Living the Life Imagined
“Hope is a decision. It is the most important decision we can make. Hope changes everything, starting with our lives. Hope is the force that enables us to take action to make our dreams come true. It has the power to change winter into summer, barrenness to creativity, agony to joy. As long as we have hope, there is nothing we cannot achieve. When we possess the treasure of hope, we can draw forth our inner potential and strength.” – Daisaku Ikeda
Educator and Storyteller
“In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.”
Lee Iacocca
“We are all at once both a composition and a composer. We have the ability not only to compose the future of our own lives, but to help compose the future of everyone around us and the communities in which we live.”
Maya Angelou
Writer
Stories
Each of us writes the script of our lives. These stories, be they wonderful or terrible, agonizing or joyful, are what we have done when life throws us challenges. We are the authors composing, maybe not what happens to us, but how we experience what happens to us, and what we do with our lives. When you have a good story, it deserves to be told.
Click on the cat eye to read some of my stories.
“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”
The Tao Te Ching
“Change poison into medicine.”
“On Attaining Buddhahood in One’s Present Form” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin – Volume 2, 585-86
The Flexie
1957
This Flexie was varnished pine, with metal wheels like the kind on roller skates. Roller skates in the 50’s were strap-on, fitting over shoes like a brace, making Mona walk like she had polio before she got the knack of sliding on the clanking steel wheels. Flexies had roller skate wheels and handles at the head for steering. To stop or slow down, the passengers had to lower their legs and drag their feet on the sidewalk. It was stupendously unsafe. That element of serious danger should things go wrong made it especially attractive.
<— To read more click on the cat eye.
Creative
“Always leave enough time in your life to do something that makes you happy, satisfied, even joyous. That has more of an effect on… well-being than any other single factor.”
Paul Hawken
Artist
A gallery of paintings and illustrations.
Events
The Golden Gate Bridge and other visions made manifest.
Food Art
They taste good, too.
Contra Dance Caller
Dance
Call the right dance for the people in front of you.
Seth Tepler
Emanate joy.
Seth Tepler
Blog
Reflections
- Dog DaysI like animals so much more than people. I don’t remember people’s names, but I remember their dogs. I remember the dog’s names, what kind of treats they like, what toys they like to play with. If I don’t see you with your dog, I have a really hard time placing who you are. ThisContinue reading “Dog Days”
- The TideOctober 19, 2019 The windows are open to let in fresh air. We can hear the waves crash onto the shore. We have seen the big swells ride onto the beach, witnessed the explosion of white water descending on the sands. So we imagine what is happening as the distant roar of the ocean driftsContinue reading “The Tide”
- The JawsSeptember 12, 2019 Paul shares the joy of early morning with this reluctant night owl. “There’s a spiderweb.” He pulls me to the sliding door with the brisk air beckoning in the garden. There is a rainbow in the tree, an orb spider has cast a web to catch the sun. It glitters in crystallineContinue reading “The Jaws”
Bowen
All dances have to be worth doing.
Regardless of what you want to accomplish,
every move has to be worth it.
Kalia Kliban
Bowen Lyam Lee 