Tributes...

photo by grassrootsmsw

“I hope it is true that a man can die and yet not only live in others but give them life, and not only life, but that great consciousness of life.”

Jack Kerouac

Divergent Contexts

photo by grassrootsmsw

"I had a compass…"

“To steer by,” he said.

But later it came to me that we navigated differently.

Perhaps he knew, as I did not, that the earth was made round

so that we would not see too far down the road."

'Out of Africa'

PCT Code of Understanding...

photo by J.A.S.
Spanish Harlem, NYC

“It's a human relationship,

not a relationship between an expert and a problem.”

Rachel Naomi Remen

Headway...

photo by grassrootsmsw

“Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches…

letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.”

Pauline R. Kezer

Emulsion...

photo by grassrootsmsw

“Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

Cultivation

photo by grassrootsmsw


"What is a weed?
A plant, whose virtues have not yet been discovered."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Transference

photo by grassrootsmsw

"We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are."

Talmud

Limitless liberation...

photo by grassrootsmsw

"The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases. Each of us carries his own unique life form--which cannot be used by any other."

Carl Jung

Crevices'

photo by grassrootsmsw

“What if deepening of awareness takes place in the margins, in the nooks and crannies of contemporary life, like a weed flowing out of the thinnest sidewalk crack? Could it be, as the somnolent masses and the professional classes press forward in the old direction, seeking the same old rewards, that the new thing self-organizes out of chaos and noise, asserts itself in fragility and silence, then takes root and vitalizes until it suddenly manifests as established truth? If something like this was the case, we would be surprised at first-- even shocked--but then it might occur to us: Perhaps it has always happened this way.”

Daniel Pinchbeck

Variation

photo by grassrootsmsw
Seattle, WA

“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.”

Henri Bergson

"Once in a Lifetime"

Knapp's Castle
12.15.04

“Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!

And you may ask yourself
What is that beautiful house?
And you may ask yourself
Where does that highway go to?
And you may ask yourself
Am I right? ...am I wrong?
And you may tell yourself
My god!...what have I done?

Letting the days go by…let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by…water flowing underground
Into the blue again…in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones…there is water underground.

Letting the days go by…let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by…water flowing underground
Into the blue again…after the money’s gone
Once in a lifetime…water flowing underground.”

Talking Heads

For all those in existential change and growth...the constant and unchanging truth is the passage of time...the flowing. Every moment only happens once...unique and waiting for ownership...

-grassrootsmsw-

Benevolence

photo by grassrootsmsw

“A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."

"The Wise Woman's Stone"
Author Unknown

Mavericks

J. FdJ
China, 2007

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect
for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Jack Kerouac

I remain grateful for the non-conformist and free spirited core of my family. Their outlook on life and how they practice living life fully, allows for greater depth, intimacy, and complexity.

They each strive to be in the moment, wherever, and with whomever they are with. Their eccentricities are based in believing in the necessity of individualism...not only for themselves, but for all those they encounter.

Sharing and learning at this authentic level has deep and lasting ripple effects...changing and cultivating perspectives, understanding and insight. One moment and one experience at a time. Let the ripples launch, commence, and transform...

-grassrootsmsw-

Limitless...

photo by grassrootsmsw

"All good things are wild, and free."

Henry David Thoreau

A perfect day

photo by T. Osterloh
July 1, 2007

"The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it."
Richard Bach