Immune systems loop back
Attack the body they are sworn to defend

Everything is broken, broken, broken.

Why did immune response start to believe the body itself is the pathogen?

I suspect the environment. Preservatives, pollution, pesticides.
Perhaps stress-induced altered body chemistry.

What do you think?

Image from Dan Dao Fa Xuan, 1626

Light streams in through my window
A comfort, a friend
It plays across the room

Highlights a chair here
A mug there
Papers strewn

The passage of a day
Marked by its sweep

One cannot hide from its unyielding march

But comfort we may
In its warmth and beauty

Photo by Ozgu Ozden

You can frame a house or a picture.
The frame creates the boundary of the thing.
It's edges sharply defined.
House framing sets the structure. Now you can build it in.
A framed picture is ready to hang on a wall. Any wall.
You can safely carry it from place to place.

What about the frame of your thinking?
The frame sets the tone, the structure, the boundary.

Having many projects can inspire feelings of overwhelm or abundance
Depending on your frame.

It's okay to trade in your old frame for a new one.
Easy to do for a picture, Easy to do for your point of view.
It's harder to swap in a new house frame.

Photo Josh Olalde

Wandering wild places

Wandering alone or with others

Exploring, listening, breathing, moving

Open to the guide within

The old wisdom that knows the way

Grateful for the journey and the company

Photo Aaron Burden

Breathing changes during fight or flight.

Our breath becomes shallow and quick.
No chance to fully fill our lungs with energy from the air.

Air is fuel to move our body and to clear restrictions in the body's proper flow.

When things hurt it is normal to hold your breath.
But holding your breath keeps things stuck.

Instead, you must breathe into the pain and clear it out with your breath.
Qigong and gongfu both let the breath guide the body.

Thus the famous gongfu adage before a fight: "Don't forget to breathe" is wise counsel.

Our stress-filled days could use 5-minute deep breathing breaks peppered throughout them.
That's only the time needed to grab a cup of coffee.

Trust yourself.
You know the answer.

Listening to others is great and yet they often have their own agenda.
Look to their motivations.
Does self-interest drive them in some way to say what they have said to you?

Most of us are motivated by what we want and what we value.
Before changing your course of action, look at the motivations around you.
Why would he have said that to you?

And most of all, beware unasked for advice.

Photo by Angel Balashev

Phone call instills panic
Sets in motion
Rushing to store to buy instant money card
To keep the power on

As I wait in line to purchase card, I look closer at it.
What is this card?  Why would they only take this form of payment?
Fine print on card instructs it not be used to pay bills or taxes.
Then it dawns on me....
A quick web search shows the power company number is a Tucson number, not the Phoenix exchange of the call to me.
I arrange payment with the true power company.

I call the thief back and tell him I'm on to him.
I start to realize that you can pay utility bills at the customer service counter of most grocery stores.
I wait in line to tell them my story.  Apparently, it is a common story and they gave me a notice.
"If you received a phone call, email, or text message that has led you to purchasing these gift cards you may be a victim of fraud."
I will report it to the FBI today, although the scammer probably shut down the number he gave me.

How did the thieves know I owed money for my power bill?
Looking back all the signs were suspicious, but they successfully created panic. Thinking impaired.
Be careful out there. Thank heavens I paused long enough to read the card and ask my questions.
And I will continue my "don't answer numbers other than those in my contacts" rule.

Embarrassed and numb from the encounter. I feel violated. And hungry.. I was about to eat my lunch when they called. I pass this on in the hopes my sharing will help you be vigilant.

Photo by Adrian Swancar

A plane has a carrying capacity.
A number or more accurately a weight that if exceeded will cause the plane to be unsafe.

Our arms also have a carrying capacity.
We can build our muscles slowly over time to increase what they can carry.
But there is a limit.

What about our planet, Earth?
We have always viewed it as an unlimited resource ripe for our use.
It also has a carrying capacity that cannot be exceeded.

The packed cities of Europe give a clue of carrying capacity of the land.
They sent explorers to distant lands to find resources.
Settlers/pilgrims flocked to the New World with the promise of land.

They killed and enslaved those who lived here and took their land.
But the land is not infinite. Nor are Earth's resources.

Many lifting together can carry a larger load than one.
Perhaps with enough of us, we can stem the tide of resource consumption.
We can limit ourselves and act in the best interests of all.
It will require thinking of more than just ourselves.

Photo by Ian Macharia on Unsplash

The path to true healing meanders.

Twists and turns here.
Fording streams there.

Each person needs different things.
One size does not fit all.

Their path depends on many factors.
How did they get to this point?
We must unwind their path to find the injuries and repair them.

Sometimes the injury is from their ancestors.
More difficult to repair.
Not impossible.

First you must wake up from the dream.
Are you aware of the true nature of your injury?

Photo Eleanor Carter @eleanorthe

Bodies taxed by new activities
Strain to fulfill their goal.

Some work faster than others.
Speed matters if we are to learn finishing techniques.
Finishing before teachers depart.

Is it enough to learn only part of a skill?
Why start at all if you can't get to the end?

Photo and rug by Michelle Miller