Channels of wisdom and folly…born anew each day
New channels of wisdom are born anew each day…as are new channels of folly. The trick is choosing between the two. –Janet Grace Riehl
“Teaching the Poor,” by Doug Johnson
Dedicated educator Doug Johnson inspires us with these thoughts. –JGR __________________________ The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference, and the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.— Elie Wiesel Teaching the poor, like any other human…
Beyond Romantic Love: Valentine Love for All
February is here, that month of hearts burning to burnish romantic love relationships. What if February became a month celebrating all types of love? Why not send Valentine’s cards to everyone, not just our sweetie, as we used to do in grade school? Ernest Dempsey, a.k.a. Karim Khan, our Man from Pakistan, sent me the…
Who cleans the chandeliers?
Maybe because my father wore overalls and dug ditches for the gas company. Maybe because we all worked with our hands growing up with the goal that one day we’d all go to college. Whatever the reason, I remain fascinated with the people who do the work. The staff that works behind the scenes making…
The Art of Friendship: Happy Birthday to Me
It’s been 61 years coming, but today is that day…only with a new year attached. I start thinking about my new age a few weeks beforehand so it comes at no surprise on the date. Falling between Christmas and New Year’s as it does–the Dead Week, I call it–when people are still reeling and resting…
Boxing Day Way
Ah, Boxing Day! It’ll be a year until I’m greeted by, “Are you ready for Christmas?” As if we are climbing a steep mountain pass to ski down the other side. Or, crawling across the desert to a beckoning oasis. For me, Boxing Day is that oasis. The first time I celebrated Boxing Day on…
“Mindfulness saves hassle”: Key thought for locked keys
Video Credit: Drake, on October 14, 2008, put Carl Thomas’s video Emotional with the music to K’jon. Actual title for the song is “On the Ocean.” Watch the official video of “On the Ocean” with the complete song (and more down to earth visuals). So, there I was, pulling into the parking spot inside the…
Snow Blind in the Sierras
Early in the morning I set off from Truckee, California, to make my way down the mountain from Donner’s Pass to Sacramento. This trip ranks right up there with one of the more reckless and foolhardy things I’ve done in my life. Right up there with hitching thousands of miles alone from West Africa to…
Blizzard of Blessings: Snowbound in Truckee
Sunday noon the Rigpa retreat at Squaw Creek ended with fireworks inside us and snow outside the windows. As we left Squaw Valley it felt as if we were driving in a convoy…mostly towards route 80 West…destination Sacramento. That was to be my route back to Lake County. It promised to be a rather a…
Settling in: Wisdom Teachings
I’m in Squaw Valley, California, along with 300 other students at the annual Rigpa (my Tibetan Buddhist group) fall retreat. We’re staying in luxury at the Squaw Creek Resort. Many of us are handling details of business and family life while we’re here. Cell phones and laptops abound. It’s a ten day retreat…mostly a teaching…