I am continually inspired by the life led by the Dalai Lama. Seeing his face alone is calming. I was thinking today about this book - The Wisdom of Forgiveness. It left something special with me - a vivid image that I carry to remind me of all the things that are truly important in life, the things the Dalai Lama lives every day. I'll try to capture the spirit of that special image here.

The Dalai Lama was visiting the town of Bodhgaya to pay respects to Buddhism's holiest shrine. He was there beneath the shadow of the bodhi tree, a descendent of the one the Buddha achieved enlightenment under. He and a large crowd of Tibetan monks were there to participate in the ritual of sojong - confession. The author describes in vivid detail how the Dalai Lama managed to "accordion himself" into the smallest form of what many yoga enthusiasts know as child's pose, and what the book refers to as "pure humility". Then this sentence pulled the vision together..."With his yellow patchwork robe stretched across his back, he looked like a large golden turtle amid a sea of others."

It is this image that I carry with me - reminding me of the importance of humility, confession, compassion, happiness. Many years back after hearing me talk about this, Rachel & Veronica gave me a small, brass (golden) turtle. I always keep it close by as a reminder that life if so much greater than the day-to-day things we have to deal with. As 2009 approaches and I know there will most certainly be difficult things ahead, I can remind myself through the vision of the golden turtle the teaching of the Dalai Lama - that the formula for happiness is emptiness plus compassion.

These are the things I ponder.

Superman

This weekend I saw Obama as Superman gracing the sidewalk. As I kept looking at this, I wondered what the artist was trying to say.

Is Obama a larger than life hero? Do we need a superhero to get us out of this mess?

Perhaps this artist made obvious to us what we need now - a leader who can leap tall issues in a single bound, who can repair an economy that's dropping as quickly as a speeding bullet. Then again, it actually doesn't matter what the artist was trying to say - he got my attention and isn't that what art is all about - getting our attention and causing us to think?

Perhaps if we'd been thinking more clearly in the past, we wouldn't have gotten ourselves into this mess in the first place. And our superheros wouldn't need to inhabit the Oval Office to keep our country the best place on Earth to live.

Election Night

Wouldn't you agree that Tony carved a rockin' pumpkin? We're keeping the torch burning through Tuesday night, when we have a few friends coming over over for sushi and the election results. I'm quite sure all of my friends are voting on Tuesday; however, I don't really know who everybody is voting for. I could take a guess, but don't want to assume. Half my co-workers couldn't guess who I would vote for, the other half were surprised. My comment to them was to not judge a book by it's cover. A vote is a personal thing, so I won't take any time here to bore you with my opinion. All I'll say is...vote...it's a privilege to be able to give your input about our future.

Fashion

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. At the Grand Canyon, the scenery is amazing, but even I had to look away when this lady caught my eye. Then again, I think she caught everybody's eye. Three cheers to her for making her own fashion statement and ensuring that she would not be lost in any photograph.

Sedona

I could fill this page with amazing photos from Sedona, but I'll leave it with this one. We're having a great time - so beautiful and so romantic. I think I need to sit with the experience a few more days to be able to communicate the feelings. If you're a friend on Facebook, check out the Vacation 2008 album for a few more pics.

Black Box

This is quite fascinating. Click on the Black Box and keep making choices to see where it takes you. Enjoy!

Banana Splits

Ironing is a meditation. No, really, it is. I was standing there gently pushing the wrinkles out of the cloth and simultaneously clearing the cobwebs out of my mind. Then I was free to reflect. Tony and I have been clearing out more than the cobwebs in our minds - we've been clearing out everything. We've literally been through every drawer, closet and invididual item in the house and we've purged everything that isn't either necessary, useful, or something we love having around. There is such power and freedom in letting go. And the possibilities that come out of that are endless. The space created feels like a tiny bit of heaven and a deep cleansing breath. When you go through things in your house that have been occupying the dark corners, and the open spaces, you realize how much you collect over time and how unclear you are when you focus on things. I think this was most apparent to me when I pulled from the kitchen cabinet two banana split boats. Who has those? I'm sure we bought them one summer long ago in an attempt to create a new memory for the girls and a nostalgic moment for us. Ultimately, it was about spending time as a family and focusing on the love we share. I don't really remember eating those banana splits, and I'm guessing the girls don't either. I believe that when you clear your banana split boats, you also clear your mind. It's then that creativity comes easier and quicker. And it's the creativity that turns the possibilities into realities. Now I think I'll go have some frozen yogurt.