as long as this exists *

twilight:

I wade with snowy egrets

and impersonate 

the rustle of wonder.

* As long as this exists... by Anne Frank

a sanctuary in time

On Tuesday I had five wisdom teeth extracted and I've been reveling in recuperation ever since. I really don't think the procedure could have gone any better, such a relief! Here are a few things I've been enjoying in my down time...

A thoughtful friend sent me both seasons of Downton Abbey (which I'd never seen) and I am hooked!

New issues of Anthology and Kinfolk magazines. There is an article entitled A Quiet Life in Kinfolk by Julie Pointer that is especially wonderful.

A surprise of fresh blooms in tangerine and deep pink on my bedside table.

Listening to Natalie Merchant's Leave Your Sleep. An album of songs adapted from 19th and 20th century poetry.

Revisiting the world of Jane Austen. Do you have a favorite?

A dog who is an excellent nap companion until he takes over the bed entirely and, well, even then.

Gazing out an open window to the garden where a pleasing rain drizzles as I type and sunlight begins to come into view.

Carrying this poem in my pocket. 

xo

the slow gait of anger

I find myself waiting 

for the slow gait of anger

to fall dormant.

As I write these lines

it resembles something quieter,

less urgent,

less devout.

Not quite receding altogether,

more like a tamed beast

dozing in the corner.

He wakes to watch me,

turns his head

and closes his everyday eyes.

We can suppress anger and aggression or act it out, either way making things worse for ourselves and others. Or we can practice patience: wait, experience the anger and investigate its nature. - Pema Chodron   (more here)

monday meditation

I am here to seduce you into a love of life;

to help you to become a little more poetic;

to help you die to the mundane and to the ordinary 

so that the extraordinary explodes in your life.

- Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

scenes from a sunday stroll