rose

“May I share a story with you?” asked Rose. 

“Please,” smiled Omar. 

“To feel better, clean my heart, purge old fears, and improve longevity I climbed down from my tree house to donate at the blood bank. Good old A-hemoglobin. A child I will never know, meet or love in this life, suffering from cancer needed platelets more than I. 64 clicks of earth’s rotation between donations.

"Today’s the day. It’s the best recycling program on the planet.

"The irony of my calmness was compared and contrasted with a mother pacing sterile emergency rooms at Sacred Heart Hospital wondering if her child would receive necessary essential ingredients.

"A solemn-faced, distracted cardiovascular lab technician with his own particular problems, challenge’s and opportunities, said to her, “at this moment we have no matching donors. We’ve sent out a search engine to see what’s available on the market. People are selling short to cut their losses. It’s all about supply, demand, and the fear of poverty. There are indications of further interest rate cuts to stimulate consumer confidence. We have no immediate indication of a stimulus. We will keep you informed.”

The mother doesn’t appreciate this prattle from a white lab rat coat.

“I am engaged by a stimulus,” cried the mother. “It is pure sensation.”

Rose

“May I share a story with you?” asked Rose. 

“Please,” smiled Omar. 

“To feel better, clean my heart, purge old fears, and improve longevity I climbed down from my tree house to donate at the blood bank. Good old A-hemoglobin. A child I will never know, meet or love in this life, suffering from cancer needed platelets more than I. 64 clicks of earth’s rotation between donations.

"Today’s the day. It’s the best recycling program on the planet.

"The irony of my calmness was compared and contrasted with a mother pacing sterile emergency rooms at Sacred Heart Hospital wondering if her child would receive necessary essential ingredients.

"A solemn-faced, distracted cardiovascular lab technician with his own particular problems, challenge’s and opportunities, said to her, “at this moment we have no matching donors. We’ve sent out a search engine to see what’s available on the market. People are selling short to cut their losses. It’s all about supply, demand, and the fear of poverty. There are indications of further interest rate cuts to stimulate consumer confidence. We have no immediate indication of a stimulus. We will keep you informed.”

The mother doesn’t appreciate this prattle from a white lab rat coat.

“I am engaged by a stimulus,” cried the mother. “It is pure sensation.”

monkey mind

After climbing Qinchengshan mountain in western Sichuan where Taoism began 2,000 years ago he introduced meditation concepts to his Grade 8 Chinese students.

“Mediation is sitting quietly to develop a calm mind,” he said.

“You sit tall with your hands on your knees, gently lower your eyes and focus on a single breath, ‘in, out, in, out.’

“If your mind becomes distracted by past or future thoughts you bring it back to your breath, ‘in, out, in out.’ Your single point of awareness. Be your breath. Do it for yourself. Not your friends, parents or teachers. Meditation allows you feel a harmony and balance.

"You will feel more peaceful and happier than other people busy rushing around. Your goal today is just to sit for five minutes. Sit and practice for five minutes every day before school. Eventually you may want to sit for twenty minutes every day, whenever and wherever you like.”

He wrote Chinese words on the board. Jing — quiet, stillness, calm and Ding — concentration and focus - so they’d see the linguistic connection in Mandarin.

“When you begin to sit in meditation your mind will be very uncooperative. The ego or emotional mind will fight against it’s extinction by the higher forces of spiritual awareness. The ego loves the day-to-day circus of sensory entertainment and emotional turmoil. This game depletes your energy, degenerates your body and exhausts your spirit. We call the ego the monkey mind.”

They laughed.

“When your mind is calm and focused in the present it is neither reacting to past memories or preoccupied with future plans. No regrets, no fears. These are two major sources of chronic or long term health problems. People suffer because their monkey mind is busy regretting the past or afraid of the future and it drives them crazy, this little monkey. Do you want to try it?” 

“Yes.” 

“Great! No books, papers and pens. If you don’t want to try it, it’s ok. Please just sit quietly respecting others sitting in meditation. See how it feels. Let’s begin. Adjust your posture with shoulders back. Relax. Focus on your breath, ‘in, out, in, out.’ He dimmed the lights.

After five minutes he rang small Tibetan bells.

“How did it feel?” 

“Beautiful,” said a girl. “I was flying.”

Etta James 1938-2012

Her voice, loss, recovery, passion, life.

Paying her dues. Singing her blues.

"She was able to dig so deep in kind of such a raw and unguarded place when she sang, and that's the power of gospel and blues and rhythm and blues. She brought that to all those beautiful standards and rocks songs that she did.

"All the number of vast albums she recorded, she covered such a wide variety of material that brought such unique phrasing and emotional depth," said Bonnie Raitt, a close friend, in an interview on Friday afternoon after James' death.

"I think that's what appealed to people, aside from the fact that her personality on and off the stage was so huge and irrepressible. She was ribald and raunchy and dignified, classy and strong and vulnerable all at the same time, which is what us as women really relate to."

See and hear:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADDigK8LwyE&feature=related

Beg Blind

“Sorry to bother you. Maybe you’re a little sad, angry or lonely? Maybe I can help you.”

“What! Are you completely crazy as well as blind? I have no wife, no children, no parents, no friends, no home and no job. I live here hoping people will take pity on me.”

“I see. I know the feeling. I’m on my own. Maybe we could work together, be a team.”

The beggar rubbed his stubble. “Hmm. Let me think about it.”

“Take your time. Knowing our destiny there’s no hurry.”

“Really? How can you be so sure?”

“Call it a hunch.”

The beggar laughed. School kids passed them. One dropped a coin into the bowl. “Thanks kid. Good luck on your exams next week.”

“I hate school. Too much homework. It’s so boring.”

“Your attitude sucks. You sound like one of those single pampered kids I see every day. Busy, busy, busy. Get used to it or you’ll be out here with us.”

“A fate worse than death,” said the kid walking away.

“Yeah, begging isn’t a job. It’s an adventure.”