Ashes

Autumn leaves in your soul

Calm waters in the creek

Mud pads on the road

Ashes

Concentric waves on the lake

When you throw your rock

Extinguished fire in your heart

Ashes

Memories and pictures on your walls

Naked trees in your garden

Iced water in your mouth

Ashes

Quiet steps on the grass

Labyrinths of wind

Crackled clouds in the sky

Ashes

Yellow papers

Old dust

Dry rinds

Ashes

Silt

Winter

Past

Ashes

And this faint taste

Of your kiss

On my lips

Ashes

Take me tomorrow

Sí Pablo Neruda los escribió tristes, ya sé. Es hermosa la tristeza también...

Take me tomorrow

Take me tomorrow where the light is bright
Where the air is clear and the water limpid.
Take me to play with the children
To swim in the ocean, to walk in the woods,
Free of danger and fear.

Take me to the place where I can be me
Without withholding, or preparing for a challenge,
Take me where the mangrove grows
where life goes wild, and the wind blows strong,
where the wave is high and the fish can thrive.

Take me tomorrow to the place of peace,
Where we all can play in a safely way,
Where the tree is not bothered,
Where the lion roars,
the zebra runs and the sheep can sleep.

Take me tomorrow to the place of unworries,
Where I can open my eyes and see,
With no need for perfection or invention,
Where I can see my soul,
Where there is no difference between you and me,
Because we are One with You.
Copyright

driven by fear

I just realized (booooommmm!) that this people (me too?) is driven by fear.
Fear of other people, fear of the future, fear of the germs, fear of nature, fear of the air, water and the like elements, fear of the news, especially the economy, fear of the employer, fear of walking alone, fear of letting children play outside, oooohhhh my, where in the world this people got all that fear?

I also just realized how naive I am (boooooooommmmmmm!). Fear comes when you are used to concentrate toooooooo much on the negative. The more you do negative (it's like a drug addiction), the more negativity you need and attract. So, let's meditate please! Even if you don't believe in anything, you'd agree that you have a mind, am I right? Well, get rid of it for a while and discover yourself. Scary proposition, yes, I know, been there, done that. But that also will pass.

Let's train ourselves to turn around every negative mental chat and replace it by a positive one. Try for an hour, first. Then, try it for half a day, then a day, then see how long you can do it in a week. Train yourself! PMA (positive mental attitude) is a state of mind you create and also attracts the like. I've done it and it changed my life. So can you!

time for some gratitude

I'm grateful for the privilege to have raised my children,

grateful for my own life, for the privilege of being,

for the experiences I've faced along the way,

the good, the great, the bad and the ugly,

all taught me something, and gave me the happiness

I enjoy today.

I'm grateful for inspirational music of all sorts,

for exquisite talents and spirits such as

Joan Manuel Serrat, Elton John, and Quantz,

Mozart, Piazzola, and Markama,

Santana, Julio Sosa, Queen,

Domingo, D'Arienzo, Yupanki,

Zitarrosa, Mecha Sosa, and la Parodi,

Paco de Lucía, Denver, Zupay...

I'm grateful for all the people

that have crossed my path,

for what they've given me

without even noticing, without even charging me.

I'm grateful for the country where I was born,

because it made me the way I am,

It's a place of peace, quiet, much water and green,

of solidary people who have all the free time

to listen and talk while drinking maté.

I'm grateful for the open doors

that let me go and come, fly away to far countries,

and always want to return home.

I'm grateful for the beauty of the world,

for reverence, for God,

and the wings of my soul.

turkey matters

It's turkey day! People gather at the "turkey" table once -maybe twice a year to give thanks honoring a historical event that happened more than four centuries ago. The story could already have the status of a legend. And it actually has much of a myth. Like Roland Barthes, I am also "fascinated by the meanings of the things that surround us in our everyday lives." The turkey is no longer just an edible animal, but a symbol, with so many connotations, that people could even wear its image on a pin and deliver a cluster of meanings to choose from, depending on the reception of the reader.

Does not the "turkey" represent a baggage of values, traditional customs, the quality of relationships, a people's idiosyncrasy, its identity? Does the turkey represent American solidarity, will for progress, resiliance, family support, mutual help, charity, and good will...

I'm not blind either to the other side of history and its corollaries, but I guess, a people has the right to show that human nature has its contradictions, they are real and are not mutually exclusive; on the contrary, we constantly cohabit with the good and the evil. In any case, I chose to write today only about the positive meanings of the turkey. The news had a story today about some people who found new uses for a frozen turkey, like knocking down a thief with it, bowling, covering holes, etc. Funny! I don't have that much imagination. Additionally, I'm glad to learn that people are giving away free turkeys; that we, the immigrants are learning how to celebrate with turkeys (something unheard of in the country where I came from, because we don't have any problem finding something to celebrate, but with cows! And even though we don't celebrate any Thanksgiving Day it doesn't mean we are not grateful for the cows, the gauchadas and the mates. Because, ¡un buen asadito no te lo niega nadie! y el mate, ¡menos! There I have another chapter of daily life mythology that I promise to address some other time.)

the pink women of India

What could happen when women take the law in their hands? Can they stop drinking, gambling, infidelity and government corruption? Check out the Gulabi Gang (the pink women of India).

If women unite their fight, they can "banish" injustice, corruption, poverty and discrimination. "If a woman really wants, she can put a man in his place" says the leader. Men are scared. These women don't even have any formal higher education, but they chose to fight for what is right. Think about what women could do if they just stand up for their rights and the justice. Their children will grow empowered, the future generations will also fight and live for what is right!

To have or to be, that’s the question!

A couple of days ago, one of my coworkers told me she always gets depressed about Christmas. Just thinking about buying presents for her children, family members, friends and everybody else in the whole wide world makes her sick. Sounds familiar? What is it about this snow ball that society rolls down the hill to catch everybody in its way? Are we agents of our lives or there is someone or something else trying to live our lives? I think we should be in charge of creating the dream Christmas we want to live and share with our families. So, let’s revive creativity! Dare to be!

This year we have an additional factor: a good dose of adversity and hardships worsens the matter... or not. I am personally grateful for the hard times, adversity or challenges (too many for me to count), because they help us go back to the basics, grow from the inside out. Everyone gets what he or she needs in life because God knows us well, and gives us opportunities to learn about and develop ourselves. When I'm in tune, I too know. I’ve learned to accept gracefully whatever may come because in the end I always realized that it has been the best for me, even & especially, when it tasted bitter. This holiday season we may not be free from experiencing some kind of hard times, either ourselves or close to home. So let’s revive courage and will! Dare to face it with gratitude and humility! Dare to be!

But remember, challenges are opportunities to go back to the basic meaning of the celebrations. All belief systems accept that "true love never faileth" (1 Cor 13:8) , which is the underlying meaning of Christmas, a celebration of the Love of God who “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son [to save it]” (Jn 3:16) . From my experience, happiness comes when one learns how to love. If you believe in God, tap into the treasure of His Love. Have the courage to breathe deeply, to live in the present, to love intensely, to laugh loudly, and to BE. And let your loved ones enjoy the gift of your being! Dare to be! A few years ago, I discovered the tale The Gift of the Magi, a sweet Christmas story. It shows us that it really does not matter what materials things we buy, ultimately, what touches our hearts is the love that we give each other. It reminds us that what really makes a difference in enjoying the season is the gift of our time, of our life, of our talents, of OURSELVES. After all, isn't it what life is all about, just LOVE yourself and others to learn how to love God? Dare to love! I wish you peace and love every step of your way now and beyond this Holiday Season. May that peace make you a feather in God’s breath. Dare to be what He wants you to be!

Happiness is a state of being

It makes me sad to encounter frowning people. Yesterday I was so deeply touched by one person, that I haven't stopped thinking about that mind state that is the always seemingly fleeting happiness. I often wish I could make that person happy, but I know that's not possible.

I discovered it one day when I realized that I was the only person responsible for my own happiness. To that point, I'd never found anyone that could make me happy. No wonder I felt so miserable waiting for the fairy! I finally realized that I am the only one living my own life! From that day on, I decided to be the builder of my own happiness. And I kept my promise. I am the only one responsible for it, it's my work, I can't blame anybody else for feeling miserable. I know. It sounds like a lonely job to do. But actually, it could be lots of fun when we discover our own potential, and realize that God gives us the energy that we need to do it.

The decision had its price tag though. In my case, I had to make new choices, and when I made choices, I had to give up things, to sever my contradictions and shortcomings and become true to myself. I had to make painful changes that I had avoided out of fear for many years. Very often we keep feeling miserable just because we don't have enough courage to change and abandon the security -or insecurity, of the comfort zone. We are so much afraid of the unknown, including happiness, that we rather stay within the limits of the known. We are afraid of facing our own fears. It happens to the addicted individual as well as to the battered woman or man, to the mediocre student as well as to the hypocritical professional. Sometimes our lives look like we're parading the wrong way, but we keep going as if nothing is wrong... and we expect to be happy anyway.

To develop the courage, we need to first ground our soul on a safe place, so we can feel supported. Yogi Bhajan said : "Dwell in God. Dwell in God. Dwell in God. Befriend your soul. Dwell in God and befriend your soul. Dwell in God and befriend your soul. All the faculties and facilities of the Creation, which are in your best interest, shall be at your feet. You need million things; million things will reach you, if you are stable, established, firm, patient. Remember, Creator watches over you and Creation is ready to serve you, if you just…be you."

Once I learned to befriend my soul, a new world blossomed inside me. It envolved forgiving and loving myself. Today, I can go everywhere and be happy, I can face anything and be happy, I can hear good and bad news and be happy. It's like riding in the safe hands of God. It does not really matter what goes on around. I know He is in charge and will give me what I need in time.

In my life I had many wrong-bound parades, (I still have some that I'm working on), so I had to turn around and walk the way I suppose to go. Suddenly, not only have I found happiness but freedom within, the freedom of being me. We need to find our true self before we can find happiness. Then, all the rest falls back in place. Sat Nam! (truth is my identity)

metamorphosis

Uprooted and family deprived, I turned onto a spiritual experience quest through yoga practice. Even though many people practice yoga as a physical fitness program that will also help them to keep healthy –which is true-, it is also true that yogis invented this “technology” to help them develop the necessary preparation to be one with the divinity, the higher consciousness or creative power. Under this light, yoga practice is much more than physical exercise. I’ve proven it.

During the more than three years of practice, I’ve undergone a transformation. It started at the physical level with the healing of some chronic dis-eases I used to have, but then, there was a turning point when in my path of an always increasing consciousness, I realized my inconsistencies and inner contradictions and felt the need to be consistent, to become true to myself and to God. I had a personal life crisis, long and painful, but worth it. I decided that I couldn’t continue to hold my values true and keep acting and living under a different set of unconsciously imposed principles that were directing my decisions like a preset computer program. I was becoming aware! As a consequence, I had to make major & painful changes in my life, more painful than sciatica and muscle sore. I recently was told that I have a younger look. My body probably changed too, but the most important rejuvenation went on inside; I feel light and open to the world like pollen in the wind.

Last month I wrote of my concern with spiritual discernment (“see what you can” October 23, 2008) and being able to identify truth. I realized how much influence emotions have on our perception of the world around us. Then I decided to work on clearing this problem too, and was advised on a certain meditation that I practiced for 40 days. This was my most recent amazing metamorphosis. Becoming aware (or conscious) is comparable to clearing the lake waters to a transparent state that allows us to see through a limpid lens. Then we are able to see what’s at the bottom and in detail. Unfortunately, this is not a state you attain and “you got it!” Although it’s nice to have a taste of how it works and the experience of using it, you need to work hard to retain this ability, practice, practice, practice! It seems that’s the way it is with all the good things in life. Let’s say: love; some people seem to think that love between two people come naturally, well… no!, it’s 100% sweating (conscious) work; one need to make it happen, being aware, making the right decisions and staying focused on creating the kind of love one wants. It doesn’t come out of the blue.

Here are some of the changes that I’ve experienced so far:

I overcame my uprooting by learning to ground myself physically, trust mother earth to sustain me, and realizing that God is in charge of my life. I know that He gives me exactly what I need to develop myself, and become what I am supposed to be. My favorite is tree pose, it proves me that I have roots and gives me the balance I need.

I overcame my lack of a partner by learning to redirect my creative power to project myself to the world in a compassionate offering. I feel good vibrations wherever I go, in all I do. And... after many years of planning on it, I can finally write. I was amazed that even some poetry came out!

I am overcoming my insecurities by developing a stronger life will for action instead of reaction. I go out and just do what it takes to be me!

I am learning to tune my heart with the truth and act from the love center. It helps me see others not for what they seem to be, but beyond into their true infinite being. Since we are essentially the same substantial creation, we are in truth one with and from God. So, Love is the true working line of connection.

Just these accomplishments, have made me a happier person. I feel I can take my circumstances and turn them for my good. I come from feeling absolutely powerless, denied, rejected, unwanted, zeroed, to having the sense of strength and endurance necessary to go on, no matter what. My heart is full of gratitude for it!

smiles and sweet words

How is it that we are treated like kings and queens with smiles and sweet words, and later we find out that our skin was ripped into pieces in our absence?

I may follow Alceste’s argument on the good manners of his time –our time?-, for his indignation about the falsity of people in society, because he was as sick and tired of deceit as I am. How is it possible that people lost the ability to be honest and develop all those deceit skills instead. Hypocrisy takes a lot of skill, don't you think? I found that, especially at work, people do not want to confront others. Instead of telling the truth in a loving manner, they disguise in a friendly sheep skin, or under a poker face, they tell you how nice you are and how great a job you do on your face, wheareas behind your back, they go and tell everybody else how horrible you've been, and all the mistakes you've done.

However, I'm not as bitter as Alceste as to hate society, and I can agree with Philinte to a certain extent, I still have the hope that things will change. There will be a time when nobody will be able to hide behind a poker face or any fake composture. Now, don't be fool to believe that nobody sees your faking. We'll be transparent, we won't be able to lie to each other because it'll be apparent. We'll be able to speak and act from the heart when we disagree with others.

There will be a time when we'll care for others as we do for ourselves and will be better at being human. We'll have respect for others' feelings and viewpoint, more able to place ourselves in others' shoes.

There will be a time when we'll want for others what we want for ourselves and be more willing to share from inside, not only from our material possessions.

There will be a time when we'll live in peace. I believe in it, and "I'm not the only one!"

be mediocre!

Who told you that being mediocre and underachiever was the way you’re supposed to be?

By now, haven’t you realized that something or someone tries to convince you that you shouldn’t be doing well in school? What is it?

Whenever you do something right and well done and receive a commendation for it, you feel strange, like you did something you were not supposed to do, something wrong. And pretty soon, there is someone who scorns you for it, make you feel or even tells you are inadequate, stupid, teacher’s pet, not one of “us” &&&&&&&. Remember! You’re not supposed to be better than yesterday, do a good work, excel at anything, or be a highlight anywhere. After all, why go through all the trouble: if you don't do well, someone will design a special test for you so you pass it.

If you study hard and make good grades, you may be successful, and others won’t like you. Actually they’ll make all the efforts to put you down! They’ll make fun of you and ostracize you. So if you want to be part of the herd, don’t disappoint them, you may end up alone or (running for) become the President of the USA. (Edition on November 5, 2008:)

telling the tale

This weekend at the Celtic Festival I was again captivated by storytelling. You can meet a great Irish storyteller at http://www.mairtinmusic.com/. Mairtin de Cogain not only has a fancy accent but there is a charm about him that totally take you out of yourself to a joyous space of worries suspension and relax. Maybe the quiet and calm waters of the Ladybird Lake behind him made half of the work, but it was a very pleasant experience I shared with a full audience.

By the way, about storytelling, I grew up being told stories and tales, raised my children the same way and I am still enchanted by the magic of the interaction with fantasy. Every time one listens to a story, one has the opportunity to transfer personal anxieties, dreams, and inadequacies onto the main character and find oneself liberated, walking the next miles like a feather in the light breeze of a fall day. It’s a shame that our day has forgotten about this centenary tradition. I believe that reviving it can even help us find creative ways to solve today’s problems, and may even solve them just by practicing it.

Let’s observe some of the mechanisms that could take place: TV will be off, family members will find themselves facing each other and actually talking abut their days and eventually about themselves. People will be trained at listening to each other with some degree of attention, they may laugh together, learn how to see humor in their daily happenings, realize that essential human concerns are still the same, they will develop a better imagination that can improve daily life creativity. Family members can grow closer together just by sharing an hour like this. Try it, and prove me wrong!

since i'm keltsa too...

Austin has the most fabulous world music. And I fell in love with the celtic festival at first sight two years ago. Have a web-ride here. Enjoy the sample music. (Listen at least to LIZ CARROLL and DÁITHÍ SPROULE) I was in awe listening to the storytellers, they charm you, you can't escape. They dance with you, perform, do crafts, share their traditional cooking and parade all the place with their beer. Very friendly and picturesque people, like in the old days! That's where I'll be this weekend.

By the way for those who don't know, on my father side, I have celtic ancestors from Galicia in Spain. That's where my name came from.

AC

What's the matter with these people? I endured the whole summer under an artificial temperature of 55º F under the roof that froze my bones to the marrow, while other people looked happily ever after. Now that fall is giving us a slight 50º F, the same people dare to say, "it's sooooooooooooooooo cold!" What's the matter with you?

What's life after all?

Isn’t life about creation, transformation, decay, destruction and re-creation? Still human beings have a hard time accepting destruction, in the form of death, decomposition, disintegration, or simply change of any kind. We may not remember it when we most need it, but humanity is a live entity, alive, therefore always changing, going from health to sickness to death and back all the time. Why are we so shocked when crises hit us?

Californians and people inhabiting the Earth belly prominence may be oblivious about this, but I find it amazing how nature “falls” for a season of the year only to “spring” back later! Where does the life force go? Is it busy destroying? Has someone studied the way that atomic vibrations behave, how the molecules organize themselves during this stage? There should obviously be a change in their physical functioning that makes those live beings look dead! What does it make them re-organize, what does it trigger the back to life leap?

Today’s news reverberates in all people’s conversations all over the world. This is no news for the reader! “The world is crumbling down” –is the leiv motive. It may be time we develop the capacity and the will to accept that Winter comes once in a while; that night gets very dark before dawn; that natures’ debris has to rot before it serves as fertilizer for new life. Yes, our acceptance should include recognizing that Winter gets very cold, sometimes unbearable for some with very little fat storage like me, that some get scared when night gets really dark, that rotting things smell really bad and we try to avoid them as much as possible.

On the other hand, who was the guy who stated, “nothing is lost, everything is transformed”? There is an imperative need to look for the life force that is hidden behind this fall. Life with the purity of new buds is dormant in the decay. Realizing this does not save us from the illusive feeling of loss, the mourning, the pain that disintegration involves, but it can open our eyes about the work we can do to redirect the life force to where we would like it to go. A friend of mine likes cultivating tulips, she cares for those bulbs like others do for gold. They look dry, inactive, dead! Although she waters them once in a while, they take a good nap under the soil all winter. And right at the dawn of rebirth season, they spring in Technicolor.

Shouldn’t we keep busy in a project of re-creation instead of lamenting the death of the world’s mess? I need to confess that I like to see the end of deterioration; I like this opportunity we have to bury the decay deep in the soil to feed a new life that will be fresh, pure and radiant. Can we dare to dream? Can we dare to work for the dream? Can we stop mourning for something it does not serve us anymore? Are we ready to re-create life?

See what you can

What do you see? Does it frighten you?

One day I was walking down a street with one of my missionary companions at dusk and we noticed the moon was big. I said, “tomorrow we’ll have full moon”, she said, “I think it’s already full”. “Well -I tried to convince her, it’s missing just a bit, one more day, that’s it.” “No, no -she asserted, it’s full already!” The following month she received a new pair of glasses and soon discovered that her feet were farther from her head, she felt taller and some other significant changes. We saw the moon again and we remembered the first incident. She accepted, “you were probably right then”. People see what they can. Some can see very far away and high above. Some see their environment in blurry, bigger, smaller or distorted images. Some can only see shadows of the objects surrounding them. Others can only see what they have in front of their eyes. Everyone has his or her own version of what it is.

“Grown-ups always need to have things explained.”

Similarly, people often perceive their world, relationships and circumstances under the lenses of their own context, values, assumptions and prior experiences (their ability to understand). They go as far as just accepting what is understandable and conceivable for them. “They must be discriminating against me (interpretation) because I’m green looking” (context). “It must be that he tells this to me (interpretation) because he trusts me” (assumption). “She must lust after me (interpretation) because I’m so handsome” (assumption). And many of you certainly remember how Don Quijote took the windmills for an army, a countrywoman for a noble lady, and a barber's washbowl for a helmet among other misinterpretations of reality.

Our lives are full of sophisms like these, reasoning on false premises. Is there a way to have a sound reason always and never get it wrong? I’d like to know how to actually see what is true, things like they are and not as we see them. It will solve our problems of faith, trust in people, decision making, and knowing the world… the universe. Do we have the capacity of seeing right? How this ability would change our human condition?

What a queer planet!

Many think, The Little Prince is a children's book. On the one hand, it could be. On the other hand, however, it has many levels of meaning that children can't see.

"Quelle drôle de planète!" Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

For example, today this is my picture: "good morning" he greeted the world, but only did the echo answer, "good morning, good morning" so the LP concluded that "People have no imagination, they repeat whatever one says to them". Usually,- I'm guilty too, we are so busy making a life and surviving that we forget to live, to be human beings, to relate to one another, to make true connections. We send e-mail chains that say nothing about ourselves, we text and phone people that we could visit because they're not that far after all.

I wonder if this crumbling down economy is not the result of a crumbling down humanity. We live closer and closer together in the cities while we draw farder and farder apart. I remember some years ago when my sister lived in the countryside, her closest neighbor lived 3 km away. They often walked or rode a horse once a day to pay them a visit and have a chat over a shared piece of fresh bread, or cakes. Now, I never see the face of my neighbor whose house is just a few feet away. We have no spare time? What's the matter with us? Do we prefer to talk to "rocks" that just repeat what we say? Or worse, are we afraid of each other? This week I'm thinking about changing. Shall I?

turtle in its own right

I’m a turtle, all right,
All you see is just outside
Nice colors, well combined, nicely designed,
often like any other rock by the road,
The sun shining on my back
Because it’s so cold inside.
Of course there’s where I hide
And only come out when it’s safe
moving slowly but steadily,
enjoying every moment of the ride,
observing all details of the landscape.
Occasionally some people messed me up
And put me upside down;
That was the hardest times trying to get back on my feet.
Thank mother Turtle for the flip back, cool!
I’m back up and racing,
with plenty of time to hear the birds sing,
the water flow, the trees whisper,
the gravel crunch tiredly under my feet,
to watch the feet of the oblivious passing byers,
the still road signs talking to me,
to see your eyes looking at me from your high tower.
Mine’s a race for wisdom, the slower, the better.
“Seeing and learning–my grandma used to say,
from people’s ways."
truth is that learning and wisdom only comes from inside,
that’s why I go there often, and for a while, hide but not idle.
A brewing race –I’d say.
Sorry, mine is no competition.
May we share the spot sometime?
I delight in company!

si pudiera bailar tango así

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRQzkDT8bdY
¿cuántos años llevará bailar el tango así?

Yellow butterflies in Austin

This may sound much of poetry for some. By the way my purpose for the racing turtle blog is to show that there is beauty everywhere, anywhere. Most of us need to find the eyes to see it. I learned this trying to overcome my tendency to always see the negative part of life. How the stock market falls and is about to break, how moody you are today, why have you done this to me and that sort of observations, always the bad part of life. Instead I'm learning to appreciate the fact that I have enough air to breath, the sun comes up every day even when I don't see it. Get it? Things that we really need to live, and we do not lack. Sometimes I focus on my loneliness when I am just alone, but not really. See, I found geckos in my house, and I strongly believe that they keep me company. Years ago I couldn't conceive that the simple things of life could make me happy, but I strongly believe it now.
Today I enjoyed a gorgeous day in Austin. The sun, the temperature, the wind were perfect. I went to my favorite park and lied on the grass like the Little Prince waiting for his friend the fox. A few ants kissed me, a squirrel came sniffing, a dragonfly fluttered around a bush, and then I saw them: the yellow butterflies all over. It was life in paradise! I was lying uphill by the creek bed, so I lay downhill and let all my blood run to my head. Then I wanted to fly my kite that I always carry in my car's trunk.
And I ask myself if other people enjoy things like that, or am I a weird bug?

Trees in the wind

Have you seen how the trees handle the wind? What an uninvited company! It comes unexpected and probably unwanted. It bends them over, shakes them from root to top, brushes their branches sometimes bare. They take it so naturally, and let it go thru easily. They stand whole and endure it. They come out stronger, they renew later and regrow.
Things come to life the same way, expected or not, wanted or not. I got some strong winds lately. At first I protected myself, resisted, try avoiding it. Of course, It did not work. I discovered that the key is learning from the trees to accept it, take it with integrity, let it shake you thru, and let it do. I'm still working at standing whole under this wind. So far so good though. This also will pass... maybe... one day. This is a loving wind : will make me stronger, help me renew and grow from inside out. Especially because It makes me feel alive and flowing in life.