The beginning happens in stillness
The void, the one
Out of the void comes two
The two becomes three
The three becomes the 10,000 things

When driving your car, you start at 0mph
It is impossible to start driving at 60mph
One you begin, you create speed and momentum
It is easier to add a little more once moving

Expecting a gradual expansion
Building, building, building
Patiently adding energy into your craft
Until it becomes the 10,000 things

Photo by Francesco Ungaro

Others can see things we cannot
In our blindness of certain aspects of ourselves
We miss the truth, the cause of suffering
We wander, lost in fog of sadness

To others, it is emblazoned on our forehead
"Stubborn, unyielding, won't listen"
Yet others cannot alter the trait that makes us suffer
We alone have the power to transform or transmute it

What a glorious power!
If we can be humble enough to ask
"What do you notice about me?"
If we can introspect about who we are
"Do I treat others the way I would like to be treated?"

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel

The foot bone's connected to the heel bone
The heel bone's connected to the ankle bone
The ankle bone's connected to the shin bone
The shin bone's connected to the knee bone
Now hear the word of the Lord

This 1927 gospel song composed by the Johnos brothers
Details the bones of the body and their connections.

The connection is in fact a joint that permits movement.
Bones articulate with other bones.
These points of connection can start to become stuck.
Damaged joints restrict free and easy movement.

Breaking through the restrictions is a process but possible.
Connections can be restored once the flow of nourishing fluids to a joint is reestablished

Perched there
Waiting
Just around the corner

The next big idea
Your new best friend
Something that will change your life

You cannot see it
It's form may deceive
Gold cloaked in the guise of defeat

Hard to anticipate what we cannot see
Stumbling upon a gem
That might require a bit of digging

Photo by Markus Spiske

Born with little muscular control
Babies start waving their arms and legs
Building muscle one kick at a time

When they are strong enough
They will crawl
Then toddle
Then run

Old age forces us to slow down
Maybe to a crawl
If we don't use our muscles,
We lose them

Being mobile is a gift
One worth fighting for

Photo by Picsea

Excuses
Complaints
Caveats

Yes, but....
I could, if only....
They won't let me

Easy to find reasons not to try
And yet what if you just do it?

Like turning on a light,
You just decide

The light is on or it is off
You are committed or you aren't

Photo by Vladimir Fedotov

Put your shoulder to the wheel
Push along

A pioneer song
About piling everything you own into a wagon
And making your way across wild country

Pitting yourself against the elements
Mustering your all your strength and courage
And then pushing some more

With faith that the destination itself
Will provide you opportunities
For a life denied you in "civilization."

My pioneer foremothers and forefathers were tough people
They buried children, wives, and husbands along the way
And yet they persisted with faith, courage, and strength

It helps me to remember them
When the going gets tough

Photo by Jon Toney

The art of teaching demands silence

It is so tempting to point out each misstep
As they make it

And yet, utterly demoralizing for the student

You must let them flounder
Flounder and find their way
Standing in your absolute conviction they can get it

It seems so simple to just give them the answer
But that would side-step the learning process

Imagine the confidence they will have in themselves when they get it right all by themselves

Making things easy for our student never helps them
And making things too hard is also destructive

When to step in and when to be silent
That's art

Photo by Gez Xavier Mansfield

He dodges left
He feints right
Swiftly adjusting to the course
Avoiding the obstacles in his path

He spins
Turns on a dime
And changes direction

He makes his way
Over the obstacle
One handhold at a time

Photo by Mark McGregor

When I want to change my behavior, I keep a daily checklist.

I love to see the row of checks beside the thing I am trying to bring into my life.

It feels like a win.

I have many such changes I track.

And when I get enough of them in one day, I give myself a gold star.

Funny how the little things are such great motivators.

What do you do?

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters