“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace

. . . Tangle like a bramble,
like a rose. Start,
start again against
the tight-
ening. A knife
could give up
on patience, but you
were born among
the dull and
kind, who wait
for Spring, and
lightening
and lightning.

~ Excerpt from “The Knot,” by Susan Stewart

A day of knots and inspiration. This blog is always, for me, daily, for me, framing my attitude and mood and state of mind toward appreciating beauty and the moment. I walked early with Charlie and Suzi into the very cold of 9 degrees and felt cold, and irritable from a broken night of sleep, and, perhaps, for a longish week. I found my picture in the brook ice that brought me pleasure and appreciation: Owl of the Dawn. Today was a day of feeling the knot starting to form in my stomach––and practicing, all day, its undoing with talk in my mind and eyes on things to appreciate. I had a fulfilling writing coaching session. I had a chance to ask myself what is at the heart of my irritation. I think it’s just dealing with the usual administrative details of life, from the fire, and the furniture disordered and the workmen in and out all day. So, I worked on my knot. Not wanting it to be forced out with snapping at someone/anyone. I was so cold on my walk, I thought, well, I am not going to run today. But, after lunch, I thought, well, a run is exactly what I want! Even in the cold. So I went to the track and ran three miles and was not very cold at all. Treated myself to a favorite dinner take-out from a nearby restaurant, and that was a very good thing. Sad to hear, tonight, of the passing of Thich Nhat Hahn. A friend let me know of a memorial service in his honor being broadcast from the Upaya Zen Center, and being present there was also a good thing for my knot. A very good thing. This morning, in the car, I happened to hear the segment “Storycorps,” and this really wonderful inspirational story moved me so deeply. It’s only a 3 minute listen. Amazing.