Soul Magnet

He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how. – Nietzsche My earliest memory is lying on my back in my baby crib, with no separation between my self and the world. Attracted by the three primary colors of red, yellow and blue, I wordlessly watched the gently swaying bird mobile …

Time’s Bittersweet Inevitability

And Gandalf said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”. – J.R.R. Tolkien For Christmas I had wanted to give my three wonderful children a gift that only I could give them – my memories of their childhood. For years, I have safeguarded two videotapes of …

Soaring Eagle Spirit

Powerful winds were blowing this morning here on the Pacific Northwest coast. As I walked onto the beach I glanced up to see this majestic eagle gliding gracefully above me. I think of my departed World War Two veteran Dad whenever I see an eagle on the beach. The day he died, I went to …

On Frozen Sands

In a world where death is the hunter, my friend, there is no time for regrets or doubts. There is only time for decisions. – Carlos Castaneda Winter’s biting winds blur the fine line between life and death. Just like life, no matter how bundled up against the unexpected we may be, an unexpected chill …

Be a Messenger of Peace

To you, all my cousins around the world ‘Tis the season to embrace peace Peace in the heart Peace in the mind Peace in the spirit Peace in the world Fill your homes with joyous song and laughter Cherish the lives of your dear ones Pledge to them your unconditional love Do not hesitate Do …

Express Gratitude and Grace

Throughout this life, you can never be certain of living long enough to take another breath. – Zen Master HuangBo This is my Four Hundredth Post – 400!!! I started this blog to rekindle long-smoldering artful fires, and to hurl positive thunderbolts into the gaping void of antagonism and mistrust roiling the world. We all …

Art and Imperfection

Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern. – Alfred North Whitehead Two mighty sentinel walnut trees guard the front yard of my childhood home. One tree is straight as a telephone pole. The other tree’s trunk bends about ten feet off the ground. One …

20 Ways to Increase Happiness

My wife and I were apart for eight months during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. She was in China, having returned for her father’s funeral, and I was here in the US. After the horrible winter, I began preparing our garden to put my mind at ease. I wanted to do something special for …

Mountain and Moon Fairy Tale

Today is the romantic Mid-Autumn Day moon festival. When I was a managing editor in China, I had to write a large percent of the new content for the monthly magazine and weekly newspaper. The city of Hangzhou is world famous for its Mid-Autumn Day celebration. One year I wrote a well received fairy tale …

The Tao of Now

Your hand can seize today, but not tomorrow; and thoughts of your tomorrow are nothing but desire. Don’t waste this breath, if your heart isn’t crazy, since “the rest of your life” won’t last forever. – Omar Khayyám This moment will never come again because it never disappears. We live in an ever-unfolding present. With …