Like sand. The lesson is simple.

It is all like sand. Everything. Our relationships, our jobs, careers, successes, money, experiences, it is all... like sand running through our fingers. And we try so hard... to manage it, to control it, to guide it, to prevent it from doing what it is in it's nature to do... we wanna keep it, we wanna claim it, and we suffer, until we realize our efforts are futile. No matter how tight our grasp... we just can't control it. The joy comes when we realize, we don't have to.

The lesson is simple.

I see the sand

I touch the sand

I love the sand

It is beautiful

It feels good

It is poetry

I love it's warmth as it reflects the sun

I admire it

it runs through my fingers...

I love the sand.

That is life. That is bliss. That is Freedom from pain, from "suffering", from hurt, from perceived anguish. Love life. Touch life. Experience life. Life is beautiful. Life feels good. Life is poetry. Appreciate life. Life runs through your fingers. Love life.

Let go of all misconceptions of control and futile earthly effort. Know that YOU are life. We are life. We hold the sand, we are connected to the sand. We are one. We have nothing to fear. We do not have to grasp to misconceived ideas of existence. Let go... love, love freely... don't waste energy trying to hold on. Be the experience you seek to feel and enjoy.

The lesson is simple.

See it, love it, live it, and keep loving it some more. That is ALL we are here to do.

Outdoor Challenge Day 1 *Thank God for children's eyes*

Thank god for children's eyes

So even though it is April 19th and we experience outdoor fun everyday in our home, we have decided it is STILL not too late to participate/celebrate April Nature Awareness month :) and so we join Children & Nature Awareness Month Challenge! Let's face it, for those of us who celebrate nature and tree climbing, digging up critters in the yard, planting seeds... Nature Awareness month is just another excuse to play in the yard and document all the fun!

So without further ado I shall share with you what we have been up to : )

We spent a good portion of the day digging and digging. There is nothing quite like joining your children in the fine art of digging in the yard! The treasures you find, the excitement and wonder in your child's eyes at the first sight of little tiny critters crawling out of the ground... the appreciation for nature, life... in the tiniest of forms. Oh the hours and hours of learning to be found in your yard! And I do not speak here of lessons JUST for the kiddos. The lessons I speak of here... are aimed at us parents.

For parents, I challenge you to NOT give instructions but observe, I challenge you to NOT look at the clock, I challenge you to step back... and listen, just listen. Discover through your child's eyes. I can't stress it enough, stop thinking... just observe, listen and join in the fun!

And so it goes that as I dug and dug to prepare my garden, my six year old's eyes SAW what I was too busy overlooking because I had better things to do... you know? like brush the dead leaves out of the way so I can dig and transplant my plans. lol This is when my 6 year old says to me, "Mommie look! a snail! and another snail!" And there they were, right next to the plant I was planting, the cutest little snails. A whole bunch of them! and it was THEN the excitement began!!

Meet, "The Snelly Snails who love to play the Snelly race game and eat egg shells " (I quote my My lovely daughter here :)

The kiddos discovered snails!! and a new chapter in our science page began.

Are these not the cutest snails or what?! lol Personality all the way!! These snails definitely found us!

Did you know snails like to eat egg shells? Yes, it helps keep their shells strong and healthy. We also learned they love to eat lettuce, cucumbers and dandelion leaves. And well... the lessons continued and continued...

and yes, in addition to "digging" into dirt, exploring science, learning about herbivores, observing and naming snails and building a snailarium, we "dug" into writing as well :)

Awesome day indeed!! I'll get to the plants tomorrow ;p

All images and content used here is privately owned and copyright protected. All rights reserved to Something happened on my way to Buddhahood. Seek permission before using.

...and now, a lesson in joy.

A lesson in joy.

♥

"mmm... yummy jelly on crackers... mmmm... oh this is sooo good. Wait, What? huh? Really Mommy? okay.. okay.. I'll listen. "

"Really?!! HaHa!! oh my god Mommy... you are so silly!! "

" HAHAHA!!! Oh MY GOD!!! MOMMY YOU ARE TOO MUCH! I CAN'T STOP!! HAHAHA!! "

" Oh dear... I am gonna have to lay down. That was just too much. Too much mommy. "

♥

We all suffer.

We all suffer.


Let me say that again, we ALL suffer. While that may sound negative or morbid, it is not. It is no different than if I said, we all bleed.. or we all experience heartbreak. It is neither good nor bad, it is simply part of having this gig we call 'being human'. Regardless of what you read, what you see... understand something, there is suffering and it is up to you to be compassionate. No... not for THEM, but for yourself. Love, Accept, Learn, Unlearn... inhale, exhale... and meet them once again... for they are you and you are them. Be the compassion you need. Be the love you seek. Be the friend you love. Be... BE.

With your oldest friend, with a "perceived" stranger, with that one... that one who triggers something in you and it brings out the worst in you... with your distant parent, with those in the past... Be all those things you have told yourself they deny you. They don't deny you anything... how can someone with no water deny you fluids? Understand?

It is not about re-writing the script, it is about recognizing that it is all a farce and the reality is what is behind the curtain.

on that note... read or simply listen,

Breathe in breathe out
Tell me all of your doubt
everybody bleeds this way
just the same
Breathe in breathe out
Move on and break down
If everyone.. goes away
I will stay.
We push and pull,
and I fall down sometimes
I'm not letting go,
you hold the other line

Cause there is a light
In your eyes, in your eyes
Hold on, hold tight
From out of your sight
Everything keeps moving on, moving on,
Hold on hold tight
Make it through another night
Everyday there comes the sun with the dawn.
We push and pull, and I fall down sometimes
I'm not letting go, you hold the other line.

Cause there is a light
In your eyes, in your eyes
There is a light
In your eyes, in your eyes

Breathe in and breathe out (x4)

Look left, look right
to the moon and the night
Everything under the stars in your arms
There is a light
In your eyes, in your eyes
There is a light (x4)


Breathe In Breathe Out (Mat Kearney)