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Shit to Compost

by

Shit to Compost

About a thousand years ago (I frighten myself these days with my attempts to locate myself in time), I was again a new member of yet another 12 Step group.

This one focused on that dread substance of substances, people.

Having attempted to wrestle my active addiction to the ground, then finally realizing that relinquishing the struggle was the way of releasing the substances, I was clear enough for that other dread addiction to emerge.

People!

In all its dysfunction and glory, I was beginning to see myself in relationship.

And it wasn’t pretty.

I was a busy-bee-people-pleaser.

Trying to get You to like Me was my understanding of relationship.

It was clearly the time to learn another way of being.

I remember sitting in a meeting in Lee, Mass., looking around yet another church basement wondering, as only a Jew can:,

Why has this lifetime offered me a countless number of church basements? 

Appalled at yet “another” set of behaviors that needed attention and realignment, long before I recognized that addiction was one disease with many faces, I sat, looking at a new group of total strangers that would soon sound more familiar to me than my own voice.

I remember her well.

Was her name Mary?

Well, truly, I’m not sure of her name.

But of her essence, I am positive.

I can conjure her up in a moment.

Let’s call her Mary.

I can see her before me, sitting on her usual spot on the most memorable and (in strange internal detail for me) super-thread-bare-lumpy-faded-green-plaid-couch.

She was round and soft and wore scarves intricately wrapped around her; I imagined her picking out her scarf du jour, to match her moment.

Mostly Mary was intense and clear, two things that frightened the bejesus out of me in those days. In retrospect, I imagine it was my own hidden intensity and my own closeted clarity that frightened me.

There was Mary, round and scarved, speaking truth.

She was struggling intently with her relationship to her alcoholic husband, to leave, to not leave, to let him be, to withdraw her actions from the illusion of rescuing him. Watching her from afar, I learned so much about my own fears and most importantly, my own deeply embedded people-pleasing.

Mary’s favorite saying was:

Shit to compost.

That cracked me up.

I loved that.

I loved it then; I love it today.

I don’t know what it meant to me then; I imagine I will spend the rest of my days learning what it means to me now.

And in the now that waits up ahead.

It always has turned me around, this invitation to consider the moment’s events not from my playbook, not from the Script According to Aruni, but from that which is greater than me—

That which is happening!

~~~

I think of that powerful Haiku written by Mizuta Masahide, a 17th century Japanese poet and samurai:

“Barn’s burnt—
now I can see the moon.”

~~~

Life happens.
It is all grace,
Regardless of
Its consequences.

My work in this world
Is to accept what is,
To live through
My fearful preferences,
To allow the
Blessings
To
Eventually
And
To
Inevitably
Emerge.

Dear friends,

I do not say this
To give us an out,
A doorway to
Premature
Transcendence
Beyond our feelings.

I speak it today
To give us
The courage
To walk through
Whatever
Life
Gives
Us.

We get what we get.
We
Are
Not
In charge.

In this
Profound
Practice
Lies
Great
Freedom.

~~~

This is a week of weeks, a week we have been waiting for, each in our own way. A monumental election hovers on the horizon. If ever there was a time to keep our hearts connected to one another, if ever there was a time to tether ourselves to simple principles of living, here it is, this week of November 3, 2020. 

Dear friends, here are a few inspiring tools I have been given this week. Each of these three is different, yet somehow, strangely similar. Each has brought me solace. I hope you can find some comfort here, too:


The Keep-Going Song by the Bengsons

From Pete Seeger’s 90th Birthday Concert (Clearwater Concert), Madison Square Garden, 5/3/09. Featuring: Pete Seeger, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Toshi Reagon, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Billy Bragg, Keller Williams, Ani DiFranco, Ruby Dee, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, New York City Labor Choir.  2010

Roshi Joan offers us a perspective of mature hope in the midst of life as it is, right here and right now.  Link here
~~~

Dear, dear friends,

Be safe, be well. 
With all blessings—
May the highest unfold,
For all.

May we remember
And know
Our neighbors
As ourselves.

May we
Take actions
And
Practice
Letting
Go
Of the outcome.

May we remember
We are not
Alone.

All blessings,
Aruni
~~~

Announcements

  • Wisdom Circle for Thursday, November 5, @ 2:00—all welcomed!  Come together on our zoom call, to practice connection to self, to others, to all.  It’s a simple and elegant form, please do come.

http://coacharuni.com/thursdaycircles/

 

My Work is Loving the World

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My Work is Loving the World*
Lucy Doodle & Zac Joe Doodle, 2013
 
Greatly Anticipated Voting Results—Below!!

You all made me so happy this week.

I loved getting so many votes for our favorite animal companion teams from last week’s blog.

About a trillion people responded, or perhaps sixty.

And I love you for responding!

(And of course, I love you folks for not responding, too.  Let’s be egalitarian.)

You cracked me up.  

I always knew, in the Forest Room at Kripalu, you would do whatever we asked you to do.

“Sure, I will blindfold myself and, with a roomful of total strangers, tiptoe around the room, humming sacred songs, arms expanding into a new openness to life and possibility.”

Your being all-in.  

Our being all-in.

You being passionate and committed.

Our being passionate and committed.

That is not dependent upon the Forest Room.

The Forest Room is not here right now.

Yet, we are the Forest Room.
~~~

Animals are the best!
My favorite political lawn sign this year was:

Dogs—2020
People Suck

~~~

A long time ago, when Lucy and Zac were still alive, they both, with my spouse’s credit card, gave me a book called, Guardians of Being.  It is a fantastic little book, with Eckhart Tolle words and art by Patrick McDonnell, the creator of that profound spiritual teacher, Mutts.

It was right down my alley, simple and deep and warm and funny and so right.  My dogs did know and support my taste.  I will share some of Eckhart’s words, but your imagination will have to create Mutt-like drawings for illustration:

We have forgotten what rocks, plants, and
Animals still know.  We have forgotten how to be—
To be still, to be ourselves, to be where life is:
HERE AND NOW.

The human says, “I love myself,” or I hate myself.”
The dog says, “Woof, woof,” which translated means
I AM MYSELF.
I call that integrity—being one with yourself.

The dog is still in the natural state.  And you can
Easily see that, because you have problems, and your dog doesn’t.
And while your happy moments may be rare, 
your dog celebrates life continuously.

Nature will teach you to be still,
If you don’t impose on it a stream of thoughts.
A very deep meeting takes place when
You perceive nature in that way, without naming things.

~~~

Clearly, I cannot remind us of the power of nature and animals without bringing Our Mary Oliver into the conversation.  Here is one of my favorite poems in the universe, in the glorious and stunning and balanced universe, by Our Mary:
~~~

My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird—
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.

“Messenger” by Mary Oliver, from Thirst
~~~

VOTING RESULTS

It was a fevered election, indeed, with much machination concerning the abundance of awesome choices.  

One voter said this was a much harder choice for her than the decision she will face on 11/3.

I know you have been very patient and waiting.  Here are the results, with human error (me) accounted for:

WE HAD A TIE FOR FIRST PLACE!!

I did not make that up—I swear, we tied.

First place goes to (drumroll:)

  • Dog consoling the crying baby!(:33)
  • Dog pulling the cat away from a potential altercation! (1:55)

Which to me fully indicates, we so need badly to be consoled, somebody to rock us and comfort us, and equally, we hugely need somebody, something, some fantastic retriever somewhere, to take the leash and pull Us away from catastrophe.

Bless us!

Second place was kitten wiggling its way under the blond doggie’s leg. (:20)

Yes, we do need snuggling and touch.  This cat is no fool.

Third place (my personal fav) was dog, tiny rodent on its nose, and cockatiels and parakeet/ridiculousness.  (2:25)

Such a strange cuddle-fest of beings!

Five voters refused to choose, saying they loved ALL OF THEM.  Please, on 11/3, please do choose.

And the rest of the voting field was divided out, the dog and pigeon claiming the lead in the loser pack.  Everybody wins in our contest of animal love-fest.
~~~

Dear friends,

Let us comfort our hearts.

Here is more Pre-Election-Therapy.

I present
These amazing
Beings.

(Thank you, Susan M., for sending them.)

Check out this lovefest.
The companionship.
The support and
The connection.

Dear friends, 
To you and yours,
All blessings,
All safety,
Aruni 

For years, photographer Tanja Brandt has made it her mission to capture magnificent photos of animals and wildlife.  Recently, the German artist found a new challenge when she photographed the unique bond between two unlikely friends:  Ingo, a Belgian shepherd, and Poldi (Napoleon), a one-year-old owlet.  
The owlet and canine have a special protector-protected relationship.   Their affection toward each other couldn’t be any more evident.  Ingo lovingly guards Poldi, who apparently doesn’t know how to live free.  
The owlet hatched two days after his six brothers and sisters, therefore, has always been very vulnerable due to his small size.  
They respect each other and they can read each other, says the photographer.

 

 
 
 

Announcements

  • Wisdom Circle for Thursday, 10/30, @ 2:00—all welcomed!  Come as you are.

Here is the link: http://coacharuni.com/thursdaycircles/
~~~

*Title of blog taken from Mary Oliver poem, The Messenger

The Buddha of Imperfection

by

The Buddha of Imperfection
Another Riveting (& Mandatory) Survey Enclosed!

Dearest of People,

A hundred years ago or so, in the mid 1990’s, I was Director of Retreat and Renewal and Ongoing Programs at Kripalu.  I thought highly of myself and my fancy titles, while sucking (a technical term) at the budgeting process and adoring the teaching and curriculum-building aspects of my work.

Thinking highly of myself did take vigilance, the ongoing saga of second-guessing my thoughts and actions.

Yes, I did exhaust myself.

I wasn’t as much of a political “climber” (we have had our share), as I was a massive people-pleaser.  I just wanted You to like Me.

That was my style of management.  

At any rate, for many years, we at Kripalu annually held a seven-day celebration called Saptah, which was a seven-day celebration, during which repetitive chanting of the mantra, Om Nama Shivaya, was offered 24-hours-a-day.  Our Saptah, which means seven in Sanskrit, evolved from seven to three days, to accommodate the ever-changing Kripalu business model.

The Main Hall was decorated with awesome respect and over-commitment.  Many people worked many hours of many days to hang lovely lights throughout the ceiling of that spacious room, and to create stunning altars along the walls.  Each altar, as I remember, had flowers, pictures, and representations of deities.

The celebration was always a powerful and life-changing experience for many of us, certainly for me.  Yet over time, it went to the way of-many–things-kripalu, too much effort, not enough monetary return, etc., etc., oh, God forgive us, etc.

In the midst of Saptah’s height, Alison came to me.  She was a long-time Kripalu member of the ashram and in charge of Saptah, which was held under my auspices. 

She held this Buddha in her arms.

“Aruni,” she said, “This Buddha is cracked.”

I noticed the fault lines running down her arm, the beginnings on one leg.   

Yes, she was, indeed, cracked.

“Can you keep her in your office?  I’m afraid to use her in the Main Hall.”

Hence this glorious Buddha was retired from Saptah-Service and sent to her room, well, to my room, ever since.  

This dearest of Buddhas I have fondly dubbed, “The Buddha of Imperfection.” 

Over time, as we moved from my office to my home, her fault lines have intensified.  

As have mine.

Over time, she continues to be glorious and beautiful.  
Have I?  
In a changing, body-sagging, aging kind of way, perhaps.

She reminds me of the futility of the search for perfection, for doing “IT” right, for getting You All to love Me.

Even Buddha has cracks!

We don’t have to change.
We don’t have to be Better.
We don’t have to do It Right.

We just have to show up.
We just have to do our best.

We just have to love ourselves 
As we are,
And keep practicing.

Twelve Step program calls it “spiritual progress, not spiritual perfection”.

Powerful, huh?

Pema Chodron, the wonderful Buddhist nun says in her book, Awakening Loving-Kindness:

When people start to work with any kind of spiritual discipline, they often think that somehow they’re going to improve, which is a sort of subtle aggressing against themselves…….but loving-kindness toward ourselves doesn’t mean getting rid of anything.  It means we still can be crazy after all these years.  We still can be angry after all these years.  We still can be timid or jealous or full of feelings of unworthiness.  The point is not to try to change ourselves, not to throw ourselves away and become something better.  It’s about befriending who we are already.

 

 It’s about befriending who we already are!
Who knew?

Buddha has fault lines.
Buddha has cracks.

OMG, do I have fault lines.
Do I have cracks!

I bet you have a few.

Am I
Terrified and horrified
And addicted
To my news feed?

Am I hopeful and fearful
And humanly human
These wacky days?

Dear Friends, dear wonderful people,

Let’s put perfection to the side.
Let’s meet ourselves where we are.
Let’s be gentle and kind
To ourselves.

These next days will
Undoubtedly unfold
With intensity
And
Ever-growing
Unpredictability.

Let us be kind
To ourselves.

I share my prayer with you:

I choose to love
And
Accept myself
No matter
What
I am
Doing.

Let us live forward,
Into this blessing.

~~~

MANDATORY VIEWING EXPERIENCE/FOLLOW UP SURVEY FOR ALL:

This is the result of my search for inspiration for this week of October 18th.  After scanning my internal experience and the outside world the entire week, this is all I’ve come up with: animals, wonderful and funny animals.

Indeed, this is a fantabulous video, three minutes long.  You must watch.  

Idea!  Let’s vote!  Let’s vote for our favorite animal combination.  Have pen and paper readied.  Write down the time marker of your favorite animal duo.  Send to me, please at thecoacharuni@gmail.com:

  • Your first name
  • The animal-pair that most cracked you up
  • The time marker in which those animals made their appearance

I will tally the oodles of response and I will post results next week.  

Consider this therapy for these pre-election days.

We can practice exercising our voting skills as we learn from the cooperation and dependency these animals.     

I claim writer/editor rights: I cast my vote early— I vote for the cockatiel-parakeet-dog-team, at time 2:26 seconds.  Look at the dog’s nose.  PROMISE ME YOU WILL.

Pre-Election Video

~~
Dear friends, be safe and well.
With gratitude and hope—

All blessings,
Aruni

~~~

Important Announcement—
  • There will be no Wisdom Circle on Thursday the 22nd.  We will regroup on Thursday the 29th, @ 2:00.  You can get the link for that Zoom event here, on next week’s blog.

 

Life Can be Found

by

Life Can be Found

In the Present Moment*

 

How are you doing?
How was balance for you, 
These last days?  

How was   
Self-care?  

I am here to report—I tumbled this past week.

With indignation and righteousness,
With fury and disbelief
And a touch of Schadenfreude,
I found myself
Newly obsessed
With my news feed.

Might there be new-news, 
Ten minutes 
After my last 
Anxious perusal?

Was He alive?
Or not…..
Sick….
Or full 
Of
It?    

After a few days
Of sympathetic nervous system
Overload,
I took stock.

I took hold
Of myself,
And
Of 
My
Behavior.

I decided
To shift.

I committed to others
That I would
Put Phone on the other side 
of 
Bedroom.

I
Committed to others—
That I would 
Not
Seek
Stimulation
Ongoingly
From this
Outrageously 
Unstable 
Of times.

I must
We must
Turn away.

I must
We must
Find solace.

I must
We must
Shift 
Internal 
Gears.

The sympathetic nervous system, 
Once stimulated, 
Once danger is reported, 
we clamp down.

We hunker down.
We hold our breath.
We calcify around.
We fight the attack.

This is simply the brilliance of our brain,
The profundity of our nervous system
Doing its job.

I must
We must
Find solace.

Solace—breath—
Comfort—
Relaxation
Takes us
To the
Parasympathetic.

The rest
And
Digest
Nervous
System.

Biologically,
I must
We must
Find solace.

Here are two things
That softened
My belly,
That
Softened
My heart
This week.

~~~

First, I accidentally came across this music on-line.  Accidently?  Perhaps I was given this as a gift suited for my return home to solace.  Who is this group?  Hang Missive is a world music and ambient music duo that plays the Hang, a new-age percussion instrument.  The visuals and the sounds of this ten-minute calmed me down, emptied me out, softened me up.  Please enjoy:

The Secret of Touching Sun and Moon by Hang Missive

~~~
Later in my week, a friend sent me this link to a Thich Nhat Hanh meditation which I instantly ignored, feeling too busy to listen to allow a dear Zen master lead me in meditation.  After a few days of ignoring him, my friend called to prod me onward.  I said, “I can’t listen.  I’m eating dinner.”

(OMG.  Listen to me.  I teach meditation.)

She, in her brilliance, said, “Listen to it while eating.”

Oh.  I did.  And then, I listened to a little more while folding clothes.  And a little more in the bath.  And a little more in bed.

Bring him into your life, this Master Monk.  His voice alone, filled with kindness, returned me to ease.  It’s 58 minutes.  Take it into your life; stop and start.  There is no right way to participate.  Just—do it:

Thich Nhat Hanh, An Introduction to Mindfulness and Tranquility Meditation

~~~

Dear Friends,

Be safe, be well.
Cultivate 
The 
Circumstances
In which
You create
A strong back
And
A
A soft front.

Lean toward comfort,
Especially
When 
It seems
Impossible.

It is right there,
Waiting.

All blessings,
Aruni F.

~~~
Announcements:

Cultivating Solace and Strengthening Resilience—Simple Strategies for Complicated Times.

There are a few more spaces available in my October 23 zoom retreat.

Please follow this link for more info.

Wisdom Circles

And what a time it is.  Connect to yourself, to one another, and to our simple and sustainable teachings.  Our circles are a simple and elegant form of Devotional listening, super-simple and super-impactful.  They are held on Thursdays, @ 2:00 EST.

This week our Circle will be on Thursday, October 15, @ 2:00 EST.  

Here is the link: http://coacharuni.com/thursdaycircles/
~~~

*Title quote by Thich Nhat Hanh

“The smell of pine trees, warm chihuahuas and butterscotch chips….”

by

“The smell of pine trees, warm chihuahuas and butterscotch chips….”
From MB from NJ

The chihuahuas in question, sometimes warm, are pictured above.  Please send love to Gizmo, perched on the free library box (that got stolen, the box, not the dog), and Minnie, wrapped in a blankey—not a bad idea.

Can we stay wrapped in our individual and collective blankies until January 20, 2021?

Thanks to MB from NJ for her above quote, who, along with so many of you, shared her doorways to solace.  Thanks, also, to Gizmo and Minnie, who wanted their full names used, claiming gratitude for your attention.

I know you are here.  

I know somebody is here, reading and thinking and feeling with me.  I sometimes hear from you.  

I know some of your faces, your eyes from yesteryear, in the Forest Room of Kripalu, shining with Kripalu glee during another world, another time.  

But truly, my motus oprendi is to go It alone.
Whatever the current It-of-the-moment might be. 

An ancient
And unhelpful
Internal mantra:  

I GOT THIS.  
LET ME FIGURE IT OUT. 
THEN
I’LL GET BACK TO YOU.

By the way, figuring it out is not a spiritual practice.

Reaching out, asking for help—not a well-developed muscle for me.  

I realize, I was asking for help, I was asking you for your help.
In inviting you to share your doorways to solace, I recognize that I have been squeezed silent by the events unfolding around us.

Squeezed silent?     
Moi?

Yes, 
Squeezed silent.
Me.

So many of you responded.

Hearing your words, most prolific, most poetic, most profound, has been calming and comforting.

You did for me what I couldn’t do for myself.

You jumpstarted my internal-solace-making-machine.

Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for kicking me into gear.

So—before we launch into what you all have been waiting for, I am certain, with bated breath, a synopsis of the Famous Solace Survey you have been hearing so much about, a few words:

Synopsis it is.  There were many emails, many silvers of images and words of beauty in your feedback.  I did my best at giving us a taste, a smorgasbord of responses.  Apologies upfront for (human) error.
Etc.

And now, the cyber drum-roll, please:

SOLACE-SURVEY RESULTS  


I am losing my shit with homeschooling the kids.  Solace looks like:  go outside and start a campfire in the back yard, if the kids are arguing I also go outside.  I go outside and wander around the yard, at first, I am cursing but then I calm down.
(From P.H.)

Eating blueberries
Making art
Walking
Morning practice; some days
You
(From M.)

My knee is mending well and I’m back riding my motorcycle. The weather has been great and I find solace riding a back road with the wind in my face. It’s 80F here right now and I just returned from a 90-mile ride in the country
(From B.)

This is an easy time to feel apart. To feel like some folks are…different.  My neighbor used to have political signs in her yard all the time. The most visual and disturbing type of signs. I used to get so upset about it. But now her daughter has stage awful cancer. And she is suffering. As any parent would. So today I am buying garden signs to put outside her daughter’s window. And ironically the signs that used to bother me are gone from my neighbor’s yard. 

So, I guess I find solace in still trying to be kind even when it’s hard. And building community even with people I don’t agree.
(From DK)

Splurging on the most expensive and best guacamole, homemade salsa and chips.
(From RC)

Reading
Each
And
Every
One
Of
Your
Blogs
Brings Me
Solace.
(From CW)

I have been drawing daily again – just quick sketches of anything and everything I see. I find I look now, look for things to draw, and I SEE differently. I see the form of the tree, the silhouette of its canopy, the way one color sits beside another, the shape of a shadow. I find when I’m absorbed in looking and drawing what I see, I can forget for a little while about the pandemic-unchecked/election-unhinged/everything-unknown, and in that break, however short, my angst is eased. It makes sense, really, because you have to pay attention, and in paying attention to what I see, to what is before me, I can’t pay attention to the other thing I’m really trying not to be overwhelmed by.
(From AW)    


Swearing, loudly. My partner, ___, sprayed himself in the face this July while cleaning the deck at the cottage. He unleashed the loudest, most drawn out “Fuuuuuuck meeeeeeeee” I have ever heard and this has become a catch phrase in my home and with my friends. There is nothing more satisfying that a good curse session.   
(From I.S.)

I find solace in painting for hours each week. Here’s a look at some of what I’ve painted since the pandemic started if you’re curious.
* Pictures Below
(From AK)  

2 cylinders, 2 wheels, on a 2-lane road.
(From MR)    

A cup of tea at the perfect temperature Getting a window into someone’s soul through the food that they create (and sharing mine)
(From CC)

Working in the garden. Pulling weeds, dead perennials, putting garden to bed.   
(From HB)    

Eating a scorching hot temperature and spice-level bowl of Manhattan clam chowder soup. Telling the truth to my fiancée when I feel so out of sorts I am going to implode or explode….  Giving myself permission to do nothing
(Anonymous)

I place my hands over my heart, press firmly and take a deep, slow breath. I get outside, and if there’s a breeze, I close my eyes and imagine the breeze blowing through and around me is the Holy Spirit infusing my whole being with life, healthy energy and hope…it’s as if it’s whispering encouragement to me and helping to soothe my aching soul.
(From JA)

Your weekly message arrived just before temple where I was about to chant Kol Nidrei (powerful Jewish New Year prayer) aloud as a solo before our entire congregation as I have for three years, but this time on zoom. After my husband died my rabbi invited me to take the huge risk of chanting aloud in public because he thought it would help me heal. He was right. Moreover overcoming performance anxiety and dropping down into the music brought me unspeakable and unexpected solace for which I will be forever grateful.    
(From MM)    

Going to bed early and enjoying a luxuriously slow wake-up The magic of dawn.
(From TG)

My two female cats with the softest fur that smells of comfort and nature and pine pitch. Burrowing my nose in their fur comforts me. (From GS)

I watched “My Octopus Teacher” recently, and that brought me a great deal of healing and solace.  I read into everything she did as an example of how I can more fully live my life.  Her courage and resourcefulness in living a mostly solitary life, her resilience in healing and regrowing (literally) after an attack, and her cleverness at eluding sharks were all so inspiring to me.  When she was attacked, she took to her den and took time to heal.  That was the most profound for me.  I’ve been in my own “den” of sorts, trying to heal after a deeply painful lover’s betrayal and the death of both of my parents.  If she could regrow a limb, then maybe I can heal my broken heart!  I printed out a picture of her to look at as a reminder of her beauty and the comfort in having known her, if only through an exquisitely-filmed documentary. 
(From KL)    

Rest, nature, beach, the sound of the birds, time alone, my pups, the written word, music, my family, connection with friends. 
(From LR)    

Taking a shower and saying serenity prayer.  Over and over until I feel calmer.   
(From Ops)    

The three horses that I’ve known, loved and been partners with over the years brings me solace. I call them my Therapists, Dr. Jesse, Dr. Sani and Dr. Bowie.
(From DS)

And on and on and on.
Okay, I (the Editor, or Maintenance Department of my Home)
Am calling this.

I believe
I could go 
On
Forever
Sharing
Your 
Words.

Suffice to say:

You inspire me.
I am not alone.
We are not alone.
Asking for help?
A brilliant
Spiritual 
Practice,
Cultivating
The ground
Of Solace.

~~~
This brought me solace.  RBG reading the Prayer for Our Country, 2013, at her grandson’s bar mitzvah service, 2013;

~~~

Dear Friends,

Be well, be safe, (I’m adding), be as comfortably sane as possible.
I’ll share more nuggets of solace in upcoming blogs.
Let’s get through
This time
Together.

With gratitude,
With love,
Aruni

~~~
Announcements:

Cultivating Solace and Strengthening Resilience—Simple Strategies for Complicated Times.

Please follow this link for more info about my October 23 zoom program,

Suffice to say—it’s going to be a wonderful time to be together.  Please consider.  Send on any clarifications to thecoacharuni@gmail.com

Wisdom Circles

And what a time it is.  Connect to yourself, to one another, and to our simple and sustainable teachings.  Our circles are a simple and elegant form of Devotional listening, super-simple and super-impactful.  They are held on Thursdays, @ 2:00 EST.

This week our Circle will be on Thursday, October 8, @ 2:00 EST.  

Here is the link: http://coacharuni.com/thursdaycircles/

~~~
Paintings from AK, from Texas

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