One of the perks of my Hollyhock hosting gig is, I get dinner. Dinner at the Hock is a big deal. It is gorgeous mostly-vegetarian fare: breads fresh from the oven, organic vegetables from the over-the-top garden. Sauces and spices and flower-topped salads tasting of earth and heaven, tempting to gluttony and abandon. Last night’s …
Author: carmen
A long walk for a short swim
In the heat of the afternoon I rode my bike to the K’was Park trailhead. Into the shade of the boreal rainforest I hiked through deep fern valleys and dense stands of fir and cedar, watched over by old-growth giants miraculously spared. The sunlight marbled through the cool canopy, footsteps soft and slow, grateful now …
Out of focus
I have a secret superpower. I can make the trees connect with the sky, make the greens merge into browns, soften the edges of things. I can make the fabric of things fuzz and blend into one tapestry, no one thing distinct. Even the birdsong and airplane engines and aromas and thoughts, I can blend …
The circle of the way
Mindfulness and a respectful heart in each moment are applied equally in meditation and other daily activities incuding work, interaction with others, and cleansing one’s body. Practicing and living in this way helps us to clearly see, understand, and value what is right before us as none other than the wholeness of life itself. As …
The tricky tides
I live high on a bluff at the mouth of an ocean lagoon. The lagoon is placid and deep blue at high tide, warm from the afternoon sun and perfect for paddling. At low tide the beach stretches out to rocky islands. A green finger points out from the lagoon’s mouth, emerging as a sandbar …