We Could Use Some Quirky in Our Lives

This diner is the Japanese version of the quirky Cafe Juanita whose every nook and cranny gives you something interesting to look at. I love curated places like these. Not your run-of-the-mill, cookie-cutter designed spaces which are too predictable. I love quirky. 

Every now and then we need to expose ourselves to that which is out of the norm. We need a jolt out of the humdrum of the day-to-day. Or in the ordinariness of our lives -- awaken that sense of child-like wonder which is non-judgmental and open. Pretty soon, you will notice how magnificent the pebbles look, how interesting the textures of things are, how beautiful and inspiring the people in our lives turn out to be. Quirky as quirky can be to gasp at and be in awe of the seemingly ordinary.

Open your eyes. Open your heart.

Plucking Blossoms From a Thorny Plant

How does one do that? 

One cannot be brash and abrupt, arrogant and forceful in taking possession of such ephemeral things. It takes careful observation and a certain calmness to be able to harvest such things of beauty.

So it is with life.

We can strive for serenity and peace amidst life's prickly challenges by pacing ourselves, studying things out, heightening our awareness of how we are reacting, and taking on a loving, accepting, understanding attitude towards circumstances that show up at our doorstep.

Thorns are inevitable. We can recoil from life or burn with resentment. Or, we can take the thorns along with the flowers, appreciating that they are part of living.

Solo

Just the spot for me.
Solo.
Not lonely. Just alone.
Best to shake off the noise in my head...and be awash with the calm of the sea, the soft breeze and the gentle lull of the sound of the waves.
And pleasant surprises like the pink and white flowers from the Fish Poison Tree alighting on the sand complete this most relaxing time to myself.

Bloom Where You're Planted

Met some of the most amazing women yesterday. I cannot name them. And they are those whom most of us would rather cast to oblivion. Lifers is what they are called. They are the ladies of CIW, Correctional Institute for Women.

Why i happened to be there was through an invitation by a good friend to share a message as part of their graduation ceremony from a program of recovery. I shared a message of hope as an encouragement but i was more encouraged and got in touch with the grace of hope through them. To see them thrive, be joy-filled, gracious and giving with the life sentences they have to live out is simply mind-boggling.

A couple of ladies past middle age were sentenced to life behind bars forever for pushing drugs and ordering the death of persons. One whom i spent chatting with over lunch told me that her being incarcerated is actually a blessing for she is kept from her aberrant ways and has the chance now to have a contrite and renewed heart. 

Connecting with the natural and basic state which the Creator meant them for is topmost of their priorities. This i think is the secret to recouping peace and joy. Wherever we are.

Grounded

Presumably the throng of vacationers are back and ready to take on stretches of the day-to-day grind.  Hopefully those who have had the luxury of the much needed break bring home with them a renewed energy, a buoyant attitude, and a perspective that is grounded in goodness, truth, and love.

Like old boats who have seen better days, we must lay to rest the burdens, the worries, old and brittle mindsets from tossing and turning. And go sail on in days ahead with a hope that even better days await.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity 

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; 

Enjoying one moment at a time; 

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it; 

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life 

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.

Passiflora

If that red flower does not catch your eye, i don't know what will. Who can miss it? My friend Vera was so smitten she just had to take a picture of it. More popular as Passion Flower or maypop, the passiflora reminded pilgrims of yore about the passion or suffering of Christ.

Though its color and outward projecting flower parts suggest an energy so vibrant, this plant is used medicinally for an occasional sleeplessness, anxiety, nervous tension, and restlessness. The presence of this calming herb at the retreat house we went to last month could not have been more appropriate.

The Necessity for Silence

The bus stations are abuzz with commuters jockeying to get seats. It is once again that time of year when families are in a mad rush to destinations that will provide some respite from the drudgery of their day-to-day routines, be off from work, be with family, and enjoy the sights.

I come from a family of modest means and every Holy Week we would pine for that vacation as kids. Some years we would be piled into the car and travel up north and there annex summer memories which are all vivid to this day. But i could also summon from memory the many years we would just stay home while the rest of the world frolicked in beaches, cooled off in the highlands, or visited the countryside. I suspected this was for lack of finances for those which were not the bare necessities. I remember not being allowed to play music and if we were, we would be shushed to keep the music down low. I have an image of my  folks  going about their business in a lowered range of movement, eating little -- even skipping meals. What drudgery i thought.

Today i understand why.

For the renewal of the soul one must remember the Passion of the Christ. For those not bent toward any such tradition --- it still is necessary to break away temporarily from the rest of the world and have that  nourishing time of slowing down and of quieting the soul.