Mother Earth is always forgiving. Mother Earth is always patient. Every time you come back to her, you get the nourishment and healing that you need. —Thich Nhat Hanh

Thank you for magical effects of time in nature.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for none of us ever losing or winning. Peace is the victor, and we all have it within us (or something like that).

Thank you for Thich Nhat Hanh’s short teaching videos that carry me through rough patches. There are ones on looking deeply into the nature of suffering, recognizing painful feelings, taking care of the habit energy of worrying, finding a simple way to heal, being protected by the energy of mindfulness, being alone…

Here’s an excerpt from A Simple Way to Heal:

When compassion is there, in your heart, you are no longer angry, because compassion is an antidote for anger. And without anger, you are more relaxed. You are more pleasant. You are more peaceful. And that will facilitate healing. And when you do not have anger, you can communicate with yourself much more easily. You can understand yourself much more easily. And you can communicate with the other person more easily.

Thank you for compassion immunizing from pain while opening doors to reconciliation.

Thank you for a fun dentist’s appointment. Thank you for healthier gums.

Thank you for deja vu jogging up Academy onto Lowell—it felt like rounding the corner from Sunset onto Hilgard back home.

Thank you for when iTunes shuffle played the corny song I’d requested for the end of a walk (Get Here).

Thank you for another request to the universe for clarity and support to be more honest with myself. Truth is always the brighter path. Truth that seems to hurt may instead be pain from untruth burning away. Truth keeps us well.

Thank you for not merely surviving onslaughts of waves but looking into them with curiosity, if possible, to explore patterns, to see where and how they originate, where they’re headed, how they’re navigated.

Thank you for smrti, samadhi, prajna.

Thank you for it occurring to me that most of us balk when advised to hold our pain in our hands. I used to think I was special because my pain seemed too much. If I let it pour into my hand, it might gush endlessly out of control.

Now I get how normal is the fear of holding one’s pain. Society encourages us to push it away. Yet suffering proliferates with denial; it dissolves with acceptance.

Thank you for phone chat doodles.

Thank you for The Adventure of Me.

Thank you for The Story of You.

Thank you for Meli-Fali.

Thank you for whistling in songs.

Thank you for a breakfast thought that not just my mouth but body and mind and feelings were eating, and the effects would last all day (or longer). Thank you for meals as whole body, long-term events.

Thank you for insights on my spinning in circles or spirals that may shed light. Distance from a less-than-healthy setting had healed me. (I’d reclaimed a maybe selfish hope.) That strength then gave a false sense of security. So, growing stronger thanks to distance ironically led me back to a less-than-safe space to see if this time it was doable. When I got back, though, wellness again took a hit. Now the aim is to understand expectations and patterns, with faith in healthier options yet to appear. And to be present.

Thank you for life here and now awesome as-is. Thank you for disappointments, dreams, and visions. Thank you for wonder in every moment.

Thank you for acceptance of focus on myself. Our selves deserve our attention! Care for mine makes me more solid for you.

Thank you for efforts to drop expectations and appreciate how far loved ones have traveled and where they are, to value their gifts, to root for them no matter what. 

Thank you for unconditional, unconventional friendships. 

Thank you for struggles that endear loved ones to our hearts.

Thank you for walks bookending days, listening to music, feeling connected to something great, enjoying nature, being alive...

Thank you for a sunset rainbow greeting me while headed out the door followed by a swollen moon shining through clouds on the way home.

Thank you for another travel adventure from early to late September. Thank you for friends who give it meaning. Thank you for the wellness program starting in a few days too. (So the next entry may be delayed.)

Thank you for sister love.

Thank you for those who let us know we’re valued. I value you!

Thank you for growing wellness.

Thank you for looking back to see how far we’ve come.

Thank you for bumpy progress (yours and mine).

Thank you for learning to accept.

Thank you for courage to dream and dreams coming true.

Thank you for adventures ahead <3