K.

Questions

What straight and simple, forthcoming and obvious?

What’s complicated and curvy, saturated and developed?

What’s rigid and cold, crusty and violent?

What’s friendly and welcoming, charismatic and upfront?

What’s impossible, overused, unwilling and destructive?

What’s common and specific,
fundamental and popular?

L.

Happiness

The purpose of life is to be happy. Seems plain, simple and easy enough! So let’s not complicate what is simple. There we have it.

Well, what makes you happy?

Fulfilling a purpose?

What are the things you do that give purpose? Think of the special unique traits and talents that make you you. What can you offer with those things?

What are you good at? What fields line up with those skills and abilities?

Now think of a time you felt fully present and positive. What were you doing? What components created that happiness or contentment.

Now let’s put it altogether and...

Voila! Happiness.

So, as simple as it’s meant to be, I think we need to stay inside the realm of who we are. Stop trying to reach outside the box, change who we are or think we need to learn more about this or do this or become that.

Quite the contrary.

Everything is always there in place within you. Pull from that source and happiness will meet you there.

M.

The Cave

You are dreaming and in your dream you wake up. You are in your bed but your bed is outside in a snow-covered pasture. You can’t see the sun but the daylight is illuminating through the sheet of clouds filling the entire sky. You are dressed for the occasion so you get up and out to explore your surroundings.

Off in the distance, you notice some sort of structure so you head int hat direction. Eventually, you come upon a cave. It’s peaking out from the snow and carries on into the underground. There is a glow from inside.

You decide to enter. After all, there is nothing else around in sight.

As you begin, the cave opens with a narrow hall. There are words carved on either sides. Affirmations that strongly apply to you here and now.

What are they?

The hall begins to open and there are little ledges around the cave, each holding a candle and a book. Out of curiosity you check all the titles and again, they are books that describe you and your journey. What are they? Maybe books you’ve read, want to read or want to find exist.

You continue on in search of the glow that is softly illumination the entire cave, just enough to make it feel safe and ambient while remaining peaceful yet slightly eerie. That’s where adventure comes in!

You make it to the end of the cave and there is a giant book with an old fashioned ink and feather pen. Others have filled the pages prior and there is one page left. Your name is already written at the top with the instructions, “Write your peace.”

What do you have to say?

To the left is a ladder to assist your way back up and out of the cave, and you can see your bed from here. You begin the ascent and when you arrive at the exit, you are not only back in your bed, but in your room, inside your home.

N.

You have left town. MIA to everyone. A true escape. You spun the globe and landed on a far off destination, headed to the airport and off you went, trusting that the universe, most certainly, has your back!

In this far off place, you immediately settle in, adding personal tidbits and touches to your surroundings and home for the next -x- amount of days.

You decide!

Time goes by and you begin to slow down and settle into the pace of each minute passing, elongating the days to your disposal.

And just then, a bird soars by and drops a hand written letter from yourself. You open it and there lies some words of wisdom while you’re astray. What could you possibly need to hear or remember for this time out there alone?

You decide!

You begin to fill each day with a theme. A theme being one thing to focus on each day. A project, a hobby, a thought, an exercise...

You decide!

How many themes you can come up with of interest to you, and that number will dictate the length of your time out there on this trip.

What are the themes you have chosen?

Imagine each day with each theme and how it will play out. What will you accomplish by it? How will it benefit you?

The time has come for you to pack and up and return to your daily operations. You have acquired a rich memory indeed, composed with all the elements needed to rebuild, reset or add to your foundation. What a nice gift you have given yourself.

O.

Define yourself in 3 words:

One that got you through your past.

One that’s getting you through the present.

And one that will get you through your future.

Some of us change, but maybe the same word can apply in all phases.

Ultimately, we stay the same!

P.

Farmers Market to You!

I’m en route to meet you for a tasty delectable meal.

On my way I peruse the outdoor
market, picking up these items with you in mind.

1 fruit-_____________
1 vegetable-_______
1 protein-__________
1 grain-____________
1 sauce-___________
1 desert-___________

Fill in the blanks!

😋

O.

Let’s take a walk to “Stop and smell the roses”!

We begin on a paved pathway, but decide to veer off onto a deer trail to the left. The trail is narrow with brush all around, yet just up ahead we can see ferns and yellow flowers peeking up and over. As we pass by, we breathe in honeysuckle paired with a rich, herbed aroma. The deer trail splits into two. We take a right, leading right into a field of lavender. Lets lie down for an intermittent nap! As we wake and rise, we continue on as the breeze kicks in, carrying whiffs of roses our way. We follow our noses, bringing us to a quaint and colorful rose garden. One by one, we test each scent, excited for the next, while declaring our favorites. The path comes to an end, so we hop over to an adjacent path on the left, guiding us into an ancient eucalyptus grove. Deep breaths here! Butterflies have made their temporary homes here so we stay awhile and watch them fluttering about while others cling to the branches, disguising themselves as leaves. As we navigate through the trunks, we crunch the leaves paving the path, heightening the smell of the eucalyptus that points us in the direction of another grove! This time, a young redwood grove. Thin stocks of redwood spring up all around, creating a maze beneath our feet. We squiggle around the maze, visiting each tree, laced with an abundant smell of bark, reminiscent of early childhood camping trips. It’s now getting later on into the evening. The clouds are covering the sky and the sun is hiding while setting. Just then, we smell a bonfire faintly off into the distance. Surely, we head in that direction, in search of that smokey smell. And, when we reach it, we end our stroll and plant ourselves there for hours!

(The life I’ve lived and continue to do so. ☺️)

P.

Duality! 🤗

Snow flakes are falling over head as you soak in a natural hot spring, surround by bluffs of powdery snow, spending time catching snowflakes on your tongue.

Wind is howling and the breeze is fierce as your toes defrost alongside a crackling fire, while you roast marshmallows on a stick fallen from a nearby tree.

Chatter surrounds you as the crowd bustles around, while you close your eyes and breathe in slowly, not allowing any noise to disrupt your silence.

Duality. It’s always there! Look for the silver lining. Obstacles are opportunities. Look for the solution or opportunity presenting a solution. If anything, go there in your mind! Research shows that you can trick your mind that it’s really happening. So, use that power for good not harm, as both are possible.

Breathe Is ALWAYS the a catalyst for answers. If yoga seems hard, go there and focus mainly on the breathing! That will connect you to the spirit.

Black white
Hot cold
Sun moon
Sad happy

Cannot have one without the other!

Embrace it all~~~~~

Q.

You head downstairs into a basement looking for something you forgot behind. And there is a table off to the far right of the basement, with one chair pushed in and a candle that’s lit, illuminating the small area around it. It is strikingly silent! You can’t remember what you came down here for, so you walk towards the table without pausing to question doing so. You watch the flame for a moment. Then, the door slams shut behind you. It’s pitch black aside for the candle that surely must keep burning now!

Do you walk around, searching for answers? What did I come here for? Why did the door slam? Why is this candle burning? Is somebody in here?

Or, do you stay near the light, afraid to move? Waiting to hear a noise, or for someone or something to appear?

There’s really no need to be afraid. You see, the door has a rusty latch and you assume that’s the issue in this case.
So, you decide to stay, not bothering to spend any fuss reopening it. Instead, you pull out the chair and have yourself a seat. You continue to fixate your eyes upon the candle and let all the actions of the day leave your mind and drift away. What you allow to enter your mind now is all the things you push out of your mind when you’re working, or distracted, or flat-out ignoring. As each particular circumstance enters, you scan it briefly, noticing the key bullet points. Then, you make observations to what has happened or been done about it, and what is happening with it now. Automatically, you want to envision where it will lead, and that is good! But come back to where it is, and assess the thought or action that needs attention now, to get to where you envision it. That, or THIS, is the present moment! The present time is all you have any control over. Thoughts become actions. And you can control those. And you can control your response to each thought.

So, now, let’s now move on to the next one.

And the next.

And, perhaps, the next.

Now, blow out the candle and lead your way back up the stairs, and push that rusty-old, basement door back open, and get on with your day!

R.

You look up just in front of you and there stands out a ridge of a tall hill. You pack just a few essentials.

What are they? Food? Water? Book? Pen and paper? Music? Nothing?

For me, I’m not bringing much. I just want to make it to the top of that hill to see the view, and breathe in the fresh air after conquering a steep climb.

Once I arrive, I catch my breath while panning my surroundings. I test the ground, as to not have a muddy behind, and take a seat facing out towards the horizon. I settle right there, in that space, with the horizon as my direction or future, the climb my past and the top of the hill, the present! In a way, I could say the past was tough, and that climb tiring, the future looks bright but a ways a way, but the here and now, on this hill, is quite divine. It’s just me and nature and God or what have you. And I am safe. I have all the resources I need to get me through the quest I’m in now. So I don’t worry. I just trust.

I notice a thick piece of cardboard off to the side. Wondering how it made its way up, I pick it up and not only carry it back with me, but let’s use this to our advantage. And slide back down that steep hillside slope.

And so I do.

I pass ferns, sprouting flowers from weeds, manzanita and chaparral trees, while focusing to keep on the path! All those things can be distractions or assets, but let’s stay focus, as not to lose momentum! Then I will arrive sooner than later. And that usually is a good thing in my book.

Alas! I’m at the bottom of the hill. I can no longer see the horizon, the future! But, I can see the top of the hill, which is, or was the present. So, that’s what remains. And so, I keep vigilant in my thoughts.

S.

Might we take the River Trail. When possible, I always do.

Along the river trail, you can tune into the sounds of nature all around you, and the flowing water provides a surround sound effect, amplifying all other sounds that carry with water.

The ground is dampened with soggy leaves that have fallen some time ago. The trees are dressed in saturated, fuzzy moss, providing an electric green winter coat.

Bugs are flying over the water, skimming the surface as you can see their tiny legs meeting the tip of the water and their shadows reflecting from it.

Birds chirp at deferent tones, speeds, and intervals. Leaves rustle as they fly off suddenly, leaving their branches behind.

Dew drops form on icy blue colored leaves, sporadic all over the ground. You notice bigger drops, forming at the base of the leaves, still fastened to the twigs on the trees, both awaiting their turn to drop.

You hear the rapids to left left, notice the ones to the right and become aware of the ones right before you.

Just then you’re reminded to breathe deeply.

A chill sets in after the sun has left the peak some time ago, and darker and darker the forest becomes. You notice that your eyes have attuned to your surrounds, after realizing how dim it has become, indeed. You question using your flash light on the route back home, but trust that your eyes will adjust with time. You begin on the road back, calmly and quietly, matching the rhythm of your step along with your breath.

T.

In my dream I meet you, and in your dream you meet me, out in the astral world. We are out in space, floating without any gravitational pull. We notice the planets orbiting, we watch the earth rotating, we see the sun in his stillness and the moon with her grace. Stars are shooting left and right, so we hop aboard for the ride and it leads us to a planet. Which one?

It is crawling with a unique type of animal, never seen or heard of to man. Can you describe this animal?

One brings a gift box to us, unopened, fastened with a shiny bow. What color? How big is the box?

We open it with curiosity. Something that we need and can use at this very moment.

He then points us in a direction. North, South, East or West?

We begin running and eventually we are running so fast that we see our feet lifting below us, running into outer space. Everything illuminates around us and the sky is filled with unusual objects. What are they?

We watch colors come and go, and hear sounds fade in and out. All is still, until a gust of wind sneaks up and swirls around our bodies, coiling around us. We can’t see anything for a few moments. Then, it begins to disperse and we are again on solid ground, but where now?

We see a door floating in space. This time we decide to fly, and as we approach the door, we feel an immense heat coming from inside, deterring us to enter. Why? What is behind that door?

We will just have to come back another time when the heat subsides or perhaps the door is open.

So, where to now? I see a planet filled with water, another air, another fire and another soil. We can choose any of them and have the power to sustain their energies. So, which do we choose and what do we do within that element, and how does it feel?

We take deep breaths together, in and out, and on the seventh time breathing in, we wake up back in our own beds, letting out the breath.

U.

You are to shelter in place for the rest of 2020. You cannot leave your house and food and basic necessities will be delivered to you. You get to choose one person, one project, one book, one movie, an animal and a new hobby to learn.

Who and what are they?

V.

You are handed two boxes, one in each hand.

One box is filled with the life you have been living. The life you believe you are working towards. The “Keep on keepin’ on” box. Keep working/trying/creating...

The other box, in the other hand, in the “Mystery box.” The unknown, full
of surprises. You have no idea what’s inside or in-store.

You can’t have both. What do you choose?

W. TBA

X.

You are instructed to write a book. You have six months to write it. You are granted an artist in residency of your choice.

Where do you go?

You choose to write a biography and can only highlight five events/experiences in your life that make up the person you are today.

What are they?

The final chapter is the one you haven’t lived yet. The final event/experience that also made the cut. And you have to decide now what that will be then plan to see it through.

What is that last chapter called?

Y. (2 more 2 go then I make my book.)