Life is an album of memories (commentary)

Life is like photography; we develop from the negatives… perhaps we can not see the big picture due to over exposure from a certain experience or obstacle. When we share the photos of our inner thoughts with the world, are they negatives or full color potentials and possibilities? Developing a photograph begins in a dark […]

bonsai your life

While I enjoy all aspects of bonsai gardening, I especially love pruning. Not only does it offer a relaxing break from daily stress, but I’ve found it offers a creative outlet as I try to shape my trees into miniature art forms. As I was trimming some bonsai the other day, it occurred to me […]

3 short lessons for life

  One wintry day a Woodman was tramping home from his work when he saw something black lying on the snow. When he came closer he saw it was a Serpent to all appearance dead. But he took it up and put it in his bosom to warm while he hurried home. As soon as […]

the patience of a stone

… by Art~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A zen master and a student were sitting by a lake and silently watched nature and all its beauty when the student broke the silence by saying, “I can,t wait till this weekend. The feast of the full moon. There will be fruits, fish, laughter and there is talk of fire […]

zen giggles

The last four-day work week was long. I have always said that, “the people you work with can make or break your day.” At the unit, you end up working with different people every day. This week, one day, I worked with an individual who went through the day using humor to make it through the […]

the couragious

Recently I came across a strange situation that got me to thinking. Let me explain, I was giving a break to a co-worker. In the outer towers around the unit. (Towers around a prison called pickets) This co-worker had climbed up to the picket and I was reeling up the rope to bring up the […]

heavy

One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes. For every person we’d refuse to forgive in our life, we were told to choose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of our bags, as […]

conflict and brutal honesty

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Conflict   Little sunshine and I were coming home from town yesterday and as we got close to the house, this is what we witnessed: At the river’s edge was a large grey heron perched on a stump that was probably about 6 inches into the air. (not very tall) And beside […]

The Job (a story by Art~)

The Job … By Art~ Deep in the woods, the wise forest owl gathered the animals of the forest and announced that the stream that provided water for their little community was not enough for every creature in the woods. That when summer comes their will be nearly no water from the little stream due […]

2013 year of the ‘Hisser’

Welcome to Year of the Water Snake! Snake is the Yin to last year’s Dragon Yang. That said, Snake does not settle for mediocrity, either. We’re likely to see significant developments in the area of science and technology this year. Research and development are apt to flourish. This is a Water year as well, the […]