I would be a stepping stone to a path with an unknown destination, but filled with adventure. 

I would be a fine mist settling over a mirror before the reflection is revealed. 

I would be the dawn transitioning darkness into light. 

I would be a blank page waiting for an incredible story to be written or a drawing to emerge. 

I would be the silence before meaningful music was composed and then sung or played. 

I would be a creative womb, nurturing ideas without aborting any one of them prematurely.

There is only one interior design that is you.
Don’t let anyone decorate your inner life
without your explicit permission.
How would they know if you want
a firm or soft couch, the space
between each piece of furniture,
what type of knickknacks you’d place
on the end tables? Let the wall art
reflect what you care about most.
Even if they are not direct windows
into your soul, they could be snapshots
to deeper desires yet to be recognized.
Whether the space is cluttered, bare,
or something in between,
make room for yourself
to be, to breathe,
to fill the unique design
of your inner sanctuary.
Only then will the rest of the landscape make sense.

​
I’m fascinated by the intersection of emptiness and metta.

This month I received a birthday gift that I did not want - a flare up of chronic SI joint and gluteal muscle pain. Still there was significant appreciation for emptiness teachings.

I wasn’t a victim of a single cause or condition. Nor was I an expert on perfect management in extinguishing the burning sensations of pain. Perceptions of pain were determined by my relationship to it. When it took center stage, the attention shrunk, and there wasn’t much space for anything else.

Seeing and sensing through the eyes of the Brahmaviharas, the areas of pain transformed into an island of discomfort in a sea of healing modalities and support. The attention stretched to include ice, Advil, supportive family members, joy for my partner getting back in shape, a compassionate physical therapist, concerned patients expressing empathy, an image in supine meditation posture of the heart space pumping a champagne like bubbly substance to the rest of the body that softened, soothed, and allowed experience to be as it was, even held in celebration.

What if time is empty - past, present future - all empty of a single cause or condition that made me? What if this pain is not mine, and belongs to a divine intelligence?

The universal song is composed of both high and low notes. When dukkha arises, may I remember that others experience this, too. When sukkha arises, may others experience this, too.

“When self, time, separation, and even suffering are seen as empty, a devotion to the endless commitment of love is felt without burden.” (Seeing that Frees, Pg 327)