The Way of the Butterfly

The Way of the Butterfly is the end of suffering.

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.

Life is a circle

Life is a circle.
The end of one journey is the beginning of the next.

Balance is everything.

Being Grounded is the Way

Zen and the Art of Change

and the difference in 18 months is pretty magnificent, too.

Challenge: Water

Nothing is softer or more flexible than water,

yet nothing can resist it. 

Lao Tzu

I can't believe another challenge cycle has spun around again. The new timeframe seems to be uncannily aligned with my life's rhythms, to boot. Life is frequently like that.

Last challenge I learned much - so very very much - about how love is stronger than fear. It was a lesson I understood intellectually, but had no true grasp on, and I delved in to put the principle into practice.

It was as hard as it sounds. At times, I could not imagine how to release the fear, let alone find the love, but it was there, the whole time, waiting for me, whenever I was ready to receive.

And now, armed with a new understanding, I can move into practice a step further, finding strength in the softness, in the compassion, in the unity. For we are all one; to injure anyone is to injure myself. I have no enemies other than myself. Unity can heal all divides.

This challenge I flow forth as water: welcoming, accepting, unifying, undeniable strength through nurturing and softness.

My tools along the journey are simplicity, gratitude, stillness. The sauna and the hot tub, the keyboard and printer are my allies. As a river does not flow in a vacuum, I will lean on my supporters and support others in turn. We will do more, together.

The lighter path

After years of carrying others' worlds, juggling globes, my hands are now unencumbered.
After years of being chatelaine for castles in the sky, I relinquished the keys and my mind is clear.
After stripping off my armor of battles and wars waged from boardrooms to bedrooms, my heart is light.

My path is clear.

Naked and unafraid, I stand in calm certainty, knowing that if the ground should dissolve beneath me, I could fly. 

Balance

As bad as the custody change is for me, she is taking it worse - tears and clinging and feeling guilty and begging me to tell "them" that she changed her mind.
What a terrible thing to do to a five year old.
The only thing I know to do is to love her, tell her so, and find a counselor.

Believe it or not, I am finding some equilibrium.

Love is greater than fear.
Love holds me and unites me with my world, an unbreakable bond that supports me.
No mere piece of paper can affect love.
Love is greater.

Begin

Today