Coziness by the spoonful

Is there anything better than a pressure cooker to help support simple living? A cup of dried beans in plenty of water did their thing while I ran errands and cleaned the house. 

An hour later, they were tender and ready. I drizzled olive oil and seasoned with rosemary-salt-pepper.

Snow Falling on Warm Ground

When I sit

Let the thoughts come.

Welcome them even!

With an open heart, I can receive them

Drifts of snow falling

On warm ground.

 

When I am work,

Let the chaos come.

Welcome it even!

With a centered heart, I can embrace it

Drifts of snow falling

On warm ground.

 

When I am play,

Let the obstacles come.

Welcome them even!

With a calm heart, I can resolve them

Drifts of snow falling

On warm ground.

 

When I am in the world,

Let the difficulties come.

Welcome them even!

With a full heart, I can release them

Drifts of snow falling

On warm ground.

Poems Like Flowers

Send me poems like flowers
Bouquets of verse, collected
At roadside stalls, overheard
Truth in a turnip truck wearing
Overalls and work boots as it makes its way
To market.

Send me poems like friends
Companions to keep me
Company in the dark
Journey of the soul.

Send me poems stolen
Cyrano the Vandal
Ripped from books and folded into peace cranes,
Graveyard blooms that the dead will not
Miss to brighten the living.

Send me poems.

Gym day, small set

24 twisted angels, 5# l,r
8 Glute curls, 10# l,r
8 swimmerspresses, 10# l,r
8 lawn mowers, 10# l,r
8 squats, 10# l,r
8 Russian ab twists, 10# l,r
24 twisted inclined situps, 7.5# l,r
Some weird ab work machine: 8 @ 50#
Pigeon, down dog, up dog, forward fold, child's Pose, C100.
Plank
(8 Plank push ups) x 2
Steam room
Sauna

Retrospective

End of the year update of things as they occur to me:

• January: Signed up at the gym and began going daily
• February: Finished Thesis
• March: Signed up for another year of local fruits, vegetables and eggs
• April: Presented at a conference at Virginia Tech
• April: Quit Smoking
• April: Started Yoga therapy
• May: Switched to a better gym and added sauna therapy nearly daily
• May: Graduated with a Master's Degree.
• June: Filed Paperwork to create Justice For All Foundation
• July: Took Post-Graduate Seminar on Men & Feminism
• July: Started sending care packages every month to the 15-turned-16-year old
• July: Got an apartment in Grandin Village for school district. This may end up being a safety net piece of the whole works, so I'm glad I did it.
• August: Entered into a Dire Legal Situation with custody
• September: Set up independent study on American Identity and the forces and personalities that shaped it in the 20th century.
• October: Received Articles of Incorporation for Justice for All Foundation
• October: Started a job -- with insurance and benefits and everything
• November: Wrote By-laws for Justice for All Foundation
• November: Retained competent counsel for the legal battle.
• December: Started sending newsletters every fortnight to the boys
• December: Filed IRS application for 501(c)3 status for Justice for All Foudnation
• December: Paid all credit card balances. This has been a wonderful peace of mind tool throughout the year, and I'm glad I was able to make use of it responsibly. Other debts remain, and can be dealt with in the coming year.
• December: Paid educational balances from needing to withdraw fora term to regroup when schedules changed dramatically.
• December: Filed my 2015 taxes. I know, it was nearly a full year overdue. But there it is, finally done.