Inspired.Us

Under the Lid

2011-03-26T01:17:00.000-07:00

Secrets are such tantalizing things. They are like magnets. The moment you learn about the existence of one, you feel the overpowering need to uncover it.

Discovering the nature of secrets is one of the most powerful things that drive us.

But then, so many things drive us. Hunger, desire. A full bladder. A swarm of bees.

Keep in mind, some secrets, like packages of gourmet smelly cheese, may reveal more than you bargained for.

So before you lift the lid from that boiling kettle, be sure you have a thick potholder and towels, and a proper spoon to stir the unknown contents.

Holding Hands

2011-03-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone's hand is the beginning of a journey.

At other times, it is allowing another to take yours.

You or I?

2011-03-14T01:37:00.000-07:00

Was it you or I who stumbled first?

It does not matter.

The one of us who finds the strength to get up first, must help the other.

Money and Fire

2011-03-13T04:47:00.000-07:00

Money is like fire.

It is only good when there's just the right amount of it, when it's properly contained and under your control.

Siblings

2011-01-31T01:29:00.000-08:00

It's a commonly expressed and rather nice, romantic notion that we are all "sisters" and "brothers."

Let's be real. Fact is, we might be better served to accept that we are all siblings.

Siblings fight, pull each other's hair, steal stuff, and accuse each other indiscriminately.

But siblings also know the undeniable fact that they are the same blood, share the same origins, and are family.

Even when they hate each other.

And that tends to put all things in perspective.

Progression

2011-01-25T05:01:00.001-08:00

Sunrise paints the sky with pinks and the sunset with peaches.

Cool to warm.

So is the progression from childhood to old age.

Creative Buffet

2011-01-24T02:12:00.001-08:00

Creativity is not so much a boundless well, but an all-you-can-eat buffet of elements for your creative endeavor.

Eventually you’ve eaten your fill, and it’s time to digest and then make something.

But at some point, it will be time to return to the restaurant.

Happiness: Meditation Puzzle

2011-01-20T00:39:00.001-08:00

I am happy.

I have something to accomplish, create, and achieve.

I am happy.

Favorite Word

2011-01-19T00:59:00.000-08:00

Here’s a funny question:

What is your favorite word?

Think about it—maybe it’s a word that makes you absolutely happy, or a word that sounds gloriously beautiful, or a word that evokes awe and wonder. Maybe you are reminded of a great time when you hear it, or maybe it represents your life’s dream.

So, what is it? What is your favorite word of all words?

Thought about it yet?

Good.

And now, think why.

In the Kingdom of Glass

2011-01-17T00:57:00.001-08:00

In the kingdom of glass everything is transparent, and there is no place to hide a dark heart.

Visiting Distant Places

2011-01-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

Whenever you go on a trip to visit foreign lands or distant places, remember that they are all someone’s home and backyard.

The Saffron Shift

2011-01-14T23:21:00.000-08:00

Science uses the Red Shift to measure deep cosmic distances. But how to measure deep historic time? How about—the Saffron Shift.

If history itself had a color, it is . . . like wood or bark, or living forest floor.

Assigning hues to time periods, the sum total of history is saffron-brown—but the chromatic arc starts from blinding white (prehistory) to sun-yellow (Ancient Greece), then deepening to pale wood tones (Dark Ages) and finally exploding like an infinite chord into a full brown palette that includes mahoganies, siennas (Middle Ages), oak, sandalwood (the Renaissance), cherry, maple (Age of Reason), and near-black old woods (Industrial Revolution) for which there may not be names.

As time approaches our own, the wood-brown palette fades to a weird glassy colorlessness, goes black-and-white for a brief span as you think of photographs of your grandparents, and then again fades until we get a clear medium that is the color of the world.

And the present moment is perfectly transparent.

It’s only as you start looking into the future, that the colors start returning. The glass is turning silvery with a murky haze, and there is blue somewhere in the distance . . .

The Bridge

2011-01-11T01:08:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time there were two countries, at war with each other. In order to make peace after many years of conflict, they decided to build a bridge across the ocean.

But because they never learned each other’s language properly, they could never agree on the details, so the two halves of the bridge they started to build never met.

To this day the bridge extends far into the ocean from both sides, and simply ends half way, miles in the wrong direction from the meeting point.

And the two countries are still at war.

Friends

2011-01-10T03:01:00.000-08:00

Friends are a strange, volatile, contradictory, yet sticky phenomenon. They are made, crafted, shaped, molded, created by focused effort and intent. And yet, true friendship, once recognized, in its essence is effortless.

Best friends are formed by time.

Everyone is someone’s friend, even when they think they are all alone.

If the friendship is not working, your heart will know. It’s when you start being less than perfectly honest and perfectly earnest in your dealings. And it’s when the things you do together no longer feel right.

However, sometimes it takes more effort to make it work after all.

Stick around long enough to become someone’s best friend.

Writer Ghost

2011-01-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

Here’s a strange fact. Writers, for the most part—especially writers of fiction—are doomed to be ever on the fringes of recognition, unknown, struggling, invisible.

It is not a myth. Most of us stay “starving” if we don’t have some other job to pay the bills.

But, don’t despair.

You and I may be a writer ghost (as opposed to a ghost writer—even those people seem to get more out of their careers than we do!). But the things we have to say are as corporeal and powerful as anything on the bestseller list.

Sometimes more.

So, keep on speaking to the clean vista of blank journal pages and the wordprocessor screen.

Eventually your ghost words will haunt someone.

Tease

2011-01-07T00:31:00.000-08:00

Dangling a carrot in front of a donkey—or anyone else for that matter—is not nice, and not fair, unless you eventually plan to give it up to them.

The Fastest Things

2011-01-06T00:16:00.000-08:00

The only thing faster than the speed of thought is the speed of forgetfulness.

Good thing we have other people to help us remember.

Main Course

2011-01-05T03:17:00.001-08:00

Some people prefer eating dessert to the main course.

These people have never been really hungry.

Shoes and Purses and Pretty Rocks

2011-01-04T02:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, why is it that women are supposed to love shoes and purses and shiny expensive trinkets? Seriously. Do you, if you’re a woman? I mean everyone loves a little bling, but do we pretend we love it more than we really do?

Also, is it the object itself that we are assumed to passionately crave, or what it represents? Status, prestige, beauty, youth, vigor, popularity, attractiveness, wealth . . . A little of everything?

Did women always love these things, throughout history? Or were we taught to love and covet them in order to put us in a certain delineated frame of being, to contain us, and keep us “occupied” and easily defined?

And, as times change, will these specific material objects of desire give way to some others, such as fancy smart phones and gadgets?

It seems, the objects we covet represent society’s current ideals.

What about our own true ideals? What do we really want?

Alphabet

2011-01-02T23:57:00.000-08:00

Each letter of the alphabet is a steadfast loyal soldier in a great army of words, sentences, paragraphs, and stories.

One letter falls, and the entire language falters.

The Point

2011-01-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

Why does every road eventually narrow into a point at the horizon?

Because that’s where the point lies.

The Bell

2010-12-31T01:22:00.000-08:00

The great miraculous bell of translucent ice is suspended in mid-air.

It rings to announce endings and beginnings. And it rings because there is fresh promise and wonder in the skies.

Its clear tones resound in the placid silence of the winter day, and echo long into the silver-blue serenity of night.

The bell can only be seen at the turning of the year, when the days wind down into nothing, and get ready to march out again.

When you hear the bell, you feel a tug at your heart.

It is your immortal inspiration.

Annoying Optimist

2010-12-30T01:07:00.000-08:00

People who are too optimistic seem annoying. This is an unfortunate misinterpretation of what an optimist really is.

An optimist is neither naive, nor blind to the facts, nor in denial of grim reality. An optimist believes in the optimal usage of all options available, no matter how limited. As such, an optimist always sees the big picture. How else to keep track of all that’s out there? An optimist is simply a proactive realist.

An idealist focuses only on the best aspects of all things (sometimes in detriment to reality); an optimist strives to find an effective solution. A pessimist sees limited or no choices in dark times; an optimist makes choices.

When bobbing for apples, an idealist endlessly reaches for the best apple, a pessimist settles for the first one within reach, while an optimist drains the barrel, fishes out all the apples and makes pie.

Annoying? Yes. But, oh-so tasty!

A Long Time Ago

2010-12-29T00:32:00.000-08:00

A long time ago people believed that the world is flat and the moon is made of green cheese.

Some still do, to this day.

The man on the moon is looking down and laughing.

Dreamers

2010-12-28T21:02:00.000-08:00

It is interesting that we call something good a “dream,” but being called a “dreamer” is somewhat of a putdown.

Without dreamers, no dream would ever be given reality, and we would live in a very small and shallow world.

If you are a secret dreamer, it’s your time to announce yourself.

The Stranger in the Rain

2010-12-27T01:20:00.000-08:00

On the late afternoon streets, everyone hurries along, going about their own business.

Who is the person walking in front of you on the rain-drenched sidewalk?

He is covered with an umbrella, and all you can see is a dark coat and the shoes striking the puddles.

And yet this person is the hero of his own life story.

He is the love of someone’s life.

And what he can do may change the world.

Imagine being him for a moment.

And then continue on your own way.

The Heartland

2010-12-26T02:57:00.001-08:00

The heartland lies where the heart longs to be.

Sometimes it takes a lifetime to find the true place to plant it.

Golden Reverie

2010-12-25T00:15:00.001-08:00

Snowflakes swirl down gently in the deep blue haze beyond the window. The outside world is a dream.

Inside, the fireplace is brightly lit, and the Yule log crackles with orange and crimson sparks.

There’s a steaming mug in your hands, warming your fingers.

There’s a friend seated across from you in the cozy chair, warming your heart.

There is mystery unfolding.

The Wisest King

2010-12-24T02:00:00.000-08:00

One true king knew when to step aside and give up the reins of power—to remove his crown and relinquish his kingdom—all for the sake of glimpsing, just once in a lifetime, the face of a holy child.

He was the Fourth to follow the Star.

His gift was a secret.

The rest of his journey is unknown.

The Compass Rose

2010-12-23T01:29:00.000-08:00

The compass rose is nothing but a star with an infinite number of rays pointing in all directions.

It is the one true and perfect symbol of the universe.

And it is the one most accurate symbol of you.

Spread your arms in an embrace, throw your head back, and prepare to receive and send coordinates of being. For, at last you know—you are the navigator, the captain, and the ship.

The Nutcracker

2010-12-22T02:01:00.000-08:00

The nutcracker sits under the holiday tree, a guardian of childhood stories.

Feed him walnuts and he will crack open a tale . . .

A Reindeer Tale

2010-12-21T00:17:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, the Reindeer took a running leap and jumped over the Northern Lights.

But he jumped too low, and the long fur of his beautiful flowing tail got singed by the rainbow fires of the aurora.

To this day the reindeer has no tail to speak of. But he is too busy pulling the Important Sleigh to notice what is lost. And he certainly doesn’t complain.

What’s your excuse?

The Smile

2010-12-20T02:24:00.001-08:00

Withhold a smile only when the smile can hurt someone.

Otherwise, let it bloom forth in a riot.

Meditation

2010-12-19T00:03:00.000-08:00

Meditation is a mysterious method of self-restoration.

It involves “shutting” out the outside world, and by that means sensing the universal “presence” which is, incidentally, absolute perfect peace.

It is basically an existential “time-out”—a way to “come up for a breath of air” out of the noisy clutter of the world.

But don’t be afraid, there is nothing arcane or supernatural or creepy about the notion of taking a time-out. Ball players do it. Kids do it, when prompted by their parents. Heck, even your computer does it (and sometimes not when you want it to).

So, why not you?

A meditation can be as simple as taking a series of easy breaths, and slowly, gently counting to ten in your mind.

Remembering the Dream

2010-12-18T01:31:00.000-08:00

When you wake up from a dream you have only a few precious moments before the details of the dream begin to dissipate and the memory fades.

Not all dreams are significant or worth remembering.

But the ones that are . . . happen again.

So, wait for the dream to return. And never be afraid. Instead, consider it an opportunity to learn something profound and possibly wondrous about yourself.

Perfect Justice

2010-12-17T01:37:00.000-08:00

Justice based purely on laws is about as accurate as a portrait created out of large low-resolution color pixels.

If you stand back far enough it looks good.

Come any closer and the glaring approximations overtake all semblance of the original.

Justice should be viewable under the microscope, not from a telescope.

And for that it needs to be based not on law but on truth.

Invisible Tuxedo

2010-12-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

What is it about wearing a tuxedo or that little black dress, that makes us feel confident, beautiful, splendid, even invincible?

We put on formal wear and suddenly we become extraordinary.

On the days when you feel low and invisible, why not try this on for size: imagine you are wearing a fantastic tailored tuxedo or a stunning formal gown.

And then proceed with your day.

Gingerbread Room

2010-12-10T00:36:00.001-08:00

The Gingerbread House has four walls, a roof, a door, a window, and a chimney. It is decorated with many sweet culinary delights on the outside.

But on the inside there is nothing—only the bare gingerbread walls.

It is not a real house—not until you decide to add a Gingerbread Room.

That’s when the stories can move in.

They will stay in residence for as long as you abstain from taking the first gingerbread bite.

Frost the Architect

2010-12-09T01:42:00.001-08:00

Frost grows on the window glass, forming whorl patterns of lovely translucent geometry.

Breathe on the glass, and you give frost more ammunition.

Now it can build castles and cities and whole ice continents with your breath’s vapor.

In a few blinks you can almost see the winter fairies moving in . . .

But first, you hear the crackle of their wings.

Winter Fireworks

2010-12-08T00:30:00.000-08:00

Colored lights blink on and off, racing across the green boughs. Their reflections dance across exquisite glass globes and splinter into shards against tinsel thread and garlands of metallic filaments that disappear underneath the other ornaments and finery.

Shadows follow, joyful, laughing sprites.

The tree is rich with potential wonder.

All it needs is a glance from you to come alive.

Faced with a Mountain

2010-12-07T00:13:00.001-08:00

If you are faced with a mountain, you have several options.

You can climb it and cross to the other side.

You can go around it.

You can dig under it.

You can fly over it.

You can blow it up.

You can ignore it and pretend it’s not there.

You can turn around and go back the way you came.

Or you can stay on the mountain and make it your home.

The Hourglass

2010-12-06T16:43:00.001-08:00

The sand in the hourglass runs from one compartment to the other, marking the passage of moments with something constant and tangible.

If you watch the flowing sand, you might see time itself riding the granules.

Contrary to popular opinion, time is not an old white-haired man, but a laughing child.

And time sings.

Ice and Memory

2010-12-05T07:32:00.001-08:00

Ice is most welcome in a cold drink on a hot day.

But in the heart of winter, you want a warm hot mug with your favorite soothing brew to keep the chill away.

When you don’t have anything warm at hand, even a memory can be a small substitute.

Remember a searing look of intimate eyes.

Receive the inner fire.

Gift Giving

2010-12-04T02:31:00.000-08:00

Gift giving is a true art.

1. You need to understand the person to whom you intend to give the gift.

2. You need to know what they truly want.

3. You must be able to give it to them.

Anything less is a symptom of varying degrees, on your part, of ignorance, distance, or insult.

But if you cannot afford the right gift, telling the person what you would do if you could, justifies everything—as you present that not-so-perfect substitute.

Earth Mother Days

2010-12-03T03:30:00.000-08:00

Some women seem so voluptuous in every sense, richly bountiful and fertile with generous gifts of plenty, sensual and confident in their female strength that they are called “earth mothers.”

That’s how some days feel—when they are bountiful and fertile with the power of our imagination.

Authorization

2010-12-02T00:59:00.000-08:00

Respect the young and chastise your elders.

It’s about time the world was set aright.

The Speaking Trees

2010-12-01T01:43:00.000-08:00

Listen to the trees as they sway in the wind.

Their leaves are telling secrets. Their bark sings songs of olden days as it grows around the trunks. And their roots give names to all things.

Their language has been lost.

But not the gestures.

The Fountain

2010-11-30T00:42:00.000-08:00

Unlike a fountain that circulates the same water in an enclosed, perpetually recycling system, a human being circulates thoughts in an unlimited reservoir of self.

Don’t limit yourself to being a mere fountain when you contain an ocean.

The Road

2010-11-29T01:40:00.000-08:00

The wide open road is the single most hopeful thing in the world.

Look straight ahead and see it disappear into a point at the horizon.

That point is the future.

Seeing it, your lungs swell with joyful breath and buoyancy, and your heart feels a sweet nostalgic tug forward.

The road is calling!

Sometimes, it is the road home.

Afraid of the Dark

2010-11-28T02:39:00.001-08:00

Don’t be afraid of the dark.

Shine!

Museum Awe

2010-11-27T01:35:00.001-08:00

Some people think that museums are boring places filled with old things that no one cares about.

Tell them this:

The next time you enter a museum, walk quietly with stilled breath and sacred awe.

A museum is a holy shrine to the achievements of the human race.

It is in fact the most mind-blowing place to be, because it contains the only human-made things that are truly immortal.

Super Us

2010-11-26T00:22:00.000-08:00

Ever been a one-person marching band? These days many of us are.

The last several years of financial, emotional and motivational turmoil have been incredibly challenging and tough in so many ways, which of course makes it very difficult to be creative. And at such a time, being creative is the one thing we have to be.

Almost requires a person to be superhuman to do it all.

You know what? Many of us are. What we do every day in order to pursue our dreams and at the same time hang in there and keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies, is amazing. At one time or another, most of us are fulltime laborers, professionals, homemakers, nurturers, teachers, healers, inventors, providers, creators of artistic beauty, urban jungle warriors, saviors of the universe and everything else—all crammed into one person.

This really is the age of the super being. No wonder media supernatural heroes are so blazing-hot right now.

The world requires it.

Your Best Friend

2010-11-25T01:18:00.001-08:00

Your best friend is sitting on your lap purring, and at your feet wagging his tail.

Curled in a soft ball, your best friend lies on the windowsill, or perches on top of the stuffed chair, to be near you.

When you come home, your best friend greets you at the door, dancing with joy, and watching you with impossible attention.

When you cry, your best friend gets up and comes to you unconditionally, so that you can put your hands on the warmth and rest against the beloved fur.

Don’t ever forget.

Don’t ever abandon them.

Treasures

2010-11-24T00:11:00.001-08:00

The greatest treasures cannot be stolen because they cannot be re-sold.

They can only be given away.

Signs

2010-11-23T00:08:00.000-08:00

Signs of all great things are written right before our eyes, in a near invisible code of strangeness, wonder, and beauty. Sometimes it’s a shape, at others, a color, or a sound, a single pure note. It is also a scent, or a brief feather touch.

We look upon the world every day and see something simple, ordinary and commonplace.

But occasionally, something takes our breath away.

That’s when we are given a glimmer of the true signs.

Today, watch closely.

Elemental Feast

2010-11-22T02:03:00.000-08:00

The Snow Queen married the Rain King.

Their children are Hail and Storm.

Behold their Feast.

Love at First Sight

2010-11-21T01:03:00.001-08:00

Falling in love at first sight is no different than picking out the prefect dress.

It can happen.

But you still don’t know for sure until you’ve taken it to the dressing room and tried it on in front of a mirror.

Author’s Secret

2010-11-20T02:20:00.000-08:00

No book is ever truly finished—the author simply makes the conscious agonizing choice to stop fiddling with it . . .

. . . and then there’s this thing called a deadline.

For that matter, no book is ever truly begun—the author stares at the blank sheet, starts drawing stick figures and monstrous ducks on the corners . . .

. . . and then there’s this thing called a deadline.

As the Rain

2010-11-19T04:53:00.000-08:00

Rain beats against the world outside in torrential streams of sky water.

It washes away everything.

May our forgiveness do the same.

The Queen of Flowers

2010-11-18T01:03:00.000-08:00

The rose is the queen of flowers.

She is an amazing blossom that embodies beauty, elegance, and love. And pride—don’t forget the thorns. No other flower carries so much complexity, meaning, and impact through the ages.

What is this something about the regal rose that gives it such potent magic?

Look closely at the rose and answer for yourself.

Sense of Security

2010-11-17T00:35:00.001-08:00

A sense of security is a precious state of mind—labor-intensive to achieve and precarious to sustain.

So many of us work hard for most of our lives just for a glimmer of it.

Security comes in so many flavors—personal, financial, emotional, spiritual, intellectual.

Never take your sense of security for granted.

Be a security guard for all.

Well Groomed

2010-11-16T00:02:00.000-08:00

The next time you visit the cosmetics counter, browse those rows of powders and creams, and are overwhelmed with a million shades of lipstick, blush, foundation, and eyeliner—consider the cat.

All it needs to stay well groomed is its own saliva.

The Entrance

2010-11-15T01:52:00.001-08:00

The still surface of a lake is a membrane separating the worlds of air and water.

It is a hair-thin sliver, as fine as a breath, the thickness of a blink, a single molecule of difference . . .

Along this edge lies the entrance to Faerie.

Some Puzzles

2010-11-14T01:11:00.001-08:00

Not every puzzle is intended to be solved.

Some are in place to test your limits.

Others are, in fact, not puzzles at all . . .

Smooth Polished Rock

2010-11-13T00:34:00.000-08:00

A wise person is like a smoothly polished rock: it takes time to become either.

Coliseum of the Surreal

2010-11-12T01:17:00.000-08:00

The poets huddle together in the corner like football players.

And the ball players are out before an audience, performing modern poetry in motion.

You sit watching, with your thumb ready to signal victory or defeat.

Reaching for Everything

2010-11-11T00:56:00.000-08:00

When you reach for the stars, you are reaching for the farthest thing out there.

When you reach deep into yourself, it is the same thing, but in the opposite direction.

If you reach in both directions, you will have spanned the universe.

The Fern and the Cactus

2010-11-10T01:47:00.001-08:00

The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland.

The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.

The florist will sigh and add a wall divider and proper soil to both sides.

The grandparent will move the flowerbox halfway out of the sun.

The child will turn it around properly so that the fern is in the shade, and not the cactus.

The moral of the story?

Kids are smart.

Tornado and Earthquake

2010-11-09T00:08:00.001-08:00

A tornado of thought is unleashed after each new insight.

This in turn results in an earthquake of assumptions.

These are natural disasters that re-shape the spirit.

Love Potion

2010-11-08T00:25:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, a young man obtained a magic love potion and gave it to the young woman he loved.

The next day she left him.

Don’t worry about either one of them.

The Hat of Inspiration

2010-11-07T05:16:00.000-08:00

When you need a bit of inspiration, put on a hat.

And now imagine what it would be like to wear this hat every day. Imagine how the hat might change you, if you had to wear it always and could never take it off.

Now take off the hat.

Aren't you glad you can?

Tough Times

2010-11-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

When tough times come, it is particularly important to offset them with much gentle softness.

Be a pillow.

Motion Sensors

2010-11-05T00:12:00.000-07:00

We are all glorified motion sensors.

Some things only become visible to us when they undergo change.

We take for granted all the constant, fixed things, and eventually stop paying any attention to them. At the same time we observe and obsess over small, fast-moving, ephemeral things of little value.

The trick to rediscovering constants is to stop and focus on the greater panorama around us. While everything else flits abut, the important things remain in place.

Their stillness appears as reverse motion to our perspective, as relativity resets our motion sensors. It reboots us, allowing us once again to perceive.

And now that we do see, suddenly we realize that those still things are not so motionless after all. They are simply gliding with slow individualistic grace against the backdrop of the immense universe.

And it takes a more sensitive motion instrument to track this.

The Point of Light

2010-11-04T00:40:00.000-07:00

The star is a tiny point of light in the deep that is the night heavens. Its distant neighbors are more distant than the farthest thing on earth we know.

The star is surrounded by an infinite number of other stars in a stream of light that is the galaxy.

The galaxy is a point of light and its closest neighbors are other galaxies in a cluster.

The galactic cluster is a point of light forming a sea of membranes and strings wound and coiled inward and outward.

The strings and membranes recede into a point of light that is but one in a shower of the sparks hitting the grate of your fireplace.

You blink.

Sugar and Salt

2010-11-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

Neither sugar nor salt tastes particularly good by itself. Each is at its best when used to season other things.

Love is the same way.

Use it to “season” people.

The Master of the Garden

2010-11-02T01:12:00.000-07:00

The master of the garden is the one who waters it, trims the branches, plants the seeds, and pulls the weeds.

If you merely stroll through the garden, you are but an acolyte.

In the Plains

2010-11-01T01:36:00.000-07:00

In the plains the grass grows tall, since there is no one to cut it.

There is no one to water it either.

Darkness and Radiance

2010-10-31T01:28:00.000-07:00

The autumn wind blows numbing cold and twilight paints the evening indigo.

The orange carved pumpkin sits on the windowsill, grinning like the moon’s strange cousin, and its teeth are flames.

Don’t be afraid.

You carry our own heat inside you, and it is stronger than anything.

In the closing darkness, radiate the sunflower-golden warmth and put the Jack-o’-Lantern to shame . . .

Fascination

2010-10-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

Fascination can lead us into really strange places.

Some are marvelous, some are dangerous, some are fascinating in themselves.

Fascination is one of the many faces of inspiration. It is the first glimmer of the great shining golden hoard just around the corner . . .

Just be prepared to find fool’s gold most of the time.

Mobile Riches

2010-10-29T02:17:00.000-07:00

It's easier for a rich man to ride that camel through the eye of a needle directly into the Kingdom of Heaven, than for some of us to give up our cell phone.

Indirect

2010-10-28T00:07:00.001-07:00

Never look directly at the sun.

Instead, look at the sunflower.

Exception to the Rules

2010-10-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

To every rule there is an exception—and an idiot ready to demonstrate it.

Don't be the one!

Vegetable Secret

2010-10-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

No one hates vegetables.

Instead, everyone hates to eat boringly prepared, bland, sterile, flavorless, washed-out, unseasoned food.

The vegetables are crying out to you:

“Spice me up! Pour interesting sauce over me! Mate me with compatible flavors! Put me in worthy recipes! Treat me as a worthy main course, not an afterthought side dish! Oh, and enough with that dull horrid steaming already!”

Listen to the vegetables.

Then, prepare to be amazed.

Urban Unicorn

2010-10-25T04:10:00.000-07:00

The unicorn flickers in and out of your field of vision. It is white, or possibly steel.

Watch from the corner of your eye as it soars past the cars and the landmarks, as the streets unfold and the buildings tower.

The unicorn cannot fly.

But it moves faster than you can imagine, creating the illusion.

No one else can see it but you. And even you may not see it again, unless you feel the same moment of perfect clarity that allowed you to remember everything—to hum the perfect song and pronounce the unicorn's true name.

And discover yours.

The Best Things

2010-10-24T03:04:00.001-07:00

The best things—both material and intangible—in life are earned.

But occasionally certain unexpected good things come to us as a rare and precious gift, almost out of the blue.

How does that work?

To find out, give a small heartfelt gift to someone, today.

Playing

2010-10-23T00:30:00.001-07:00

There’s a difference between playing and playing games.

The former is an act of joy, the latter—an act.

Regardless of Season

2010-10-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

If you feed the birds and squirrels regardless of season, if you set out a dish for the possums and the raccoons when the weather intensifies, you are the secret master of the world.

Don’t tell anyone how it works. They may only figure it out for themselves.

Maps

2010-10-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

Maps are things of magic.

You look at the world flattened into two dimensions on paper, and yet imagine it in infinite layers, directions, and transparencies.

What is a map of a human being?

The palm of your hand.

Good Book

2010-10-20T00:39:00.001-07:00

Whenever your read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.

Far Seeing

2010-10-19T00:23:00.003-07:00

Sunlight shimmers upon the waters like broken shards of a mirror.

Squint and look out across the ocean at the horizon.

You are seeing the future and the past, rolled into one.

Somewhere, thousands of years ago, another stood in your place, and looked and saw the same horizon.

The First Tree

2010-10-18T00:22:00.000-07:00

The first tree grew in a forest of grass and lesser shrubs.

At first it was like all the rest. And then it kept growing, rising to tower over the other vegetation.

At some point it knew it was tall and different and strong.

The tree, new and self-aware, defined and named itself.

So must you.

The Pyramid

2010-10-17T02:25:00.001-07:00

The pyramid shape is said to hold many secrets and amazing properties.

One of them is a sense of wonder.

The City

2010-10-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

In a haze of fog and smog the city shapes itself in the distance, angular skyscrapers marking the skyline with dreary man-made geometry.

But with evening, golden lights appear in windows, winking into existence like fireflies, until the city is a jewel of infinite blinking eyes.

This is what takes place inside us at the moment of insight.

October Moon

2010-10-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

Something wonderful happens to the moon in October. First it grows plump and yellow, transforming into a juicy peach, then into a bright orange pumpkin—great and fat and ripe like the last harvest.

The full moon floats in the cooling sky that has lost the last of its bright summer blue, and can only display the indigo and silver grays.

The season of depth has arrived.

Time to turn inward.

Home

2010-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult things in life is losing a home for which you’ve worked all your life.

There are no words.

The heart bleeds.

Then you pick up the objects that mean home to you. And you pack them up, and you uproot yourself and your loved ones.

And you go to plant your heart in a new spot of earth. Good thing the world is a big wondrous place.

And every inch of it is home.

The Invention

2010-10-13T00:25:00.000-07:00

A very long time ago, when the world was plain, a brilliant scientist invented a wonderful mysterious device. When touched, it inspired you.

People from everywhere came to touch the device—and were inspired to create problems, solve all masterpieces, heal the hungry and feed the sick. Others were inspired to invent even more amazing inventions. Soon, the world filled with technological wonders.

Because so many people touched it, the device eventually wore down and stopped working. And when the oceans rose to swallow land and rearrange the continents, everything that was left of the inspired civilization sank to the bottom.

But the memory of inspiration remains to this day. It’s why so many of us unconsciously reach out to touch the things of the world, and why we reach out for each other.

There’s something to be invented.

Honeymoon

2010-10-12T00:02:00.001-07:00

Every year, the sun goes on a honeymoon to warmer climes—or is it that it brings the warmth with it, transforming the places it visits?

We, meanwhile, are left to bask in the residue of its loving glow.

It is just barely enough.

But love always returns the following year.

Abilities

2010-10-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

A great ancient poet was blind.

A great classical composer was deaf.

Many of us are dumb.

What have we to show for it?

Broken Vase

2010-10-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

A fine glass vase goes from treasure to trash, the moment it is broken.

Fortunately, something else happens to you and me.

Pick up your pieces.

Then, help me gather mine.

Message in a Klein Bottle

2010-10-09T18:12:00.001-07:00

An infinitely self-replicating yet unending pattern suggests something about the flow of our lives.

Truth is inside-out.