tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-112522722024-02-28T03:27:45.181-05:00Exploring a Dancing SoulDancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-81304319794545016502017-03-13T15:30:00.002-04:002017-03-13T15:30:40.392-04:00Graceful LivingAny thoughts on what Graceful Living entails?Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-20065339144989454502013-05-16T14:32:00.000-04:002013-05-16T19:04:39.976-04:00Happy Anniversary<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7XZjoI9XkzadRTTCgza1C_bFM-lcvgBhen1RAcB02ayDnRfDX_HQPtg_6p9G62wk2fWbQq9141JecWqCS9lMW8C3ZHjY7hTA4LYvyk9i6tuDnyZw6hhzRms35YC0DSqv7l-lQw/s1600/05162013538-741405.jpg" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5878648615768779314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7XZjoI9XkzadRTTCgza1C_bFM-lcvgBhen1RAcB02ayDnRfDX_HQPtg_6p9G62wk2fWbQq9141JecWqCS9lMW8C3ZHjY7hTA4LYvyk9i6tuDnyZw6hhzRms35YC0DSqv7l-lQw/s320/05162013538-741405.jpg" /></a><br /><br />
The plaque pictured here was seen during our 15th wedding anniversary celebration. My wife, swingdancer Donna, asked in advance if I would mind an entire day itinerary that she planned for our celebration. Of course I agreed. After our usually paced morning of personally blended coffee for me and oolong tea for she, fruit and of course watching Ellen (Degeneres), we ventured out on our anniversary adventure.<br />
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The first stop was <a href="http://www.pamelasdiner.com/" target="_blank">Pamela's Diner </a>in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The restaurant is known for candidate as well as President Obama visiting when in Pittsburgh. Our meals demonstrate the extremes of our mixed marriage. My wife blessed with a perfectly functioning insulin system had the strawberry crapes. She's know for being able to eat plenty of pasta at one sitting and stay thin as a rail. I on the other hand, managing a malfunctioning insulin system had the spinach and feta omelette. Of course we exchanged morsels in order to experience the other's meal.<br />
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Of course any celebration worthy of the name has to include a visit to a bookstore. Today's visit was to the <a href="http://www.journeysoflifeonline.com/" target="_blank">Journeys of Life</a> bookstore there in Shadyside. Here is where we saw the plaque pictured here. Posting this picture continues a practice I started several years ago where I take pictures of 'stuff' that I would like to possess. More often than not the image alone satisfies and no 'stuff' needs to be accumulated. Try it you might like it.<br />
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Then we proceeded to our hike for the day at <a href="http://pittsburghparks.org/frick" target="_blank">Frick Park</a> on the eastern boundary of the City of Pittsburgh. We spent an hour walking the trails and sharing the paths with fellow walkers many with their dogs. We made a wrong turn on the way back to our vehicle that proceeded deeper into a valley than we had started, so, when we began to recognize we had not seen this before had to do a return climb before we could return to where we started. It really tired these too aspiring sages, so when we got home we decided to cancel the evening plans that she had. Thank goodness!<br />
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My wife doesn't call this kind of day 'soulful.' It's just living. This is why I love this woman. Get out of her way and get ready for the ride of your life: always exciting, always challenging, always surprising. <br />
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Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart. I love you.<br />
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<br />Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-58779748422828563122013-05-16T10:50:00.000-04:002013-05-16T10:52:25.502-04:00Blurred Lines<br />
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Robin Thicke and Pharrell Perform 'Blurred Lines' </h1>
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I really love this song performed on The Ellen Show.<br />
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<script src="http://www.kaltura.com/p/594251/sp/59425100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/6995152/partner_id/594251" type="text/javascript"></script><object allowfullscreen="true" allownetworking="all" allowscriptaccess="always" data="http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/1_d6rsi6s7/uiconf_id/6995152" height="316" id="kaltura_player_1368715608" name="kaltura_player_1368715608" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="movie" value="http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/1_d6rsi6s7/uiconf_id/6995152"/><param name="flashVars" value=""/><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com">video platform</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_management">video management</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/solutions/video_solution">video solutions</a><a href="http://corp.kaltura.com/video_platform/video_publishing">video player</a></object>Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-87335668960858367402013-05-15T15:34:00.001-04:002013-05-15T15:34:18.726-04:00The Source of Real Strength<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">"In every situation you need your deep, non-ego strength. Not force, but a strong strategic warrior's power." </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">~~ Thomas Moore's <a href="https://twitter.com/thomasmooreSoul">Twitter Feed</a>.</span>Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-18431283135977651542013-04-30T13:00:00.000-04:002013-04-30T13:00:00.826-04:00Ordinary Activities can Feed the Soul<br />
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<em>...to the soul, the most minute details and<br />the most ordinary activities, carried out<br />with mindfulness and art, have an effect<br />far beyond their apparent insignificance."</em><br /><div style="color: black; font-size: 9pt;">
<a href="" shape="rect"><br />Thomas Moore</a>, Care of the Soul: A Guide for </div>
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<a href="" shape="rect"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life</span></a></div>
Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-14165959530101356022013-04-30T11:02:00.001-04:002013-04-30T11:02:46.637-04:00Knowledge better than Opinion<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Plato noted a difference between opinion and knowledge. Opinions are easy. Better to speak with reflection, complexity, and good will.<br />
— Thomas Moore (<a href="https://twitter.com/thomasmooreSoul">@thomasmooreSoul)</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/thomasmooreSoul/status/329215229940617216">April 30, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-33581675384215395972013-04-29T16:31:00.001-04:002013-05-16T19:14:24.866-04:00Our Dogwood Tree<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 600px;"><tbody>
<tr><td rowspan="8" width="20"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s1600/tmobilespace-797218.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5872369185686541570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s320/tmobilespace-797218.gif" /></a></td> <td colspan="2" width="600"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s1600/tmobilespace-797218.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5872369185686541570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s320/tmobilespace-797218.gif" /></a></td> <td rowspan="8" width="20"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s1600/tmobilespace-797218.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5872369185686541570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s320/tmobilespace-797218.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr> <td width="370"><!-- presentation starts here --> <br />
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<tr><td align="Left" colspan="1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7r-PbUkoGkTklvkuF_dmPImS8ZvxPaLY5jjkC60B5SOAvyEpxt_Gb11kpV20vFZbT2MjdmczacYEKSUs4BnTpTqT3QOZ9Yp63T69rPtQIvRtI_S9b92pNrXE9rNo4-tgJG3cBA/s1600/04292013535-701386.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5872369203663153330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7r-PbUkoGkTklvkuF_dmPImS8ZvxPaLY5jjkC60B5SOAvyEpxt_Gb11kpV20vFZbT2MjdmczacYEKSUs4BnTpTqT3QOZ9Yp63T69rPtQIvRtI_S9b92pNrXE9rNo4-tgJG3cBA/s320/04292013535-701386.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td colspan="4" width="350"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s1600/tmobilespace-797218.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5872369185686541570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s320/tmobilespace-797218.gif" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td bgcolor="#f2f2f2" width="240"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynThRhBnffUJ-jzWGawsSDUP0eZH2Uw6vgBLEmLlywXmD92DCYAjHlf8uLfqZO3Acss6aR5p3P0RqEEZgOc00-JwDN0_wVPU0vdon_Hvi_IZtiKYN8zcvfBnq2YTLI163OZ4lcw/s1600/04292013534-771680.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: -webkit-left;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5872362632316841170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynThRhBnffUJ-jzWGawsSDUP0eZH2Uw6vgBLEmLlywXmD92DCYAjHlf8uLfqZO3Acss6aR5p3P0RqEEZgOc00-JwDN0_wVPU0vdon_Hvi_IZtiKYN8zcvfBnq2YTLI163OZ4lcw/s200/04292013534-771680.jpg" width="200" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td colspan="2" width="600">Two views of our dogwood tree, one of the reasons that we are moving back to our old neighborhood. As you can see, the one on the right is through the screen on our porch.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s1600/tmobilespace-797218.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5872369185686541570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZpVamiuWFZapcyP1_G1AZ9XFfJj0uer4TEs1zPi3qAqBRUgd0FO523XOSiAMijlzCXgFRS7Ukn13DyhwGVk7tFaNxGXQ8Cziu_FzBM328vq_i8ibS0rqzafBuSz_CCuSBAEqeHQ/s320/tmobilespace-797218.gif" /></a>Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-52500566898750966962013-04-29T09:50:00.001-04:002013-04-29T09:50:17.924-04:00On Life's ComplexitiesThomas Moore (@thomasmooreSoul) tweeted at 7:56am - 27 Apr 13:
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<br>Blame is always an avoidance of life's complexity, a way of protecting oneself from facing the difficult realities.
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<br>(<a href="https://twitter.com/thomasmooreSoul/status/328115421624553473">https://twitter.com/thomasmooreSoul/status/328115421624553473</a>)Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-88027177565166644412013-04-29T09:11:00.001-04:002013-04-29T09:56:59.278-04:00On Honoring the Soul of Your OtherThomas Moore tweeted at 8:47am - 28 Apr 13:
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The person we love has his or her own destiny and underworld of emotions and memories. Allow for the differences. (<a href="https://twitter.com/undefined/status/328490535801196545">https://twitter.com/undefined/status/328490535801196545</a>)Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-42679252310725444762013-04-28T16:30:00.004-04:002013-04-28T16:30:55.589-04:00Do I Live Life as a Sacrament?<br />
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“To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of Creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament. When we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration. In such desecration we condemn ourselves to spiritual and moral loneliness, and others to want.”</h1>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8567.Wendell_Berry" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Wendell Berry</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1781679" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays</a></i>Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-74132196919581529572013-04-28T16:05:00.000-04:002013-04-28T16:08:24.095-04:00On Finding a Life's Purpose<br />
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All my life I've looked for a signpost, a hint of my Life's Purpose. Yesterday, I was able to glimpse one very viscerally.</div>
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Imaging sitting in an open field of a local park with the bright warm sun illuminating everything. A trellis is set up with white, yellow and orange flowers decorating the structure and two young lovers getting reading to take their wedding vows. A timid close friend is singing 'Morning has broken' and I become aware that everyone is watching for the beautiful bride in her white dress to be revealed as she walks down a non existent path in the grass to the minister who will marry them. No one seems to be aware of the singer. I set my intention to seek the vocalist out at the reception and to let her know that I was listening and was touched by her heartfelt rendition. As the minister set himself to performing the ceremony that will join the couple as husband and wife, I am happily surprised to hear touches of humor in both the minister's admonitions as well as the couple's personally handwritten vows. </div>
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I imagine myself walking up to the vocalist and recognizing her and in a sense giving her my blessing. I picture myself doing the same with both the minister and the newlyweds. For this moment, at least, I have found my purpose: to reach out to these individuals, co-inhabitants of this thing called life and giving them all that I have to give: my blessing, an appreciation of what they have contributed to the lives of those who were fortunate enough to attend the activities this day. </div>
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From where did this generous spirit come from? I've given compliments and shown appreciation over my over 70 years but this seems different, coming from a vision of what my aging could become, a blessing to others. There was probably a confluence of several causes, but, I sense one that was most responsible. I had been listening to a couple different audio programs that I downloaded from the internet. Both were programs by Mark Burch, author of '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stepping-Lightly-Simplicity-People-Planet/dp/1897408188"><span style="color: #1126cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><b>Stepping Lightly</b></span><span style="color: #1126cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">: Simplicity for People and the Planet:</span></a><span style="color: #1126cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: underline;"> </span>' One was an <a href="http://nextstepnewlife.com/mark-burch-podcast/">interview</a> in which Mark recommended daily mindfulness meditations to slow down our thought process and become more aware of what we want out of life and to consciously choose those things that contribute to the purposes that float to the surface. The other was a <a href="http://stbenedictstable.ca/podcast/going-sideways-ideaexchange/">talk</a> in which he added the idea that our habitual need for consumption can be overcome by becoming deliberate, again through mindfulness. During this a very chaotically stressful time in my life, I decided to try these periods of mindful meditation. </div>
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Mark says that he is on no social media. No wonder I had a hard time finding resources by him, but, it was worth the effort and beneficial for this one person, and those who have to put up with me and my crankiness during these challenging times. I hope you get a chance to listen to these programs yourself because I can't promise to review them in detail for you, but, as I disconnect from the distractions of social media we'll see what happens.</div>
Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-37900906743630409722013-04-25T17:02:00.000-04:002013-04-25T17:02:37.819-04:00Help Wanted: Must Have Compassion and GraceWhile trying to change some formatting on this site, I discovered that I had this saved and archived but not published. It was from Jan of 2012 and, in some ways, it's a challenge that I have yet to really realize.<br />
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"... I am facing the most important role of my life as I attempt to harvest my experience, gather my courage, access my wisdom, and prepare to live and serve with the compassion and grace that is so greatly needed in my life and the world."<br />
~~ William Martin from 'The Sage's Tao Te Ching<br />
<br />Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-46409978760292240532013-02-19T17:42:00.000-05:002013-05-15T15:28:06.922-04:00The Melancholy of Aging<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">"The melancholy that often characterizes aging may have to remain a tonality in everything you do. But, melancholy is not the same as depression. It is a mood and a coloring that doesn't necessarily compete with happiness and vitality. It is more a quality than an affliction, and it has many gifts to offer you.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">The melancholy of aging can make you reflective and even occasionally wise, as you advance in years. It can keep you quiet and allow you to slow down in appropriate ways. It can give weight to your thoughts and pronouncements and can allow you to be the advisor or youth, a significant way of offsetting feelings of irrelevance that may come with the breakdown of your physical powers."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">~~ </span>Thomas Moore<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17px; text-align: left;">, p. 295, </span>Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life's Ordeals</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">While listening to my iPod while walking on a treadmill, I thought that I was listening to 'on the go' music, so I was surprised when Thomas Moore began speaking about 'The Dark Night' brought about by aging. Unwittingly, I had started playing 'all the songs' and it randomly began playing one of the chapters of his book in audio format. When I got home, I began reading the chapter that 'the universe' had chosen for me and was surprised by how much it related to some recent feelings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">His </span><span style="font-size: large;">encouragement that melancholy doesn't have to negate happiness and vitality was what I needed to hear. He writes about the difference between regret and remorse, how to avoid irrelevancy, and how aging can be an initiation into 'deeper' living. I'm intending to extract some of this for you in the days to come. I'd sure be interested in hearing from any of you in the same stage of living.</span></div>
Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-79562795923297443872013-01-02T13:31:00.001-05:002013-01-02T13:31:45.597-05:00Blank Silence<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: 24px; ">Sitting in relative silence poised to capture sensations</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Chalkboard" size="6" style="font: 24.0px Chalkboard">Noticing the many sources of noise including thoughts</font></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><font face="Chalkboard" size="6" style="font: 24.0px Chalkboard">My mind suddenly goes silent at the blank page.</font></p> Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-5779578221140979622013-01-02T12:28:00.001-05:002013-01-02T12:34:24.282-05:00Jan 1, 2013<div style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: x-large; font: 24.0px Chalkboard;">New year</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: x-large; font: 24.0px Chalkboard;">New start filled with great expectation of new hope</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: x-large; font: 24.0px Chalkboard;">Disappointment</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: x-large; font: 24.0px Chalkboard;">Same old stuff</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: x-large; font: 24.0px Chalkboard;">Deflated expectations</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Chalkboard; font-size: x-large; font: 24.0px Chalkboard;">It is what it is.</span></div>
Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-55354548610532954132012-02-23T13:36:00.003-05:002012-02-23T13:47:25.803-05:00Solitude - Quality Personal Alone Time!As a replacement for denying myself during the 40 Days of Lent, I intend to add something: some personal quiet time for reflection. It may mean walking by myself, or some reflecting that results in clearing up 'paper clutter', or something I will discover along the way. <br /><br />On the first day of Lent, a one hour walk through the hills of my neighborhood, in 55 deg temp, did more to improve my blood pressure than the same amount of time at the indoor track.<br />_/♥\_<br /><br /><br />Lenten Reflection 1.)<br /><br />In my deepest self, my soul, I'm an Introvert AND I haven't been giving myself quality personal alone time.Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-18274318832716605142012-01-30T16:09:00.002-05:002012-01-30T16:17:32.513-05:00Were You Able to do a Little of Each, Today?<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl15-SYiZpPVF0ijKJhBNh4mBPc_0MzOFhpfFIAYJhtndPxDQEI5e5Nm-ludxGRuRtCgzCHaYiQBkddUVvNC5QlwxmLhDHQbeWaul7WEb4nKIP84HH-j2wu2m0qxHhFHBr2Fo90Q/s1600/424692_318833634826196_131437750232453_904899_1713593464_n-767630.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl15-SYiZpPVF0ijKJhBNh4mBPc_0MzOFhpfFIAYJhtndPxDQEI5e5Nm-ludxGRuRtCgzCHaYiQBkddUVvNC5QlwxmLhDHQbeWaul7WEb4nKIP84HH-j2wu2m0qxHhFHBr2Fo90Q/s320/424692_318833634826196_131437750232453_904899_1713593464_n-767630.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703535186741967234" /></a></div>Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-56663096088692049942012-01-30T14:37:00.006-05:002013-04-29T10:39:16.069-04:00A Granddaughter can change our Perspective!<div class="mobile-photo">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmDMmmAdJoMFew-C3uWv_Z-nHMBBd9YNqTX1q2kXseaWYtbFHz21KEccZ2hAPEWoPsiXmnapIDxAfjrc6aRi7EulmoWrb9msmGbqqzR3HU6WbpQ0g4PwBKBZjUVbof-m_U7NL2g/s1600/01212012210-735464.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703511427528202002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmDMmmAdJoMFew-C3uWv_Z-nHMBBd9YNqTX1q2kXseaWYtbFHz21KEccZ2hAPEWoPsiXmnapIDxAfjrc6aRi7EulmoWrb9msmGbqqzR3HU6WbpQ0g4PwBKBZjUVbof-m_U7NL2g/s320/01212012210-735464.jpg" /></a></div>
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I have to confess. I'm getting a little long winded on Facebook and perhaps it isn't the right place to post thoughts other than 'status updates.' A lot of factors may be causing me to think a little deeper about 'things,' but, waiting for the birth of a Granddaughter, Cassidy Rayne, due on March 9th, has got to be near the top of the list. <br />
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So, I'm intending a slight shift in the focus of my notes here. Up to now, this blog has been a kind of Commonplace Book where I collect the images, words and ideas that, for some reason, feel 'congruent' at the moment. I'm intending to shift the focus slightly to more clearly make this a sort of Values Will. No, except for the irregular heart rhythm that is well managed, now, I'm in good health. But, I do want to state what I've come to value and why they are important to me. <br />
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So, I hope you will stay tuned and take time to leave a word or two of your thoughts. One value that I'm learning is important, is to always be open to new perspectives. As Dirty Harry once said to a bad guy, "A Man's got to know his limitations". I may need you to remind me to 'lighten up.'<br />
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_/\_ NamasteDancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-49866807483756408222012-01-30T13:39:00.004-05:002012-01-30T14:17:08.521-05:00The Universe Dances!<div><b>Dance of the Spirits</b> -</div><div><br /></div><iframe width="500" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SkiNUMKKsgM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-21724964950774933352012-01-30T13:13:00.002-05:002012-01-30T13:23:56.217-05:00Dance - Be Your Art!"Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made."<br />~ Ted Shawn, Time, 25 July 1955Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-15192967335244774852011-08-16T14:50:00.007-04:002011-08-16T15:39:45.739-04:00Sweet Silence, Solitude<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5042IP1bTE9H2u33ZvNmT7jEXGAjDIPIEnUr4_haE49Pmkm0kVLuMXyVrM0wGqz4BBYH_vDdBn5dHzZBWxSLXd9OqcYav26gBbuk7LELzEBm0T69oh7zgqogdUO30vsKoiruuQ/s1600/290620_250949671595355_100000409717045_929329_1352432_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5042IP1bTE9H2u33ZvNmT7jEXGAjDIPIEnUr4_haE49Pmkm0kVLuMXyVrM0wGqz4BBYH_vDdBn5dHzZBWxSLXd9OqcYav26gBbuk7LELzEBm0T69oh7zgqogdUO30vsKoiruuQ/s320/290620_250949671595355_100000409717045_929329_1352432_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641530784319272066" border="0" /></a>
<br />Today, I felt a deep sense of being alone and it felt badly. It just seems that the last 24 hours, or so, I've been posting, what seems to me quite significant quotations, not only here, but on Facebook, and Google Plus. Without any feedback, even a 'like' on these posts, I've been left with a feeling of isolation and invisibility. So, instead of shutting down my Facebook and Google accounts, I did something radical. I decided to go deeper into that feeling of aloneness and when my wife went to run errands and visit with a friend, I decided to go deeper into that feeling. I sat still, alone on this bench, in our yard for near an hour.
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<br />As I sat in silence, and although there were sounds of our busy street on the other side of our house, I heard only my own heart beat and the song and rustling of birds and I no longer felt badly. In place I found contentment that I don't feel when being bombarded by the constant barrage of noise of everyday life. No TV commercials telling me that I don't have enough. No authors pointing out how discontented I feel and then offering, if I buy his book, how to overcome that discontent. In that silence, I felt that I am, and I have, enough without the feedback that I thought I needed from social networks.
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<br />So now, I can do the next thing that needs to get done, content in the experiential body felt knowledge, that peace and contentment is only a heartbeat away and it doesn't rely on waiting for someone to 'like' it.
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<br />Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-31350887454436125592011-08-15T11:27:00.002-04:002011-08-15T11:31:02.035-04:00Love's Great Power to Transform!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDfBCxxE4Ny73vKwgyXshr1CkgMead_bcXZnLZ6H-F5JwL3uE7KnSuC9ZJajeqBBQF3yF_j3XmmY1DBnzfBZcwX1QW-lxqG6eQu_FcMJIlTljvyuJs4icCA86nA2NcdDARhlJdA/s1600/ViktorFrankl.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDfBCxxE4Ny73vKwgyXshr1CkgMead_bcXZnLZ6H-F5JwL3uE7KnSuC9ZJajeqBBQF3yF_j3XmmY1DBnzfBZcwX1QW-lxqG6eQu_FcMJIlTljvyuJs4icCA86nA2NcdDARhlJdA/s320/ViktorFrankl.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641105522939838962" /></a>
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); line-height: 18px; font-family:georgia, serif;font-size:14px;">"Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized. Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities. By making him aware of what he can be and of what he should become, he makes these potentialities come true."
<br />— <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2782.Viktor_Emil_Frankl" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0); text-decoration: none; ">Viktor Emil Frankl</a> (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3389674" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0); text-decoration: none; ">Man's Search for Meaning</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(24, 24, 24); line-height: 18px; font-family:georgia, serif;font-size:14px;">)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, serif;font-size:7;color:#181818;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">
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<br /></span></div></div>Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-11602147700535646992011-08-14T11:43:00.002-04:002011-08-14T14:26:48.885-04:00Antique (?) Steamer Trunk ~ What to do with it?<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sB6jvafgCCRy8qJdcqooReneilARANB5ZitkV_84dCuJv7QVAHTRyYIL44jdp5TjPfzIwFI0jWvZQLhSbNsA21VUrrSVLfrB7YPA2Q1TCiZ5or8FlxLpVVefFweeRCKM2IPSIw/s1600/08142011060-714310.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2sB6jvafgCCRy8qJdcqooReneilARANB5ZitkV_84dCuJv7QVAHTRyYIL44jdp5TjPfzIwFI0jWvZQLhSbNsA21VUrrSVLfrB7YPA2Q1TCiZ5or8FlxLpVVefFweeRCKM2IPSIw/s320/08142011060-714310.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640737806746934530" /></a></p>Requesting ideas for what to do with an old steamer trunk. It's been painted so I don't think it has any value as an antique. What do you think?Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-1036937594899424732011-08-13T22:14:00.003-04:002011-08-13T22:28:56.056-04:00Find ways to be creative - with your Hands<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmAgrF7yg4npzzGVkSnoPOWlrhUiN32xYiotbdSGa7g26sGxyoi2U1zKgjlmCV623uR1XVle9nqykIjCVice2SlXZ4HcU_DwvqNFzqf42KmJznDf_e-Qg1Yl6CZMldKPOe76EKg/s1600/08132011059-770391.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmAgrF7yg4npzzGVkSnoPOWlrhUiN32xYiotbdSGa7g26sGxyoi2U1zKgjlmCV623uR1XVle9nqykIjCVice2SlXZ4HcU_DwvqNFzqf42KmJznDf_e-Qg1Yl6CZMldKPOe76EKg/s320/08132011059-770391.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640529313523918514" /></a></p>Facebook is really ticking me off. The upload to this blog worked after years of inactivity. Facebook may or may not upload on any particular day.<div> <div> My wife has lived in this house 34 years and we've been married 13 years and these are the first steps to our hillside. Both of us have been amazed at how much I've been doing in our little domain. I can only explain how much more satisfying digging a notch for a step or painting lawn furniture is than sitting, waiting for responses from Facebook. And now I find it is easier to post a picture to Facebook via Networked Blogs than it is posting directly from my phone. </div><div>
<br /></div><div> Maybe I'm telling my Grandkids that I value working with my hands, creating. Just don't wait until you're 71 years of age to discover real satisfaction in life.</div></div>Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11252272.post-67452946736632556372011-08-12T11:37:00.009-04:002011-08-12T12:37:33.805-04:00Awakening to a New Beginning ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiR3N7ALOoCbO2P9QSGIcpB8KpfRIvWRBxg6aScuu_rRccv1Ww0aaClFJm7V4qRUQoVkAap8zoeP7IEY-00Q9HYoIncR_4eI7pnq71GvwjrL2vGM392iIAxLI4t53SMrnVIIHMIg/s1600/291674_1864027492766_1603371849_31482918_1997498_o.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiR3N7ALOoCbO2P9QSGIcpB8KpfRIvWRBxg6aScuu_rRccv1Ww0aaClFJm7V4qRUQoVkAap8zoeP7IEY-00Q9HYoIncR_4eI7pnq71GvwjrL2vGM392iIAxLI4t53SMrnVIIHMIg/s320/291674_1864027492766_1603371849_31482918_1997498_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640009243216104274" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIsAWuHc1t2NmsWUBveNVTLnhN8RDA2sPNfKqfSvbMhlWzeSvjyAQ0avWWkEqaf1OoVJla7jbBSJTbBOVUSE_Hd5MB1No-i-vuv9JJ7zT2eDPbn7N7Qq25M93HN29Aj91ieXqBg/s1600/Baby+Blackham.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjuBLT1E4YHWhAgYNu03Ew6EVbZkCnYNCBkeh4EBDefSbLYrR-tHQZSWsAutFV2PrqtASn_jADoG4uxj_y9SHMFGl1yOTfKCU3T0Y9AfLX0m9bYV2E297Rd7JmygYrHCYV7wWsg/s1600/Baby+Blackham.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; ">Every day life offers us opportunities to awaken from our sleep of unconscious living. But, that awakening doesn't have to be illness or some tragedy. It can be a 'happy' awakening. Like this!</span></a><div>
<br /></div><div>My son and daughter-in-law announced that they will be having a new Grandchild for me, somewhere around March 12. I'm so excited. They have been trying for 5 years and all their patience and 'hard work' paid off.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>So for me, a new reason to stay as fit as I can be in order to play with my Grandchild. A new reason to find ways to make sure our society and this planet is a fit place for growing up. And if this space hasn't been so in the past, it could be a space to share my 'Values Will.' A place where I can share the values that I find important for my kids and Grandkids to see.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Nothing like being hit by a 2 x 4 to awakened! But O so sweet!</div><div><div>
<br /></div></div>Dancin' Clownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04386724635131085572noreply@blogger.com0