Guest Post by Jim Jackson
Tennis is a unique sport or creative activity, in my opinion, although many others would say the same about their activity or sport. But tennis has so many good qualities, and only one “so-so” quality – which like most activities – sports, requires a specific place to play, in this case, a tennis court. (Although, when I began, I would hit for hours against a cement wall, as there were few players in my small town.)
Guest Post by Gloria Lionz
Happy Friday night, August 1, 2025. If you live long enough, you have experiences that “speak volumes…” Case in point, I was driving to see a new practitioner in Portland. On my way there, I was wondering if working with her was going to be as successful as I hoped. Shortly, after inwardly asking that question I noticed an unusual sign painted on the back of a delivery van. It was far in the distance. As I drove other cars went in other directions, turned off the highway as everyone does. Eventually the van was right in front of me.
Guest Post by Dennis Ernst
I think of my own life and all of its imperfections. The challenges, slowly tearing down outdated beliefs, stripping away all that isn’t needed for the next step in life. This process is an evolution that creatively crafts our becoming into a unique and ever-changing work of art. It challenges us to keep going, keep working, keep crafting our masterpiece of human experience. Each refinement reveals new hidden beauty, depth, and a deeper understanding of our journey and our becoming.
By Michael Avery (from Seven Signs from the Universe)
Mark West recently wrote in an email how he’d been cautioned to use more discrimination when expressing his frustration with a person at work. “Sometimes it’s best to just keep silent and contemplate upon the reflection we’re receiving from the world around us,” Mark noted. A waking dream suggested a better approach for him to take the next time he found himself frustrated by the actions of a co-worker.
Guest Post by Dennis Ernst
Wabi-Sabi’s roots are deeply embedded in Buddhist philosophy, particularly in the teachings that emphasize impermanence, suffering, and the absence of self.
It’s a perspective that sees a simplistic beauty in the transient nature of life, a view that emerged in Japan as an aesthetic counterpoint to the prevailing notions of beauty. The fragile, transient nature of something, imperfect, incomplete becomes a model for the human experience.
By Michael Avery (from a story by Jim Jackson in Seven Signs from the Universe by Michael and Pichaya Avery)
After fighting heavy traffic for an hour and forty-five minutes, Jim Jackson stopped for an early dinner at a restaurant in Troutdale, a small town just east of Portland, Oregon. He had only traveled thirty-nine miles and still had a ways to go before reaching the Menucha Retreat Center overlooking the Columbia Gorge where he and a friend would be facilitating a discussion group later that night.
Guest Post by David Rivinus
Stacy was ecstatic.
The vacation to Italy she and her husband had been planning for months was finally happening. The two were on an exclusive tour that had taken them to a quaint, picturesque village in the Italian Alps, far from the holiday crowds. It was quiet, beautiful and totally Italian. What’s more, the guides were terrific.
Guest post by Dennis Ernst
There is a word, I recently came across that I’ve been needing to add to my vocabulary of how to live. The word is found in the Japanese language as Shibumi. It translates to English as “effortless perfection, elegance, simplicity, and humility. It’s seen in Japanese minimalism and is an art form, a philosophy, and a lifestyle. This struck me as a wonderful metaphor of living.
By Michael Avery
from Seven Signs from the Universe by Michael and Pichaya Avery
Bookmarks
“Bookmarks” are like setting an alarm with a symbol. We mark a time in the future when it’s optimal for us to do a certain thing. We can choose a specific symbol for any number of situations. Here are three examples:
Guest Post by David Rivinus
Marion looked perturbed; that wasn’t like her.
A skilled, beloved and highly respected theater costume designer, she had trained pros who were now working on Broadway. And recently, she had agreed to mentor amateurs who showed promise. They paid her hourly for her instruction and put their new-found skills to a variety of uses.
“OK, Marion, what’s up?” I probed.
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén