day 90: Go outside, and see what now tastes like there

Outdoor visitors on Orcas winter day; (Strangely, they first came around on Thanksgiving)

Go outside, and be; go outside and be aware; go outside and breathe.

Take a walk, just for the pure joy of taking a walk.

Go for a walk outside for the joy of being alive in this moment, always this moment, and being outside and being alive and in life.

Go outside and be present. Whatever your way is. Following your breathing perhaps. Noticing which foot is pushing the ground.

Play a little with your feet as they touch the ground, sometimes putting your awareness on, say, your little toes, and then your ring toes, and then your middle toes, and you’re your second toe, and then your big toe.

Sometimes play with awareness more in your heels, sometimes on the left edge, sometimes the right, sometimes the toe part of your foot.

Go slowly. Leave your feet alone, leave your breathing alone, just walk, notice, enjoy.

Just be alive.

And know you are alive.

Without any words.

Just know it.

Somehow.

Taste how you know it.
Taste how you enjoy it.

Look around, easily.

Back to the feet awareness and how are your arms swinging and what is happening with your spine.

Then just being.

Just you and your awareness and your life, outdoors, present and alive.

Good.

Labor Day and the Love of Now

when I was a boy
Labor
Day
meant going back to school
and putting on new jeans, always ill fitting
and uncomfortable and shoes for the first time
in a long while

and school was usually made even
more unbearable by a fall heat spell

and then
there were all those people
and all that sitting around
and all that noise
and all the dead time while the teacher
over and over said something
not very well

and recess,
a breath of fresh
air
and lunch
awful food by how I eat today's standards
but to a child
food
and freedom to move
and playground sports
ah, that was
heaven
for awhile
and

then going back in
and the afternoon takes
forever
and the bus ride
home
and the sweetness
of walking from the bus to my house
or to a friends
house and
changing out of too tight too uncomfortable jeans
and maybe going to the beach to play
or wandering around looking for other kids
to do
we didn't even know what

freedom
and learning
and discovery
vs
sitting
and rules
and conformity
and herding

oh, well:

And now school
is

when I'm awake
or near awake
and realize it

and

School is:
all of life

....

Gumpy Moms and Love Muscles

Jesus said:
(sort of),
'Anyone can love someone who's treating you well,
but what about when they give you a hard time.'

Recently,
got to visit the beautiful Orange County
coast,
of television fame
for superficiality.

Oh, well.
The ocean is beautiful,

the cars are too many and too fast,
some of the people are very bike and outdoors
oriented.

One, who refuses even to take walks,
and still is kicking and growling
at 84
is me Ma.




She's great for practicing love,
since she loves to put down,
and explain how poorly
her little 63 year old boy

is doing,
and various lovelies like that.


And so what?
Anyone can love a Mom who treats you
really well.
This one takes a bit of work,
and the work is all the fun,
because why shouldn't she be just
the way she is,
my wonderful grump of a Ma?

Plus:
she does love her flowers.



A sweet gift she passed
on.

Life is so good,
when I remember where to
live it from.