Choice and Vision

photo by E.F.S.
Colorado

"In our ordinary life situation,
we have to open ourselves
and investigate and see,
and then make a committment.

Without choice,
there would be no leap
and no moment
of letting go at all.

Because of choice,
there is a moment of leap,
and letting go happens.

So it seems
that is not particulary
comforting, blissful and easy.

On the other hand,
it could be inspiring."

From: "Glimpses of Abhidharm"
Chogyam Trungpa

Animal Etiquette

collage by grassrootsmsw

"Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to."

Alfred A. Montapert

Own "the NOW"

photo by grassrootsmsw
Haren, NL

“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle.
The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.”

Ayn Rand

The Wisdom of Trees

photo by grassrootsmsw
Amsterdam, NL

“As I started to picture the trees in the storm, the answer began to dawn on me. The trees in the storm don't try to stand up straight and tall and erect. They allow themselves to bend and be blown with the wind. They understand the power of letting go. Those trees and those branches that try too hard to stand up strong and straight are the ones that break. Now is not the time for you to be strong, or you, too, may break.”

Julia Butterfly Hill

Surrender to the Unknown...

J.A.S.
photo by Mark Beattie

“To 'let go' does not mean to stop caring;
it means I can't do it for someone else.

To 'let go' is not to cut myself off;
it is the realization that I must not control another.

To 'let go' is not to fix;
but to be supportive.

To 'let go' is not to be in the middle
arranging all the outcomes;
but to allow others to effect their destinies.

To 'let go' is not to be protective;
it is to permit another to face reality.

To 'let go' is not to regret the past;
but to grow and live for the future.

To 'let go' is to fear less and love more.”

~~ Author Unknown ~~

We all have fear, resistance and hesitation in
travelling unknown paths...

In our logical minds,
it is like having a map,
with no navigation plan...

A map with no distance markers.
A map that does not reveal
the mileage and terrain involved.

Maybe,
letting go of
the familiar
and releasing the need for a plan,
is where we can connect with
our own bravery and authenticity.

Often,
We may not feel sturdy or strong enough
to face untested ground.

Sometimes,
it is our built-in survival skills
that remove choice.

These skills kick in,
drumming up courage and fortitude
that we forgot we had.

An old, yet new,
VOICE
comes forth within us.
We can see and remember
the freedom and liberation
in letting go.

Suddenly,
we covet the unknown path...
we prepare to step forward,
with no feet.

Only then,
do we know
and feel the experience
of SOARING and
deep connection to self.

-grassrootsmsw

Bring on the boiling water...

E.C.M. Fabery de Jonge
NL, 1961

“A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

The Power of Scars

KOCO, NYC, 2006

“Do you know what happens to scar tissue?
It's the strongest part of the skin.”

Michael R. Mantell

Own the pain,
let it fill you,
completely.
Let it cycle
it's course...
all the way through.

Ripping, tearing, scarring.
Aching tenderly,
as it heals.

Eventually and surely,
there is healing...
you are
transformed, different, new.

Who are you now?
What have you learned?
How have you grown?

Whether chosen or not,
there is transformation.
The battle scars;
deepening, strengthening, and altering.

Smile proudly
at all that you find
and see with new vision.
Own and honor
your well earned alterations.

-grassrootsmsw

Reframing and Seizing

photo by grassrootsmsw
Amsterdam, NL

“Truly it is in the darkness that one finds the light,
so when we are in sorrow,
then this light is nearest of all to us.”
Meister Eckhart

Retrieving the Protagonist

photo by Dennis Konijnenburg, NL

For my mom, the sincerest hero I know:

“It is not the critic who counts; Not the person who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; Who strives valiantly; Who errs, and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; But who does actually strive to do the deeds; Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; Who spends him/herself in a worthy cause; Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worse, if he/she fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his/her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

For my fellow Blushers...

Santoro Graphics, U.K.

“Blushing is the color of virtue.”

Diogenes

For all my naughty teasing...please...do blush!
It reminds me how lucky I am to be surrounded by wholesome authenticity.
Happy weekend to all!

The Loyal

photo by Elliott Erwitt
NJ, 1971

“If everyone were clothed with integrity, if every heart were just, frank, kindly, the other virtues would be well-nigh useless, since their chief purpose is to make us bear with patience the injustice of our fellows.”

Jean Baptiste Molière

Trustworthy and faithful;
Committed and honorable;
those individuals who
believe and trust in the
sincerity and integrity of all people.

They are, 'The Loyal.'

With purity and a child like charm,
they instill and trigger
HOPE
in those of us who have become
cynical and skeptical.

Their glass is
half full,
not
half empty.

They find beauty and value,
where others may only see
yesterday's forgotten debris.

Their amiable and gentle nature
never anticipates
the danger and risk
of vulnerability.

Sadly,
it is their specific nature
which attracts
the pitiless and merciless;
those bereft souls,
who ambush and assault
with spite and vindictiveness...

The deprived,
thrust
their buried
pain and anguish
outwards...
aiming for
those they imagine
to be free of scars.

Is there conscience
in these callous,
and hurtful acts?

There is hope,
that 'the loyal'
will still believe
there is no
malicious intent...

There is hope,
that the tenderness
and benevolence
in 'the loyal'
will still exist.

There is hope,
that 'the loyal'
will not build a
suit of hard armor
to protect and guard
their authentic spirits...

Instead of armor,
maybe,
a soft veil.

A soft veil,
through which
learned clarity can be found
and foreseen.

Let there be watchfulness
and attentiveness,
while still allowing the
purity and virtue of
the soul to breathe and persevere.

-grassrootsmsw

Duplicity

photo by J.A.S.
Webb School, CA

“The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.”

David Russell

Two parts…
co-existing in ONE.

There is a part which is staunchly autonomous,
and yearns to live life with reckless abandon.
There is also the part
which relishes in the comforts of home,
and needs the well known and predictable.

There is a part which is gentle and accepting.
There is another part which is swiftly abrupt;
with opinion and judgment.

There is a part with rough edges and sharp words,
and also a part,
too forgiving and soft for this world.

One part believes in the integrity of humanity,
another part is cynical and skeptical.

One part honors and practices loyalty to others;
beyond reason or logic.
Another part can harshly sever ties,
if betrayed or deceived.

One part, wide open;
Another part, shut tight.

One part courageous and bold;
another part, timid and cautious.

One part needing connection and sharing with others;
another part which requires the sanctity of isolation.

One part, curly haired liberal,
One part, manicured conventionalist.

One part Dutch;
One part American.

Splits and divisions;
wide contradictions and irony.

All parts seeking,
truth,
purpose,
meaning.

All parts on a quest for DEFINITION.

-grassrootsmsw

Impromptu maps

photo by grassrootsmsw
Haren, NL

“I am destined to move at night on the secondary
roads of the American dream. I took my first off ramp
after traveling under someone
else's direction and now I draw my own roads.
My life does not cadence to traffics or crowds.
Its rhythm swings on the porch with the firelies.
I travel at the speed the wind blows...stopping at
the magical places. Singing the one clearest note.
Cracking open an awareness of things more
beautiful than once thought possible.”

Gladys the Brave

Take heed...

photo by grassrootsmsw
Groningen, NL

“Take care of all your memories…For you cannot relive them.”

Bob Dylan