Easily Amazed

i’m slowly creeping back into the rhythm of blogging… bear with me, please!

a sharing at the oslist from alan stewart

On patience with one’s gradual growth … respecting the rhythm of the spirit

I remembered one morning when I discovered a cocoon in the bark of a tree,
just as the butterfly was making a hole in its case and preparing to come
out. I waited a while but it was too long appearing and I was impatient.

I bent over it a breathed on it to warm it. I warmed it as quickly as I
could and the miracle began to happen before my eyes, faster than life. The
case opened, the butterfly started slowly crawling out and I shall never
forget my horror when I saw how its wings were folded back and crumpled.
The wretched butterfly tried with its whole trembling body to unfold them.

Bending over it, I tried to help it with my breath. In vain. It needed to
be hatched out patiently and the unfolding of the wings should be a gradual
process in the sun. Now it was too late. My breath had forced the
butterfly to appear, all crumpled before its time. It struggled desperately
and, a few seconds later, died in the palm of my hand.

That little body is, I do believe, the greatest weight I have on my
conscience. For I realise that it is a mortal sin to violate the great laws
of nature. We should not hurry, we should not be impatient, but we should
confidently obey the eternal rhythm.

I sat on a rock to absorb this New Year’s thought. Ah, if only that little
butterfly could always flutter before me to show me the way.

(Zorba the Greek)

wishing each of us patience in opening our cacoons, spreading our wings, and listening to the eternal rhythm. what flavor does your gradual growth have right now?

i got to reconnect with my friend nick palermo at the pie throwing party the other night… please read this truly inspirational dream of his. one theme in his dream sums up my aims at easily amazed pretty succintly, “just examining the sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful world, looking for truth and lessons.”

my dreams last night were filled with pie-throwing messiness. Then we kind of paraded through the streets all messy. It was weird (it *was* a dream) and fun. Then there was this really strange part of the dream, and I thought it was so brilliant from the moment I saw it…

So as we paraded down the street in some unknown dream-neighborhood, I witnessed some thug using a blade to jimmy open the door at, of all places, a public school. Not sure what kind of school it was, elementary, middle, or high. I thought, “what a rat, would break into a school.” A couple of us approached the door to see what was going on in there. Instead of cleaning the place out, people (children, teenagers, adults) were gathered around in an auditorium kind of room, LEARNING! Some of the teenage kids were giving a very nicely designed and really high-tech presentation, complete with one of those fancy projectors hooked to a computer. So I asked someone what was going on. The person explained to me that this movement had formed where people would hold this kind of rogue class in public schools on weekends and vacation days. They all broke into the school, used the resources (like the projector and what not), and taught the kids how to teach each other using technology that they’d have to use later in life but that maybe wouldn’t be part of a normal class.

Furthermore, and here’s the kicker, the stuff they were teaching/learning/studying was *totally* out of the mainstream. Like the presentation that was going on when I walked in was some kind of behind the scenes of the civil rights movement – stuff they’d never teach in a regular class. You know, the public school version is just a couple “heros,” Rosa Parks and MLK, and they led everyone to equality. Well this version was more in depth, complete with militants on both sides of the issue, extensive controversy and disagreement, etc., way too complex and two-sided (not just a good guys/bad guys story) for public school kids. So while there’s no civil rights movement in the part I’ve read so far, I think this idea comes from a book I have and have partially read called “Lies My Teacher Told Me.” But at the rogue school, they were just examining the sometimes ugly, sometimes beautiful world, looking for truth and lessons. It was like a school where Noam Chomsky is principal. It was an interesting end to a night full of crazy dreams.

so nick, when do you start teaching? or at least keep feeding us with such great ideas as this one!

on the oslist, karen gorrin writes about the rewards that come from acknowledging and honoring intense emotions that we feel:

I find that the “gasp-lack of oxygen” feeling can be a fear response that arises when powerful, unfamiliar, or uncomfortable emotions catch people by surprise. Often, just the act of naming the emotion, and normalizing it’s existence, makes room (and makes it “okay”) for people to relax their defensives, own their experience, and return to their breath and the present moment.

as the individuals in the group “own” their experience, there will be less “un-owned stuff” swirling about the group and causing havoc on others. Through the acts of noticing and naming, we allow ourselves to be present with what’s happening, while also remaining non-attached.

don’t you find it fascinating how many ways of distracting ourselves we find, how often we’d rather just run away from or ignore a very real and alive experience that is swirling around inside of us (screaming for attention), instead of just noticing and naming it… “maybe if I don’t look at it, it will go away!”

this morning I noticed myself running in circles around anxious feelings. spinning thoughts inside my head were overwhelming and annoying me as they looped over and over again upon themselves. in such places i find it difficult to relax and focus, my whole being feels heavy and detached, tight masses contract within me. I’m distracted from the open place of flowing… of just being and accepting what is.

being in this place this morning, however, gave me the opportunity to reflect upon the specialness of the gift of frozen words, in the form of a letter, email, voicemail, quote, internet posting, etc. Such expressions have a burning accountability quality to them. There is nowhere to run and hide from sweet grounded words that are shared with love and genuineness. They bring me spinning into alignment. They help me find my center. They embrace me with warmth and support. i feel so blessed and grateful for opportunities to share such attention with others… it’s such powerful medicine for me when i receive it and it’s such joy to give it.

one friend and mentor close to my heart taught me about angel kisses. for me, an angel kiss usually lands ever-so-gently upon my forehead, just between my eye brows. it’s a tingly feeling of peace, ease, love, joy, bliss and it sprinkles throughout my being. i feel the spirit of the kiss glide through my body, loving and caressing every part of me, creating more space inside of me, making more room inside body. i feel freer, lighter, like i must be glowing a little bit, like surely others around me can see this kiss sliding through me and healing me. angel kisses are definitely among my favorite types of medicine.

one of the delightful things about an angel kiss is that sometimes we give them without knowing. a few kind words shared with another can unintentionally or intentionally be graced with perfect timing. oh… there are so many ways to share an angel kiss with another… can you think of times in which you’ve received an angel kiss? can you think of ways that you share angel kisses?

another little disclosure about myself. sometimes people i know dance and play with one another in the parties inside of my head! another friend and mentor close to my heart sent me these words in an email which immediately made me think about angel kisses. i love the life that flourishes through the mixing of these two inspiring people… the gifts and inspiration that are shared with the world.

with regards to your request about what to watch at the Olympics…watch the obscure events, the ones you’ve never heard of. Then when you see someone do well, Google them with “email” in the search term and send them a note saying how much you enjoyed watching them live their dream of performing trampoline, or synchronized diving or handball in front of the world.