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Exactly What are These Turkeys Communicating?

11/29/2020 by Aruni

With gratitude, optimism becomes sustainable.

Michael J. Fox

 

I hope to be grateful,
No matter
What 
I
Am
Feeling.

Not matter
What
I am
Thinking,
I hope 
To remember
That
JOY IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT,

Not as a way of
Transcending 
The difficult,
The scary,
The dark,
The cold—

But as 
A way
To 
Keep 
Going
Through
It,

May
Gratitude
Be
The
Flashlight
That 
Guides
Us
Onward.

I choose to imagine 
The highest unfolding
For this country,
Our country.

I pray 
That
Our 
Many 
Shitty 
Options
Might
Soften
 Into 
Sanity,

That
Our riled up
Hostilities,
Softened
Into 
Community.

I choose to 
Lean
Toward
Gratitude
As we enter
That
Slippery
Slope,

The
Beginning 
Of
The 
Trifecta 
Of 
Self-care
Challenges—
Thanksgiving,
Christmas,
And
New Year’s.

With so
Much
Happening,

With
Not
So much 
Happening,

There continues
To be
Plenty 
For
Which
To
Be
Grateful.

I choose to 
See 
the squirrel,
Giant nut in mouth,

The dog
Across the way
Napping
In the sun,

The wind
Dancing
In the branches 
Of the trees.

I pray 
To keep 
My eyes
And 
My heart
Open,
that
gratitude
might 
fill 
me.

~~~

Friends,
Here is a story from my first book, Recovering My Voice, that I always read aloud to somebody, to anybody who might listen, on Thanksgivings.  It is the story of a political action in which I participated, Thanksgiving, 1979.

The story is entitled, Sorry We Stole It.

Disclaimer #1—it’s about 17 minutes long.  I almost want to apologize for that.  But I won’t.

Disclaimer #2—If you hear squeaking in the background, that is simply Niki B the Dog, wanting attention, not a random cat holding me hostage in my home.

Disclaimer- #3—I wrote this story probably twelve years ago.  Although I am a beginner in understanding my privileged perspective in matters of race, class, and societal inequities, LORD KNOWS I was even more of a beginner in 2008.  Apologies for my naivete and lack of insight.  I hope not to offend.  My intention is to represent myself as a thirty-one-year-old, struggling to align my feelings and my actions.

 

Thank you for allowing me to read this story, which continues to crack me up, to you.

 

Listen Here
Part 2 Listen Here

~~~

Dear Friends,
Be safe 
Be warm
Be held
By the
Moment,
No matter
What it 
Is
Offering you.

All blessings,
Aruni

~~~

Announcements

Meditations on Joy—Canine Style

Stay tuned to next week’s blog, arriving on Sunday eve, December 6th.
Back by popular demand, Niki B the Dog will guide us in Installment #2 of Meditations on Joy—Canine Style.  Worth Waiting for, I am certain!

Wisdom Circles

Let us connect, weave our hearts, our voices, our experiences together in this elegant and simple form.  Donations as you are able.

Come as you are and join us on Thursday, December 3 @ 2:00.
http://coacharuni.com/thursdaycircles/

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Latest Entries From Aruni’s Blog

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Books

  • Not Over Yet: Simple Strategies to Struggle Less and Savor More
  • Recovering My Voice: A Memoir of Chaos, Spirituality, and Hope
  • Already Home: Stories of a Seeker
  • Life~Works: Meditations for Mindful Living CD

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