Each morning my intention for

the day is to

yield to joy…to

open mind and

heart to sights and sounds that cause me

to hold my breath,

awe-filled moments

and small moments.

Time is running out, what’s past is

past, and who knows

what is to come.

If not now, when?

A shoo-in for Harvard she is!

What human can

sniff her way home

in the damp woods,

turn on the right path that leads to

her own back door?

What savvy, what

intelligence!

She solves a puppy puzzle in

record time, knows

when to please and

just when to tease.

Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks? In just one week

a new dog has

taught this old dog

to be patient,

work less, play more, get up early and see the stars,

seek joy in the

smallest things, a

crackly leaf,

sunrise, sunset, tummy rubs, wild geese, juicy worms,

and most of all

the sweet warmth of

absolute love.

Endless curiosity, boundless energy,

all packed into

eight pounds of white

and chocolate brown.

The warmth of a small head against my neck, floppy

ears, hazel eyes,

yoga expert

in downward dog.

An unexpected magnitude of joy and warmth

surprises me,

reminds me to

love completely.

The more attention it gets, the more it offers,

will start to lead

to a new place,

and transform you.

Embrace the mystery, darkness, and suffering,

follow the threads,

slender though they be,

hold the tension

of opposites, while you continue to chop wood,

carry water,

merge opposites,

become the Self.

With thanks to Everett McLaren, Jungian Analyst, for his presentation on Alchemy and the Hero’s Journey October 9, 2014 at The Chrysalis Institute.

As soon as you lose all hope for changing others,

improving them,

informing them,

on what you think they should know,

you realize that it’s only you who can change,

who can open the gate,

for a new perspective

on what you thought you knew.

When you open yourself to what you fear, you can

open yourself

to what others

fear and change happens.

With  gratitude to my Wednesday morning tribe of women.

When my “old brain” boxes me in and sets a trap,

triggered by old

habits, reacts

with anger, fear,

strengthened by existing views of the world, seeking

safety, drawing

on memory,

resisting change,

my “new brain” waits patiently until I find the

energy, will

to create space,

start the practice.

With thanks to Kay and Phil Davidson, mindfulness teachers

When at last you think you have accepted what is,

as soon as you

bask in the glow

of evolvement,

something triggers a reaction you thought was gone,

and old hurts and

resentments come

spewing in such

profusion that you start drowning in them until

you remember

to stop and breathe

and let it go.

Sun-drenched country roads bring flashbacks

of my childhood,

the Sunday drives,

ups, downs, and curves,

shrieks of laughter from the back seat

as Dad sped up

for “stomach” bumps,

taking our breath.

No seat belts then to keep us from

slipping, sliding

across the seat

with childhood joy.

Sandpipers prance at water’s  edge, seagulls waiting

for crumbs to drop,

babies in sun hats,

waves in, waves out.

Boys on surfboards ride curling foam, slicing water,

wind whips umbrellas

inside out,

waves in, waves out.

Rum drinks sipped at end of day, chairs pulled up to water,

sandy feet and

relaxed bodies,

waves in, waves out.