your rear view that sloth behind you is gonna arrive 60 seconds later BUT 10% happier.
When the conquistadors drove cattle into Spanish Florida in the 1600’s they drove in a breed called Criollo.Which is also called The Florida Cracker.Like all boys from Queens know there are two kinds of cows.White cows and brown cows for chocolate milk. After 6 years in Central Florida I’ve learned otherwise.There are 100’s of breeds.I watch them in fields.I pull my car over and sit and watch. They watch me. I watch them.They seem pretty serene.Which is my personal goal.So I watch them and sometimes I can get pretty close.They give me the stink eye and usually decide I’m just another being no different then the egret who hangs out next to them waiting for scraps to fall from their mouths. I’m looking for scraps of serenity.They are floating from century to century.Just sitting and looking and eating and breeding and looking.We will both very soon be hamburger.They are just a little luckier .They don’t know.
Pam and I are moving into a new home.Pam made a mezuzah for us in her pottery class.When I told Pam we needed a scroll to put inside of it she told me I should write it myself. I thought this was a glorious idea .......Here Goes........................
céad míle fáilte
For all who enter our home let it be a warm place wrapping you in whatever good we have to offer. Let disagreement be left at the door .Eat what you like. Drink what you like.Stay as long as you like.
The Marvel universe has nothing on the deities of Hinduism.There are thousands of Hindu deities.It is intra tangled and complicated.Their births and lineages would even give Stan Lee a headache. ALL gods in my opinion are human constructs. BUT this does not mean their concepts are not very valuable.On Tic Tok I follow a young orthodox Jewish woman.She was arguing with an atheist about how silly he thought her belief systems are. I liked her answer.She said “Even if everything I believed was completely fictitious SO WHAT. I have traditions and some rules to follow that I like and my family likes as well. It brings me comfort”I find value in the teachings of Batman and the teachings of Jesus..I find comfort in nature and Rama and science and music.I’m down with the Buddha and Islamic poets .I love it all. I thank my father for my openness.He was a brave guy. Who NEVER told me it’s this way or that.Decide for yourself he would say. So now in a few days I will be 58 years old and I have tasted a lot of variety in this life. That’s because no one ever told me to only listen to Batman and his rules. Make your own path .I am very grateful xxooo
I am gearing up for a month of name calling anger and vitriolic hatred.I stop listening when a person or ideology states EVERYONE is this way or that.Sure I have an opinion but MUCH more important than my opinion is the ability to lay it down for a second and try to listen clearly to others thoughts. A great Buddhist slogan is “if you see the Buddha walking down the street kill him” This means don’t worship THINK. If you need to hide behind a religious belief, a political affiliation or really anything else. They got words for that. Scared or close minded comes to mind. So take your MAGA hat Kamala pin your bible and thump the stuff somewhere else.You want to scream and treat your beliefs systems like your at a football game rooting for a side.You got the wrong guy.If you want to have a real conversation based in compassion I’ll give anyone a shot.
I I stopped trying to shift the person or environment.I am me and If I can swim with the fishes for a few minutes I’ll try. If not, that’s also okay.
