Mary Oliver adds a little darkness...

And Mary Oliver adds a little darkness, because it motivates too...

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THE FOURTH SIGN OF THE ZODIAC (PART 3)

I know, you never intended to be in this world.
But you’re in it all the same. 

So why not get started immediately.

I mean, belonging to it.
There is so much to admire, to weep over.

And to write music or poems about.

Bless the feet that take you to and fro.
Bless the eyes and the listening ears.
Bless the tongue, the marvel of taste.
Bless touching.

You could live a hundred years, it’s happened.
Or not.
I am speaking from the fortunate platform
of many years,
none of which, I think, I ever wasted.
Do you need a prod?
Do you need a little darkness to get you going?
Let me be as urgent as a knife, then,
and remind you of Keats,
so single of purpose and thinking, for a while,
he had a lifetime.

Another day by the ocean...

Knowing...

Knowing: On Being Aware: Less than 24 weeks left...

Trees are my friends: the first tree

From the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens...

A lot of noise about this plant called the Queen of the Andes...that flowers once in 80 to 100 years, and this one is flowering 24 years into its existence in the gardens...so I went to see it. Spectacularly ugly fellow, in my opinion - but well done anyway! Of more interest to me were the hummingbirds, can you spot them?

And then there were the side-attractions...

Spherical aloe

the Japanese garden shed with a lovely mossy rooftop

a sunny little cactus ball from the deserts of Mexico

 and a succulent called "pork and beans"!

A compelling case for making pancakes...

The world you see is just a movie in your mind.
Rocks don't see it.
Bless and sit down.
Forgive and forget.
Practice kindness all day to everybody
and you will realize you’re already
in heaven now.
That’s the story.
That’s the message.
Nobody understands it,
nobody listens, they’re
all running around like chickens with heads cut
off. I will try to teach it but it will
be in vain, s’why I’ll
end up in a shack
praying and being
cool and singing
by my woodstove
making pancakes

(Jack Kerouac)

Snapshots of China-1

China, or more accurately - Beijing turned out to be unexpectedly wonderful...and friendly! Snapshots from a contemporary city, an ancient culture, and a timeless land:

Some days, a nap is all you need:

The Bell Tower, from outside...

Over a hundred steps up the tower:

And there's the bell:

Trees are my friends - 2

One day by the ocean, I discovered these. Old wood, still sustaining life and feeding our imagination. Wise in the ways of wind and water, slowly turning to stone.

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Mad music for festivals - Happy Navroze!

From a very Parsee project manager:

May the cholesterol Devil never keep you from:

The eedas on your bheedas
May your plate be full of sali ma marghi
May you drink your fill and dance with glee
Cause we all celebrate being a Parsee

Do not to your doctor go
Asking if you can eat Malido
Refuse not malai na khaja
Instead, khai pi ne karo majha

Afraid of cholesterol do not be
Boldly devour your akooree
Heart attacks should not scare thee
Eat all you can, even some  jalebee

Wish all our friends and family

A Very Happy Navroze

and

All the Very Best for YZ 1380

May you and your family always be showered by the blessings of

Ahura Mazda

for the coming year and the years that follow

Amen

Mad music for festivals (Hanukkah)

This is hilarious. Apologies to my Jewish friends!
(From Prairie Home Companion/ Tom Lehrer, Garrison Keillor)

I'm spending Hanukkah, in Santa Monica,
Wearing sandals lighting candles by the sea.
I spent Shavuos, in East St. Louis,
A charming spot but clearly not the spot for me.

Those eastern winters, I can't endure 'em,
So every year I pack my gear
And come out here to Purim.

Rosh Hashona, I spend in Arizona,
And Yom Kippa, way down in Mississippa.
But in Decemba, there's just one place for me.
'Mid the California flora,
I'll be lighting my menorah.
Every California maid'll
Find me playing with a dreidl.
Santa Monica, spending Hanukkah by the sea

Boys and bicycles

What is it about bicycles and boys (and girls, but that's just not as alliterative, sorry!)? There's something magical about the moment you get on a bicycle for the first time - the promise of freedom to roam, constrained only by how strong your legs and lungs are. In some ways, so much purer than motorcycles and cars - no licenses or registrations, no certifications or credentials, just hop on and go!

from a friend - http://www.gomadnow.org/

I still remember vividly, my first bicycle - it was blue and heavy - with fenders and chain-covers, my sister and I shared it. I used to sit on it and try to balance myself by twisting and turning even while it was standing still, way before I learned to ride. And then one summer morning on the grassy stretches near India Gate - me perched on the bicycle with my father running alongside, his strong grip on my shoulder to steady me. Wobbling along, slowly learning to look ahead, pedal and balance myself all at the same time. Like learning to fly, I gathered speed, steadied myself and he let me go. It was a magical moment - my breath loud in my ears and my father's happy encouragements sending me onwards.
Life was different after that.

More recently, I was able to offer the experience to a friend from Russia, she'd never learned how to ride. For a few minutes then - I was the steadying hand, the encouraging voice, the reassurance that it was ok, she wasn't going to fall and that she should look up, and keep going. It was a lot of fun - as much for her as for me. She's using my bicycle to continue learning, and that's great - because it feels great to watch her go.

And then I got this picture from a friend halfway around the world in Tanzania, someone who gives bicycles to kids, and gets them to learn how to ride. You can see it there too - the same nervous exhilaration, that heady moment when someone finally finds balance and speeds up and everyone cheers. Its just a simple, beautiful thing. 

Evening scene from my window

Yes, it was a long hard Monday slog. But I returned home to find this right outside my window. Somehow so magical, so refreshing!

Morning sky from my study window

Just another wonderful winter morning view from my window. It is early, about 630am and the year still feels new. There is promise in the air. The trees reaching out to the sky, their branches a reminder of the buds waiting to burst forth in spring. 

London sightings - 1 (ship in a bottle)

Of all the pictures I've taken in London for some reason I thought it best to begin posting with this. It is from Trafalgar Square, and is a very large ship in a bottle. For me, this somehow represents the quirkiness, the humor and historic legacy that this city contains so amazingly well.

Keep calm and blog on...

Old meme in new blogs alert! Its funny how these keep popping around in London. And there's a whole bunch of web-links providing background and more on it too. Very catchy!

Some of my variations on the same theme:
Keep Calm And Motor On (uhh...about that Mini)
Keep Calm and Pour The Scotch (refer earlier post!)
Keep Calm And Pay Your Bills
Keep Calm And Finish Your Veggies (refer Mum)
Keep Calm And Kill The Zombies! (refer Zombieland, an excellent movie with rules on how to survive  in a post-zombiecalypse scenario:  Zombie Kill of the Day)

Yours?

And here's a link too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On