tao1776

Xiao Chu is the dark silence of a calm soul, the place where wei wu wei originates. Here lives a natural responsibility to do what is right, trusting the path of non-action and the power of clinging to the truth. Being content with the small gains achieved. Modestly accepting the slow way in which nature works gives others the space to discover where their path lies, and their self-interest in following it. If there is doubt in oneself, it will be subconsciously perceived by others, inhibiting our having a good effect. ....This is the council offered me via the I Ching. It is the way of Tai Chi. Not the slow moving set of steps but what the steps represent. When my focus is on my practice (Tao and Zen) and not on the difficult life situations and world issues, Xiao Chu is where I stand. It is the centered Tai Chi stance. Knowing how to respond to any situation as the situation presents itself. Advance, retreat, stand still. Not being caught up in worry about things beyond the prese...

As a kid I used to daydream about being struck by lightening. After recovery, I noticed lumps beginning to grow just below each arm. Shortly thereafter, I had a second set of arms. I was a boy with four arms, equal in strength and dexterity. It gave me the advantage to protect and defend. With my added strength, I could be the hero in every situation, defending the weak and strongly defending any just cause. I did not get hit by lightening nor grow four arms, but my desire to be the hero and defend the weak and any just cause did grow deep within me. There have been a few times that I have faced insurmountable odds to defend or protect. There are times now, where I face agreat deal of frustration and angst because those that need defending and all those just causes are not so clear anymore. Any policeman can tell you stories of rescuing a damsel in distress in a domestic disturbance call only to be attacked by her when the cuffs are put on the male householder. It's the worst kin...

This is Mattie. Her second birthday. It's funny how much effort goes into planning a perfect party. It's funny how a long hard rain can sneak up and seemingly ruin it all. It's funny that the kids had the best time of their lives. Running through the rain, jumping in puddles, getting soaking wet. A grand success! 

My other grandaughter's first taste of butter cream icing from the cake...... 

My Grandson wanted to look fashionable 

It was an exhausting event for kids and dogs! 

Everyone has an opinion on everything. Including me. I have less an opinion on things than I used to. Sounds kind of boring of me, doesn't it? But it is hard to hold fast to solid opinions on things. Everything changes. Yesterday's enemy is today's ally. I recall members of the GOP helping Saddam Hussein celebrate a birthday. Everybody was happy. Great friends! Then a year or so later, after he invaded Kuwait, he was as evil as Hitler. Vietnam is doing so well economically, we are now pushing to have them added to the world trade union. I used to love baseball. Many players associated with a team would spend their careers with just a few teams. Sometimes, with just one. Now, we say we love the "---------" and the players shift around the leagues like in a game of musical chairs. What do we love? The name of the team? The mascot? The logo? The evershifting team personality and management? Now it's a chase for the big money for all involved. The game has gone fr...

Have you ever been so sick that the only thing you can do is endure? It has been my lot in life to experience this level of sickness and/or pain several times over. I've never recovered financially from the first go round. (19 Yrs ago) It took a very long time to come to a place where my immunity was high enough that I didn't get every little bug that was passing by. It took a long time to get me to a place of little pain medication. I used to joke, "Pain is my friend. Pain is my teacher." In truth, it wasn't a joke but my Mantra. I learned a great deal about the mind, stress, conditioning. I learned about how people can have a "pay off" when it comes to being sick. I have discovered how someone can work somewhere in quiet desperation and get injured on the job, only to subconsciously welcome it, not knowing that it can set up a dangerous pattern that can lengthen and prolong the injury. At times it can worsen it. For the last several days I have been ve...

In 1986 I developed Adult Onset Asthma due to overexposure to Isocyanates. It left me coughing to the point of strained muscles and a mouthful of bloody sputum. I also had pruritic bumps up and down my arms and liver damage. Lying or sitting did little to reduce the difficulty to breathe. I was prescribed an inhaler and used it often. It took about five years but I was able to wean myself away from the inhaler and only had difficulty when I laughed hard. You know, it only hurts when I laugh...well, for the last year, I have had to restart taking the inhaler. The breath is something we are almost unaware of until you have to struggle for it. THE SANSKRIT WORD PRANA MEANS wind and soul as well as breath, and the connection of soul and breath hints at the close connection between mind, body, and spirit in Hindu philosophy. Yoga, developed by ancient Hindu philosophers as a spiritual discipline, uses control of breathing to enhance meditation. Traditional Indian medicine taught patients th...

I once knew a traveling Evangelist who produced a radio program that was broadcast each week from an a.m. station out of the Seattle area. Many of the faithful who were seeking the wisdom of God within their radios, tuned in to hear of the "Wonders of God." As the Evangelist would travel about, the weekly broadcasts were taped and sent by mail to the station. One such listener heard that the Evangelist was going to be at a church in northern Idaho and she proceeded to make plans to go. Meanwhile....within the church, where the evangelist was scheduled to preach, the pastor and his wife had spoken often of an old, white haired lady, that had been a blessing to them. Unfortunately, this lady was absent on the night of the Evangelist's visit. The Evangelist did not know this and mistakenly "laid hands" on the faithful listener from Seattle and prophesied that God was well pleased with her good works and that he wanted her to act as a mother to these two young pasto...

A rather fruitful weekend....won a trophy for "Best Cruiser" at the car show. Picked by the Veterans Outreach Center sponsers. AND.....bought a $1 raffle ticket to support Ahisma Haven, an animal rescue center and won 100 gallons of heating oil. Yay!!! 

I've been immersed in the rabble of "peace, not war", religion and politics, big business, small business. Bad neighbors, high taxes, and all the mundane shit that we find ourselves calling our life. Every so often in life, we have the opportunity to simplify. THIS IS IT! My grandaughter and me on a sunny afternoon. Nuff said! 

Tagging is a new concept to me. I copied the list of questions from Rowan who was tagged by ?? - Now Alix, says "do over". I always listen attentivly to redheads, so.....her four questions are: 1. Number of books you own - 100 - 150+ 2. Last book bought: The origins of the boxer uprising (book research) 3. Last book I read: see above & God' Chinese son (book research too) 4. Five books that mean a lot to me: I Ching Tao Te Ching The Bible Wilbur Smith books Alan Watts books............and, and , and......

1) first name - Tim 2) Were you name after anyone? - No 3) Do you wish on stars? - No 4) When did you last cry? - A month ago 5) Do you like your handwriting? - No. Looks like chicken scratch. 6) What is your favorite lunch meat? - Pastrami 7) What is your birth date - 8/2/54 ( I look young for my age - right?) 8) What is your most embarassing moment? - I don't embarass easy. I guess it was when I was about eleven and I was swimming. My underwear was tucked into my shorts and hung on my bicycle handlebars. My friend took them and threw them about the beach to show off for some girls. Always stuck with me. Boring so far, huh? 9) If you were another person, would you be friends with you? - Asking a Leo this sort of question can only be summed up by, "Does a bear shit in the woods?" 10) Have you ever told a secret that you swore not to tell? - No. Loose lips sink ships. 11) Do looks matter? - depends upon the occasion! 12) How do you release anger? - VERY CAREFULLY! 13) Wher...

I say a word and you state the first word that comes to your mind. The next responder will state the first word that comes to their mind upon reading your word. And so on, and so on, and so on... WORD: Dreams

Zen: Japanese; Ch'an (Chinese); Zen stresses the importance of the enlightenment experience and the futility of rational thought, intellectual study and religious ritual in attaining this; a central element of Zen is zazen, a meditative practice which seeks to free the mind of all thought and conceptualization. Taoism: There is no personal god, the closest thing being the Tao, which is a supreme force which underlies change through the passage of time. One is to become free of personal desires, and become attuned to the flow of change. The principle of innaction has great importance, because attempting to right injustices does not agree with the ideal that good and evil are complementary forces, which are part of the flow of change. Meditation is a basic component of Taoism. Recently, someone inquired as to the meaning of, "a little rain must fall" in my heading. You see, rain (water) is essential for life. In our lives, we often percieve the rain in our lives as dreary, ...

It's becoming the trend in New England to skip the traditional spring weather and just jump into summer. Almost all of May was rain and clouds and cool weather. This weekend launched our forays into the Summer Scottish Highland games and Celtic Music Festivals. Saturday temps approached ninety degrees and Sunday was a close second. The few car pix are from the show I attend every Sunday. These are only a few examples of the cars that were there. The Highland Games pix are from Saturday. Just thought I'd share.....

Early Arrival! 

Mini Ghia 

My good friend's Fury II 

My buddy's truck 

I'm a Ford man, but you can't say anything bad about this! 

Ahhhhh Roadsters! 

Every Car show needs a Bar Lass. This one's the best! 

gorgeous Camaro 

Beautiful T Bird 

We go to see the Glenngary Bhoys whenever they come around. My daughter loves the front man Graham.  

Opening ceremonies 

Let the Games begin! 

Ready for a fight 

the Pipes 

My thoughts often bring me to unusual places. Consider this. I live in the typical bedroom community that some two hundred plus years ago was entirely made up of homesteads and farms and a booming shingle factory. There are still a few trees that also remember those days. As I look up at the stars, I imagine the locals doing the same. Pondering the heavens or perhaps their fate which has led them to this place. At one time, this land was criss-crossed by the local Indian tribes. There are many landmarks that acted as signposts still around today. Usually extra large rocks set apart from any others and the many large hills and mountains that dot this area. You can imagine the Indians from the 1600's trying to protect their territory and conducting brutal raids into the townships. You can imagine those that abandoned their farms to fight the British in the revolution. You can imagine the French Canadians lending their labors to the industrial revolution in search of a better life. Th...

The Crows Fly by Twice a day. In coming, and going, the Crows Fly By, Twice a day.

The Crows  

Fire up the grills! 

Every time the powerball or some other lottery game reaches 150 million + fantasy comes out of the closet. It's talked about on the news, it's blogged about, you overhear conversations in the grocery check out. The Lady and I are no different. We often say how we would purchase a large compound and house our extended family. The Waltons 2005 style. But I would also like to throw a Bloggers BBQ. All the cool people I have met via the virtual. Pay the air faire and lodging. Because if there is one thread running throughout all our blogs it is this; We need a damned vacation!