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Come What May

by

Come What May


This blog post is also available on my Facebook page to make sharing it with friends and family easy for you to do.

Did I make this up?
Or—
Did someone tell me? 

Was it a dream?

A flash
And insight
From
Another place?

The memory:

A deep spiritual teacher, 
So mellow and relaxed.
When asked 
How do you manage such serenity?

He thought
And 
Thought,

Pondered
And
Pondered,

And 
Then
Quietly
Said,

Well, it really doesn’t matter what happens.

GREAT COSMIC JOKE.

It really doesn’t matter what happens.

I mean, of course, it matters what happens.

But/and—
It really doesn’t.
We cannot control what is happening.
Have you noticed?

We cannot prevent something from happening.
You have noticed, right?

But we can,
WE ABSOLUTELY CAN
Learn how to be present
With whatever it is.

Whatever is happening.

We can.
We must.
We are
Learning
How to be
With what
Is.

Then
We
Learn
The 
Lessons.

Then
We
Grow
And
Change.

Come what may.

~~~~~
We can
We must
We are
Learning
How to be
With what
Is.

As we practice
Oh!
So 
Imperfectly,

As we practice
Attending
To 
What is.

As we learn
To partner
With the moment—

It’s just simply
EASIER.

Pain is mandatory.
That’s the gig we signed up for.
Life is painful.

Yet
Suffering?
That’s me
Fighting with the moment
Procrastinating,
Pulling,
Pushing
Away,

Wanting it to be
Different.

It is what it is.

COME WHAT MAY.

~~~~~~~~~
Come what may.

Regardless of what happens.
Regardless of what might happen.

We are equipped.
We are able.
We will find
Our way.
We are
Finding
Our
Way.
~~~

I’ve been singing this song for days now.  Where did She come from?  Probably, She (and this song is a she, I am certain) is one of the most poignant and touching songs, simple and deep, hopeful and brokenhearted longing, all in the same note.

Dear Friends, I offer this to you:

~~~
Music!  Movies!  Music and movies, what a pair.

One of the best movie soundtracks—probably one of the best movies made, I believe is The Graduate, 1967.  Its story woven together with the music of Simon and Garfunkel creates deep and unforgettable moments.

I was a freshman in college.  I remember the seat I sat in, in the Asbury Park theater.  The woman next to me?  A friend from the dorm?  Name long gone, I see her thin and pale.  

I didn’t know how to know her.

Often, I don’t.

Sitting there in that movie theater, 700 years ago in 1967, I so knew in my body Ben, the main character’s, restless angst. 

If you are one of the seven Americans who didn’t see The Graduate, here’s the simple plot—Ben, newly graduated from college, is restless and unsure of the future.  (Ya think, it was 1967.)  He is seduced by an older woman, Mrs. Robinson, and gets stuck there.  Little do we know, he will fall in love with her daughter, and the plot tumbles forward brilliantly.

This movie was of my generation.  It spoke to my, to our experience, not knowing how to fit in, wanting to, not wanting to.   Restlessness, angst, not seeing how the future had room for me, not wanting to fit into the cookie-cutter world laid out for me…all that 60s stuff.

Here is the same song again, this time from the soundtrack of the movie:

Check it out:

~~~
Dear Friends,

What’s the soundtrack of your growing up?
The soundtrack of today?

What can music bring you today?
Reach for it.
Claim it.

~~~
Thank you for everything
You have given us.

Thank you for everything
You have taken from us.

Thank you for everything
That is left,
Right here,
Right now.

And thank you for all
That awaits us.

All blessings,
Aruni

Keeping It Simple

by

Keeping It Simple

This blog post is also available on my Facebook page to make sharing it with friends and family easy for you to do.

(This blog is a retread from a few years back.
Its message and meditation speak to me today,
A beacon of a reminder in this complicated moment.)

I’ve been thinking about simplicity.
Then it got complicated!

HAAAAA.
I’m not so much talking 
About
The simplicity
Of less stuff—

Yes, of course, o
Of course.
I am.

We know that is 
Super-important
For sanity.

It is
Super-wise, 
To reduce,
To release,
To let go of stuff.

Less clutter out there,
Means
Less clutter in here,
Inside
Our
Heads.

Of course

And—
I’m also
Talking about:
Slowing down.
I’m talking about
Doing
One
Thing,

One thing
At
A
Time.
I’m talking about:
Decreasing,
Moderating,
Tapering off
Relaxing.

I’m talking about:
Turning
Away from
The
Frenzy.

Turning 
Toward
Stillness.

Turning away 
From
The
More.

Turning
Toward
The
Abundance
Of
Non-Doing.

The abundance
Of this moment
Right here,
As it is.

Realigning 
Our rhythm
Back
To the
Rhythm 
Of the day.

I’m talking about
Slowing down.

I’m talking
About
Being
Right
Here,
Right

In
This
moment.

Right here,
Right now,
With
Life
As
It
Is.
~~~

Dear Friends,
From my heart to your heart, here is a hopefully simple Meditation on Simplicity.

Listen Here

~~~
This song uplifts me.  Here it is, an oldie but goodie, It’s All Right:

~~~
Friends,

What can you do to bring simplicity into your day?
How can you make it easier, lighter, looser?

How can you make this moment
An easier, lighter, looser moment?

Through the grace
Of non-doing,
The actions 
We take
Become
Sustainable
And 
Impactful.

Rest in non-doing.
~~~
With gratitude,

All blessings,
Aruni

We’re on the Journey

by

We’re on the Journey


This blog post is also available on my Facebook page to make sharing it with friends and family easy for you to do.

Hello, dear friends.
Today, 
Just a few words.

Today,
 Just a simple blog.

Today, 
Just 
Right here
And 
Right 
Now.

That’s all.

That’s all
Life asks.

And now,
It is
Now.

~~~
If you are reading this,
I proclaim,
You are 
On the journey.

What journey, 
You might ask?

The hero’s journey?

The journey of wholeness?

The journey of recovering
Our lost selves?

The journey of healing
Yesterday’s
Wounds?

What’s
Our role?

To take
One step 
At a time,
Letting
The
Next
Step
Reveal
Itself.

~~~
Once on the journey,
There is no
Un-journey-ing.

We are on
The path.

Maybe we’re
In a ditch?

We’re in
A ditch
On
The
Path.

Maybe we’re
Taking 
The long
Super bumpy
Pothole-studded
Route?

We are taking
The pot-hole
Studded route—
On the path.

There is no
Getting off.

No matter 
Our behavior.

No matter 
Our choices.

The journey
Has been
Initiated.

It cannot
Be
Canceled
Out.

If we really
Understood
This
And
Believed
This,
How much
Different
Might
Life
Be?

~~~
Here is a guided meditation,
From my heart to yours,

On the Journey.

Please join me.

Listen Here

~~~
We are not alone.

Although we walk what appears to be a solo path, truly there are so many people around us.

Communities exist in so many layers and take so many different forms.  The community at your yoga center, the community of family, of your friends, the community of people waiting in line at the supermarket, to name a few.

Pema Chodron in Awakening Loving-Kindness says:

“Everyone who walks up to you has entered 
your sacred space,
and it’s not an accident.
Whatever comes into your space 
is there to teach you.”

Let’s stand by each other.

Here’s an oldie with a great new sound, with Clarence Bekker, Dutch musician and part of the Playing for Change collective.

~~~
Dear Friends,
Be safe.
Be well.

Let’s
Look 
For the beauty.

Let’s
Look 
For the grace.

All blessings,
Aruni

Do not be Dismayed…

by

Do not be Dismayed…


This blog post is also available on my Facebook page to make sharing it with friends and family easy for you to do.

“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. 
All things break. 
And all things can be mended. 
Not with time, as they say, but with intention. 
So go. 
Love intentionally, unconditionally. 
The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you.”

                                                                                 By lt knost
                                                                               Author, Feminist, Social Justice Activist

~~~
Or—I say today,
Be fully dismayed.

Be fully horrified
And
Terrified
And mortified.

And let that be okay.
And let that be.

Being dismayed
Seems pretty
Darn
Appropriate.

But then,
And then,
Return
To 
Breath.

And then
Return
To 
One
Step.

Just one step
One step
At a time.

Literally.

That is all life is asking.  

Return to 
Yourself.

And then,
From that place
Of breath,

Bring 
Yourself
To
The
World.
~~~
Kids—

I never had kids.
I never wanted kids.
I never was in the situation
In which kids were part of the picture.

Living as a radical lesbian separatist,
I was too-too-too, (?) busy,
Healing the patriarchy.

Living in the Kripalu ashram,
I was too-too-too (?) busy,
Becoming One with All.

Post ashram,
I was too-too-too (busy),
Catching up with life.

Now?
At 73?

I do wish I had
A big kid,
An adult kid,
To support 
Me.  

To imagine
A kid,
A big kid
My kid,
A daughter-kid
There
As an adult
To bring me
Bananas,

To figure out
The things 
That are 
Getting harder 
To figure out…

Nope.

Not this lifetime.
There is support.

But not in
That form.

~~~
________________________________________________________
Speaking of support—
The Beatles.

They supported me.

I was theirs.
They were mine.

I loved them.

They explained it
All to me.

They allowed me 
To see the edge, 
To claim the edge,
Even though
I pretty much
Lived
Smack in the middle.

I was a George-Fan.
In my heart, 
He was/is a magical man.

Ringo?  
Not so,
I never identified.

And now—thank you Dan G.,
For sending this on.

Here’s Ringo
At 81, 
Doing the work.

Doing the work
With kids.

Doing the work
With the
People
To whom
We will
Leave
Our
Broken
Planet.
~~~
Check out this short piece from Rolling Stone (September 28, 2021), before listening:

“Ringo Starr imagines a brighter future in the new video for his song, “Let’s Change the World,” the title track from his new album.

Starr crafted the video in collaboration with the nonprofit, Kids in the Spotlight, which helps foster care youth create their own short films. Per a release, the kids in the program helped conceptualize the video with Starr, and then shadowed and assisted during the actual production, helping out with directing, lighting, choreography, wardrobe, photography, and more.

“I wanted to make this video with kids because they are our future and this is for them,” Starr said in a statement. “They deserve clean water and fresh air. I believe we should leave this planet in better shape than we found it for our kids, and right now we are not doing that. Half the world is on fire and the other half is underwater. We have got to change, and I believe we can.”
~~~
And now, here’s Ringo.  Check it out.  

~~~
Here’s an oldie but goodie, telling its story through amazing visuals, the story of our children’s hope:

~~~
Dear Friends,
Indeed 
This broken world
Waits in darkness.

What might 
Your light,
Your 
Effortless
Contribution
Look like?

For me,
Today—

Simply
To offer
My silent
Namaste
To those 
Around me

In the bank 
(yes, I still 
Go to the bank),

The Here,
The There,
The Everywhere,

To come from
The 
Blessed
Namaste.

As best I can.

Namaste,
The light 
In me
Knows you
As light.

And you?
How can your light
Effortlessly
To bring 
You
To
The 
Moment?
~~~
Dear Friends,
With love and blessings,
May the highest unfold 
For all—
Aruni

~~~
How do we bring our light to the world? Let’s practice together by intentionally allowing our humanity to be the doorway to Grace. Let’s practice together during the Inner Quest Intensive and let’s practice together. Please check it out.

Information here.

Freedom & Community

by

Freedom & Community

This blog post is also available on my Facebook page to make sharing it with friends and family easy for you to do.

 

Not many words today
Seem available
To me.

Perhaps these
Two words
Might
Speak
All
We
Need?

Freedom
&
Community.

They
Communicate
Much.

First—
Freedom?

What does
That even
Mean?

Ella
Baker
Said,

“We who believe
in freedom
cannot rest.

We who believe
In freedom
Cannot rest
Until it
Comes.”

~~~
Well-said,
No?

Ella Baker?

How is it
That I
Have never
Heard of her?

Have you?

Here is a 
Powerful
Piece,

Black History
In
Two
Minutes:

~~~
This song was written from the actual words of one of Ella’s speeches, by Bernice Johnson Reagon of Sweet Honey in the Rock and sung by that magical group:

~~~

Ella’s Song
Lyrics and music by Bernice Johnson Reagon
Sung by Sweet Honey in the Rock

We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes 

Until the killing of black men, black mothers’ sons
Is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers’ sons

That which touches me most is that I had a chance to work with people
Passing on to others that which was passed on to me

To me young people come first, they have the courage where we fail
And if I can but shed some light as they carry us through the gale

The older I get the better I know that the secret of my going on
Is when the reins are in the hands of the young, who dare to run against the storm

Not needing to clutch for power, not needing the light just to shine on me
I need to be one in the number as we stand against tyranny

Struggling myself don’t mean a whole lot, I’ve come to realize
That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way my struggle survives

I’m a woman who speaks in a voice and I must be heard
At times I can be quite difficult, I’ll bow to no man’s word

We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

~~~
Here’s another word:

Community.

A
Container
of
Safety.

A
Holding
By
Like-minded,
Like-hearted
Folks.

Unconditional.
Support
For
Practice.

Yes—
But,
Here’s
The
Issue:

My community,
My communities,

My Kripalu people,
My 12 Step people,
Are all
Pretty 
Much
Like
Me.

We 
Think
Mostly
The same.

We 
Look
Mostly
The same.

How can we
Expand,

How can we
Widen

Our 
Communities
To
Include
Everybody?

This is
Indeed
The
Question
Of
The
Moment.

~~~
I offer this video about community in good faith.  It represents the impact, the influence, the support we of all species can offer one another.

This video about animals.  By no means do I intend to trivialize the deeper questions I ask about expanding our circles, opening our hearts, finding ways to connect to all people.  By no means.  The animals in this video show us so much intuitive brilliance.  I have been profoundly touched by them.  

Perhaps they have something to teach us.

~~~

Freedom
&
Community.

What do they mean to you?

Where are you met and accepted?

Might being met and accepted, 
Be another 
Definition 
Of freedom?

Do we need community
To be free?

It certainly does—
Help. 
~~~

Dear Friends, 
May we find
Freedom
In the 
Moment.

May we
Be held
In the hearts
Of others.

Be safe.
Be well.
Ride those waves.

To be continued,
One breath at a time.

All Blessings,
Aruni

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