Song of the Day: Be Here Now

"Be Here Now," by Mason Jennings, is one of my favorite songs; it's one of those songs that you can play whether the day is going well or not—the message that is always relevant and inspiring.

Whatever life is presenting you with, can you be present in the moment? When life starts moving too quickly, when the day gets overwhelming, what else can you do but take each moment as it comes, and share it with those around you.

"This whole world keeps changing, come change with me."

What is enough?

For me, it's the question of achievement. For others it's food, possessions, money, etc.

How much do we need before we can be happy?

The Princess and the Pea, by Heather Ross

For me, I need to know that my gifts and talents are being used to their fullest, to bring joy to the world.

Touching the Earth

A while back, I listed to Touching the Earth, by Thich Nhat Hahn with Sister Chan Khong. It was a beautiful experience.

What I love is something as simple as bowing and touching your head to the earth can be very transformative, because you invite the transformation that occurs within the earth, from death to life, into your own heart.

New Mexico Triptych, by Frank McColloch

In Chanting from the Heart, Thich Nhat Hahn says that touching the earth "helps us return to the Earth or our roots, and to recognize that we are not alone but connected to a whole stream of spiritual and blood ancestors." By touching the earth, you "breathe in all the strength and stability of the Earth, and breathe out to release your clinging to any suffering."

Love for the Darkness

Towards the forest II, Edvard Munch

"I love the dark hours of my being
in which my senses drop into the deep.
I have found in them, as in old letters,
my private life, that is already lived through,
and become wide and powerful now, like legends.
Then I know that there is room in me
for a second huge and timeless life."
     —Rainer Maria Rilke, from A Book for the Hours in Prayer, trans. Robert Bly


Sometimes dark hours literally come in the dark of night, but being a night owl, I find those hours can be really productive if I use them gently and quietly.

Singing Joy without Words

Sometimes, happiness just can't be put into words. When I listen to this song, I think I hear the words, "beauty," "heart," and "when you keep..." But the melody itself conveys so much meaning beyond those individual words. I hear encouragement to live a magical life.

I love that the video ends with lovers floating over a river, with the moon's reflection. What a beautiful image for going beyond words and logic . . . Is there any other way that we can fully experience the joy of living?

Living in the Stream of History

Pshan-Shaw, Sweet-Scented Grass, by George Catlin

“That’s what history is… women writing letters, old men telling stories. Young women dying. New lives, new places. . . . You can’t choose the times you live in. You can only try to change them a little bit.”

    —Levi Zendt, from the miniseries production of Jame's Michener's Centennial

Each period of history has its own challenges. Its seems like some of ours include holding civil conversation, being willing to compromise, living within the planet's needs. . .

What types of change do you want to see? How can you be that change?

Love is Art

Marguerite Gachet in the Garden by Van Gogh

"There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people."

    —Vincent Van Gogh, letter 538