Here we are, June 21st, the longest day of the year, and the official start of summer on the Gregorian calendar. Today was a day I had targeted as the to doing certain things I wanted to do – ritual, meditation, yoga, jujitsu class, and healtghier eating. Instead, here I am once again writing about my catastrophic failure to do any of that, despite putting things in place that would make this a fairly easy transition. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week I went to a meeting of pagans, a meetup group that gathers once a month at a local restaurant to eat and talk. A few weeks ago, someone in the group floated the idea of having a midsummers ball to celebrate the change. At that time I thought it was a great idea, though I didn’t really expect anyone to pull it off. Well, here we are, a little less than 2 weeks away from it, and I’m less than enthused. Read the rest of this entry »
Last month I flew back to Colorado to visit my family. It was long overdue, as it had been several years since I’d been back, and even longer since I’d seen my daughter. Since the last time i’d seen her, she’s gotten married and had two beautiful daughters of her own. Still, I felt ambivalent about going back for a visit, for reasons I won’t go into here. I’m glad I did though, it has rejuvenated me in a lot of ways. Read the rest of this entry »
I started this post a couple weeks ago, but due to illness and other matters, was unable to complete it at this time. Now that those are behind me, I should be back to posting more regularly than the last month or two.
Last week as I was thinking, one of the things I spent some time thinking about was my nature – what is primal to me, if there are things that are so ingrained in my character, or everyday expression of myself in the world that on some level they are inseparable from who I am. As is frequently the case with most questions of great importance, the answer is both yes and no, and both are true. Let me explain. Read the rest of this entry »
I was thinking deeply last week about some matters that are important to me. I’m sure the location of this thinking session is not big mystery, given my particular affinities. Originally this post was going to be title ‘the power of place,’ but after some reflection I’ve figured out that there’s more to it than just location. It’s a matter of who we are and where we’re at in our lives. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week was the first edition of this year’s Rhythms and Blooms, an event held at the local botanic gardens during the evening after work, when they are normally closed. Last week was a long one for me, due to being so busy both at work and personally. Most people have a place where they slow down and relax, step back and get perspective on things. For me, that happens to be the local botanic gardens, and I love being there at night, because I get different photos than I do during the day. Read the rest of this entry »
So says Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, along with a number of real life spiritual teachers. This last Friday was a rather long and intense day for me, and illustrative of this point, I think. Which is why I’ve decided to share it with you. Read the rest of this entry »
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to attend an open source software conference that was being held locally, featuring a number of well known speakers from open source projects and organizations. Like many people there, I found the conference worthwhile, and on some level,inspiring. I’ve been to seminars and conferences on other subjects as well, and found them inspiring as well. Often I find myself thinking, dang, I could be that good if I try. Then I go home and everything goes back to normal, and the idea of greatness is lost until the next time. I want to spend a little time talking about why I think we are inspired to greatness, and what we can do to actually achieve it. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been a busy last week and half or so. Last week I was on vacation, and it was great! Since my last blog, I’ve started P90X workouts, worked on an Android app, prepped my garden (I plant seedlings tonight), visited Brookgreen Gardens near Myrtle Beach, visited Edisto Gardens in Orangeburg, went to a movie, rolled a bunch of change and done a lot of housework. I’ve done a fair bit of thinking as well. Read the rest of this entry »
So, if you were paying attention to my last blog post, you noticed that I mentioned doing the P90X workout. Actually, if you’ve followed my blog for more than the last month, you’ll know that my attempt to lose weight has met with limited and temporary success thus far. My goal has been to reduce to 175 pounds, about 25 – 30 pounds less than where I am now. Last year I made it to 180 before getting sick and put it all back on over the next several months trying to get my system to balance back out. Given the way things have been going lately, I’ve decided it’s time for a different approach. Read the rest of this entry »