Daily Tao / 009 – Optimism

Orchard in mist
Orchard in mist

Clearing blue sky,
A promise in bare branches.
In winter, there are sunny days.
In adulthood, childhood can return.

In winter, all things appear dead or dormant. The rain and snow seem incessant, the nights long. Then one day, the sky clears to a brilliant blue. The air warms. A mist rises from the earth and the perfume of water, clay, and moss drifts through the air. Gardeners are seen preparing new stock, though they are only bare branches and a gray root ball. The people are optimistic : They know that there will be an end to the cold.

In adulthood, we often see responsibilities as something dreadful. Why should we dig the ground when the weather is disagreeable? We see activities only as obligations, and we strain against our fate. But there is a joy to working in harmony with the proper time. When we do things at just the right occasion and those efforts bear fruit later, the gratification is tremendous.

There was an old man who began an orchard upon his retirement. Everyone laughed at him. Why plant trees? They told him that he would never live to see a mature crop. Undaunted, he planted anyway, and he has seen them blossom and has eaten their fruit. We all need that type of optimism. That is the innocence and hope of childhood.

Daly Tao / 008 – Work

axe-wood

The woodcutter
Works in all seasons.
Splitting wood is both
Action and inaction.

Even when it is snowy, the woodcutter must split wood. Unless he does, he and his family will not stay warm, and those who depend upon him will not survive. But the woodcutter does not work simply on a piecemeal basis. He labors in concert with the seasons : He worked hard to store wood prior to the first cold so that he would have the luxury of merely splitting kindling now. His work seems slight in one season, because he was industrious in the previous one.

When he splits wood, he must place the log on the block and raise his axe. But he must strike the wood with the grain, and he must let the axe fall with its own weight. If he tries to chop across the grain, his effort would be wasted. If he tries to add strength to the swing of the axe, there would be no gain.

Like the woodcutter, we can all benefit from working according to seasonal circumstances. Whether it is the time or the method, true labor is half initiative and half knowing how to let things proceed on their own.

Daily Tao / 007 – Forbearance

planet-earth_ice_storm_beech_tree

Arctic breath coils the mountain,
Rattling the forests’ bones.
Raindrops cling to branches :
Jewelled adornment flung to earth.

Trees in winter lose their leaves. Some trees may even fall during storms, but most stand patiently and bear their fortune. They endure rain, snow, wind, and cold. They bear the adornment of glycerin raindrops, glimmering icicles, or crowns of snow without care. They are not concerned when such lustrous splendor is dashed to the ground. They stand, and they wait, the power of their growth apparently dormant. But inside, a burgeoning is building imperceptibly.

Theirs is the forbearance of being true to their inner natures. It is with this power that they withstand both the vicissitudes and adornment of life, for neither bad fortune nor good fortune will alter what they are. We should be the same way. We may have great fortune or bad, but we should patiently bear both. No matter what, we must always be true to our inner selves.

Sunday Morning Musings ….

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I need to get out more.

While Marck was sleeping, trying to kick a nasty bout of the flu, my roommate and I decided to run a couple of errands downtown.

After circling the block a few times trying to find parking on a late Saturday afternoon we started strolling up and down Broadway, looking at ( and in ) all of the esoteric shops that have sprung up. We found stores selling consignment mod/mid 60’s-era furniture,  a few hole-in-the-wall bars and restaurants, even a shop that looked like all it sold were glass terrariums and old toys that would have been at home with any kids born in the 50’s.

Jeremy wanted to stop in and see friends at Heaven sent Me & The Crypt ( always introducing me as “the vanilla roommate” and embarrassing the shit out of me in the process … lol ) . Then we decided to grab a slice of pizza at The Walnut Room ( don’t worry – the super-thin crust and feta/artichoke pie didn’t upset my low-carb diet too bad … ) but we had to leave right as the live music was starting because Marck’s take-out was getting cold and Jeremy had plans for a later.  We both remarked that we do have a pretty interesting  city, even in the middle of winter, and that we need to leave the inner suburb of our Lowry neighborhood and get out and explore it more this year.

That is a New Years Resolution that I can live with ….

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Daily Tao / 006 – Emerging

Seedling Emerging From Mound of Earth

Thunder and rain at night.
Growth comes with a shock.
Expression and duration
Appear in the first moment.

Things cannot remain in stillness forever. Winter storms may destroy some things, but they also prepare the way for life. If things are swept away, it is appropriate. There must be an opportunity for new living things to emerge and begin their own cycle.All growth comes with a shock. When a sprout breaks its casing and forces its way to the surface of the earth, it is the climax to a long and deep accumulation of life force. We may think that it came up suddenly, but in actuality, it emerged as the product of unseen and subtle cycles.

When the seedling appears, it carries with it the complete pattern for its growth, perhaps even the makings of an enormous tree. Although time and the right conditions are necessary, neither of those factors adds anything to the inherent nature of the seedling. It completely embodies its destiny. Therefore, the growth and character of the plant — and its very life — are all present at the moment of emerging.