Just a short little thought this week. I’m up to chapter 9 in the Tao te Ching and those three words are a summary of its message, to me. To keep peace and serenity in your heart, mind, and life, don’t hold too tightly to anything and don’t go overboard. This includes both in action and in thought. If we push too hard, try to acquire too much, consume too much, we risk losing whatever it was that we were…
thoughtful thursday: a set of rules by which to live
February 21, 2019I’m not talking about the “Leroy Jethro Gibbs” type of rules. I am referring to Chapter 8 of the Tao te Ching. If you’re not into that kind of reading, stay with me. I think you might appreciate the wisdom in this chapter. Chapter 8 is such a good one to me! I referred to it in a post a couple of years ago. I wasn’t really doing a comprehensive study on the Tao at that time, just kind of…
thoughtful thursday: the ten thousand beings
February 14, 2019The phrase “the ten thousand beings” is new to me. I’ve just recently read it in Tao Te Ching: An Intuitive Interpretation by Robert M. Jankel. If you are interested in the Tao, his book has been just very recently published and I think you will enjoy it. He sent me a copy and I am appreciating yet another way to read and understand this ancient spiritual work. One nice thing that sets Mr. Jankel’s book apart is that he…
thoughtful thursday: the winter sky
February 7, 2019Isn’t winter the best for stargazing? The air seems clearer and the stars sharper and brighter. One of the best things about the winter sky are the great views of the constellation Orion the Hunter. This is one of the best known and loved of the constellations. Orion is one of the few constellations that I already knew before meeting the man, who is much more versed in astronomy than I was, or still am. I’ve learned a great deal…
thoughtful thursday: a green thumb is a dirty thumb
January 31, 2019That’s a quote from the book The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. Actually, the full quote is “It is often said that a green thumb is a dirty thumb.” That is from the book’s introduction. I think the point is that just getting out there and doing the work is what will earn you a green thumb. I couldn’t agree more! Like most activities though, maybe some people have more of a knack for growing plants than others do. Some…
thoughtful thursday: wandering
January 24, 2019From time to time, I pick up the book, Creators on Creating, and read a bit. It is a collection of essays written by world-famous novelists, poets, scientists, and the like. They reflect on their own creative processes, each in his or her own way. Each essay is only a few pages long; they are short, but long enough to get a good understanding of the author’s thoughts. I am currently reading one written by Cathy Johnson, a naturalist author.…
thoughtful thursday: don’t let fear be a show stopper!
January 10, 2019Hey all! How is your January 2019 going? I’m starting something new to the blog this year. Realizing that I hardly ever post on my readings, musings, and journaling these days (those DEEP THOUGHTS!) and that I miss it, it came to me that I could do a weekly post – Thoughtful Thursday! Turns out, that is already a thing. So, I am jumping on it! Today’s thoughts are around the January 10th entry from the book, The Language of…
tao te ching study group
July 26, 2018Hey gardening friends! For those of you who are spiritually minded, I have created a study group on the blog. I am rereading the Tao te Ching and writing down my thoughts as I go to try and make sense of it. If you want to follow along, that would be fantastic! The text of this short little book is freely available here and there around the web, just do a bit of googling. Note that there are several versions.…
time alone
July 23, 2018I am sticking with my intention to read the book Simple Abundance throughout the year, more or less. I’m not diligent, but I do pick it up every few days and read the entry for that day. In today’s entry Sarah talks to us about spending time alone. Sometimes it is necessary to snatch time whenever we can find it. This may mean in the very early morning, the wee hours late into the night, or at some point in…
word of the year
June 18, 2018I’ve taken to choosing a word to be my guiding theme during the year for the past few years. The chosen word represents something that might’ve been a challenge for me recently. Some past words were courage and challenge. For 2018, having found that my state of mind and creativity seem to have been blocked for a while, or even closed or fixated, I chose the word Open. I am very happy to report that for the first time since…
