What cares for my soul?
Lavender fields. Weeping willows. Soft blankets of bright orange poppies.
The full wolf moon as it hangs full saffron over the valley.
What else nourishes me?
The ice cream parlor, the chocolate shop, and our beautiful old theater.
The General’s new bench, the duck pond, and the spawning
Chinook that have returned to Nathanson Creek.
There are some things I miss…
Those Oreo cows in the pasture on the road to Petaluma.
Where did they go? Their absence, always noted.
I also miss that long gone baby-blue tree on Highway 121,
once guarded in winter by a regiment of plastic snowmen.
Not only did that funny blue tree feed my soul, it boggled my mind.
I love the glory of Sonoma, my beloved home for some forty-six years.
My contented roots are entwined with this valley’s—snaking under Broadway,
twisting about the plaza, creeping and crawling and
climbing through the hillside vineyards and valley oaks.
I’m so grateful to live here.
Why am I here? Who am I? What do I believe? How shall I live my life? Where do I stand? When do I speak out?
Ten Commitments
1) I shall honor Spirit: my God, your God, their gods, and the god within me. 2) I shall honor my word, and take responsibility for what I speak. 3) I shall rest, honoring a Sabbath time. 4) I shall honor my family, my community, and my beloved biosphere. 5) I shall honor my capacity to kill—and have the common sense, wisdom, and compassion to not commit such an act. 6) I shall honor my sexuality, committing no offense. 7) I shall not steal. 8) I shall tell the truth—and endeavor not to add to chaos, war, or misery. 9) I shall govern my envy of others, refusing to let it dictate my behavior. 10) I shall be grateful, to humbly bow and kneel to the beauty and mystery of it all.
Ten Reminders
1) Clean up my inner litter; this includes not dumping it in my neighbors yard. 2) Quit carping and complaining, raining my misery on others. 3) Let go of my personal hurts; stop nursing them as if they were my only children. 4) I am not the center of the universe; life is not all about me and what I want. 5) I am connected and interconnected with everything. What I do matters. 6) Accept all of myself, and all of you — our greatness and our pettiness. 7) Be of service to others, and to something greater than myself. 8) Loosen my attachments: to being right, to being liked, to being perfect. 9) Listen to and trust my inner voice, my inner wisdom, and the wisdom of my body. 10) Befriend death and dying.
Why am I here? Perhaps … I am here to wake up. I am here to be useful. I am here to be happy. I am here to make a difference. I am here to work out my spiritual dilemmas. I am here to love. I am here to create. I am here to be in this miraculous yet ordinary body. I am here to realize my birthright as an evolving being. I am here to remember who I am.
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