Escalator of life...

Let's face it, sometimes we all have days like this...where we can't see our way out of a problem.

But try to look for what's possible outside your current thinking. And above all, keep moving...

If a tree falls in the forest...

I can't remember where I heard it... but love this bit...

"If a man makes an argument in a forest but his wife isn't there to hear it, is he still wrong?"

Expected/Unexpected: White van

I have to admit, there is something about a white van that really creeps me out. Any time there is a crime involving an abduction, it seems a white van is always involved. That said, I recognize a lot of businesses have white work vechicles...

Expected: A standard white truck with black lettering to identify the company name - located in Manhattan's Greenmarket. Nothing suspect here.

Unexpected: This "Homeland Security" white van in West Village is totally suspect. Seriously, c'mon, if someone pulled me over and told me to get into this van, I'd run for my life (no doubt they get this a lot even if they are legit). It looks as though they hand-drew the name with black magic marker. Is it just me or does this vehicle look ridiculous without any kind of real government identification?

Just sayin'...

Earth Hour is tomorrow. March 31st, 8:30pm.

Don't forget to switch off your lights for climate change!!

Path with a heart

A young person just starting her career spoke to me recently about feeling as though she was not "on her right path". I hear this a lot. I wish I could have shared this passage with her. Perhaps it might have eased her discomfort in knowing that by asking one simple question, the path to take can become a little clearer...

“Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey, as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.”

Don Juan to Carlos Casteneda:

“But how do you know when a path has no heart don Juan?”

“Before you embark on it you ask the question: ‘Does this path have a heart?’ If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path.”

“But how will I know for sure whether a path has a heart or not?”

“Anybody would know that. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when someone finally realizes that they have taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill them. At that point very few people can stop to deliberate, and leave the path.”

“How should I ask the question properly don Juan, . . . so I would not lie to myself and believe the answer is yes when it really is no?”

“Why would you lie?”

“Perhaps because at the moment the path is pleasant and enjoyable.”

“That is nonsense. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with a heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.”

- The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, Carlos Castaneda, 1968