Sunrise here wakes the Pacific Northwest --and me. The sky is blue and clear. The heralding songs of the early birds are silent now and the night's darkness is gone.
Awake, I'm awake.
As I bask in the coolness of the morning breeze, I know it's afternoon in London, sunset in Addis Ababa, midnight in Sidney and dawn of another day in Vladivostok. While others are awake, some are sleeping. It all depends on where you are.
This interplay of light and darkness, wakefulness and sleep, brings to mind Old Father Raven, the extraordinary bird whose life animates all that is. As the Alaskan myth goes, Old Father Raven hid in darkness and one day woke up all by himself. He discovered who he was. He awoke into self-awareness.
But waking from the sleep of darkness does not always happen spontaneously. In the “Hymn of the Pearl,” we read that a King sent his young prince to Egypt to bring home a pearl that a wild serpent guarded. The Egyptians attacked him, took his possessions and drugged him to sleep. Through his psychic powers, the King knew from far away what was happening to his son. The King's wise men wrote a letter that they delivered to the prince in his dream. He read it. He woke up. He overcame the serpent and brought the Pearl back home. The King honored him.
As I wake up with sunrise this morning, it occurred to me that there’s another way to wake up. I desire to wake up spontaneously like Old Father Raven. Or maybe like the prince, there’s a letter being sent me by the King’s wise men in the events of my life. I desire to wake up from my long sleep, ready to bring home the Pearl at such a time of great awakening like this.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Joys and sorrows of living
We spent the first part of our day going over the goals we set for our family at the beginning of the New Year. Again, we're filled with gratitude for what we've accomplished but struck by so many things we've left undone.
Above all, I’m full of awe about the unexpected events happening in our lives and the lives of those around us: Friends have moved out of state. Some have quit their jobs and others have gone into new professions. A couple has become pregnant just before the husband's vasectomy. Some are recovering from surgeries. I've made new friends through unbelievable synchronicities.
In the later part of the day, I heard about a friend who is going through a lot of trouble away from home. It felt as though she was being swept over by waves and was drowning in the middle of a tempestuous sea. Because the problem she was going through was complex, there was nothing I could do but say a prayer with friends for her.
My eyes opened once more to the pain and suffering in the world. The millions of hungry children, the fate of countless homeless men and women, the neglected elders and terminally ill dying away from the gaze of the world, the many people dying of curable disease and the millions killed in unnecessary wars.
The sun is setting now this beautiful Pacific Northwest day and my heart is torn between the joys and sorrows of life around me.
Above all, I’m full of awe about the unexpected events happening in our lives and the lives of those around us: Friends have moved out of state. Some have quit their jobs and others have gone into new professions. A couple has become pregnant just before the husband's vasectomy. Some are recovering from surgeries. I've made new friends through unbelievable synchronicities.
In the later part of the day, I heard about a friend who is going through a lot of trouble away from home. It felt as though she was being swept over by waves and was drowning in the middle of a tempestuous sea. Because the problem she was going through was complex, there was nothing I could do but say a prayer with friends for her.
My eyes opened once more to the pain and suffering in the world. The millions of hungry children, the fate of countless homeless men and women, the neglected elders and terminally ill dying away from the gaze of the world, the many people dying of curable disease and the millions killed in unnecessary wars.
The sun is setting now this beautiful Pacific Northwest day and my heart is torn between the joys and sorrows of life around me.
Friday, June 1, 2007
June Goal Tracking: Revisiting Our New Year Plans for 2007
June is here. Five months ago, many Americans greeted the New Year with ambitious goals and high expectations. Because we're almost half way through the year, this month is a natural for reviewing the goals we set and the plans we made at the beginning of the year.
Our family began 2007 with gratitude. We listed all we were thankful for: new car, new job, parties, fun trips, our friends and relationships. Getting to Bill Clinton and Thom Hartmann at Benaroya Hall. The "thank you" list was long. Our lives have been enriched.
Then we set our family and personal goals for the New Year – we looked closely at entertainment, home improvement, immediate and extended family, friends, work and school, health and fitness, and spirituality. We also had a category called other goals.
I have dug out of my paper piles my four-page "Goals for 2007." This June, we'll go over them. We'll celebrate our victories, discover what we are neglecting and attempt to get back on the right track. We'll adapt or discard goals that no longer serve us. Above all, we'll review all that we are grateful for.
Our family began 2007 with gratitude. We listed all we were thankful for: new car, new job, parties, fun trips, our friends and relationships. Getting to Bill Clinton and Thom Hartmann at Benaroya Hall. The "thank you" list was long. Our lives have been enriched.
Then we set our family and personal goals for the New Year – we looked closely at entertainment, home improvement, immediate and extended family, friends, work and school, health and fitness, and spirituality. We also had a category called other goals.
I have dug out of my paper piles my four-page "Goals for 2007." This June, we'll go over them. We'll celebrate our victories, discover what we are neglecting and attempt to get back on the right track. We'll adapt or discard goals that no longer serve us. Above all, we'll review all that we are grateful for.
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