2020 Vision

2020 Vision
On looking forward into the new year


Time to Survey

I’ve been over the waterfall
Of discovery
In a kayak.
Exhilarating and terrifying
Together.

In the rapids
At the bottom of the falls
I shake off the terror
To navigate new movement
That demands full attention.
Time is quick
To avoid the rocks
As they appear.

Quieting now,
A landscape comes into view
Beyond the bend of the river
That flows beneath me.
I feel the current that guides me
To the unknown,
Carrying the creatures within
And on its surface as it flows
Toward its destination,
The almighty ocean.

This landscape invites me
To disembark,
To explore on land,
What new adventures await.
What new challenges will lead me to parts unknown?
Time to survey the landscape.
C. Scribner ©1/27/20

The path ahead is unknown, but I look forward to seeing it unfold.


Master Vision for 2020

I am living in a small community that is in a place of natural, unspoiled beauty. It’s environmentally clean. I am an herbalist within a wellness center that participates in multi modalities of health. I have a husband who can match me for philosophical and spiritual understanding, who prioritizes health for both of us and for the community. Creative pursuits will be supported and appreciated in this community.

Let it be so!

My brain has been hijacked by healing.

Soft underbelly

When my furry pal turns over because she trusts me,
Shows me her soft parts
Allowing me to stroke her lovingly,
She tells me that this is safe.

She luxuriates in the warmth of my touch,
The love that she knows
She shares with me.

How intimate is this connection
That we can share with a creature
So unlike, and so like ourselves.

When we have moments
Of simple clarity
Through pain, or joy
Sometimes
We can turn over
To expose our inner underbellies
With one another.

Pure bliss.
C. Scribner © 1/25/20


Have you ever spent time with Apple support on the phone? Yes? 3 1/2 hours? This is a success story.

Preparing for a marathon technology intervention, I assembled the five devices that needed my attention. Each device had issues.
1. My iPhone 6s
2. My MacBook Air
3. My iPad Gen 4
4. His iPad Gen 3
5. His iPhone 5

Now, I don’t suffer fools gladly. And, not being a fool myself, I don’t suffer well when treated as a fool. So when technology geeks begin with the question, “Is it plugged in?”, the clock is ticking on my patience. I have perhaps 10 minutes left.

Two hours into the conversation with Alan (the Apple tech), I found myself saying, “When all this is over, I think we might become good friends.” Say, what? Did I hear that right?! Hmmm... what’s going on here?

The short answer? My brain has been hijacked. Oh, and four of the five problems have been solved. The fifth... well, put it down to planned obsolescence. Nothing I can do about that.

My brain has been hijacked by healing. What? At my age? Well, yes. It’s possible. A year ago, encountering Alan at Apple would have decimated my day, or my week. This time, I completed the call tired, but satisfied. How did this happen?

Well, I’ll tell you. Simply put, I’ve been rewired. The brain circuits that quickly got fried when confronted by frustration now have a higher Om reading. Let me explain: unlike actual physical circuitry, which has limits of [conductivity] that are rated in [ohm], brain circuitry is what is called “plastic”, which in this context means moldable, changeable, healable. Able to be improved. Yes, improved, even at retirement age!

How to do that?

Food. Meditation. Reflection. Connection. Let’s unpack that.

First, sugar and flour are more addictive than cocaine and heroin, respectively. Sorry, yes. The brain research done by those in the know, namely, brain scientists, proves it through using PET scans of brain activity, and the like. I stopped eating it.

Second, daily meditation is free, quick (5 minutes some days) and not scary at all.

Third, a daily writing habit is 20 minutes. Finding clarity is priceless.

Finally, connection is more satisfying than I ever imagined. Finding a small group of people who are committed to one another’s growth has conferred inner riches to each of us. I am eternally grateful. And so are the techs on the other end of the line, who can end the conversation by saying, “It’s been a pleasure talking to you today”, and I believe it.

“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

Musings from the Point of Change

Musings from the Point

Point of Change

6/10/16

On the way to “The Point” on the Marginal Way, at the edge of the ocean in Ogunquit, Maine

A restless night had me evaluating who I am in life and where I want to go for the rest of it. I happened upon the film “Father of Lights” on Netflix in the middle of the night that reveals what can manifest when a person takes the risk to love another actively, with the love of God. A “word of wisdom” as described in the Gospels… A healing through the laying on of hands… How simple and how profound. The promise that Jesus’ disciples will do the same and more of the kinds of miracles that he did while he walked the planet is clear and directive. I already know the power of healing through connection with God. Where will this take me?

At the same time, I felt a groundswell (intentionally used) of connection to the natural world, a sense that the Earth is holy and that the plants and the animals on it all are part of the life that is God. I want to participate in this, to grow and to bless what the earth produces and then to use it to bless others through herbalism. Could this be the nexus for using writing, storytelling, gardening and therapy skills? Maybe getting a PhD in psychology is not the way to go for me. Maybe herbalism is.

·        Complete Illustrated Guide To The Holistic Herbal: A Safe And Practical Guide To Making And Using Herbal Remedies, by David Hoffmann

(Please Note: The 2002 edition is preferred, 1999 version is also OK. Earlier versions may be used if you already have them.)

·         Rosemary Gladstar’s Recipes for Vibrant Health, Rosemary Gladstar

(formerly published as The Family Herbal)

·         Botany in a Day, by Thomas J. Elpel

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Birthright

This is from my writing this morning: Thomas Merton said that our job is not to examine whether a person is worthy of love before offering it, but to offer it nonetheless. The love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.

Birthright

From a place of limitless love, let me be free.
Free to share that love, without first checking whether it should be applied.

Let me let it flow.
Let it be the language of my actions and the forgiveness of my thoughts.
Let me give it without restriction.
If I feel rejection, let me return love.
If I feel judged, let me return love.

Expressed without anxiety
Or the expectation of return,
Let me exude love
From an abundance
That is
Birthright.

Living with memory,
Past slights,
Fear of rejection,
Anticipating division,
All this
Healed through the sharing
Of love.

Love anyway.
Love always.
C. Scribner © 1/7/20

Unanticipated, isn’t it, that ordinary days become extraordinary in the simplest of ways, by a change in thought, capturing of memory, a chance meeting, a bit of conversation. What has changed? It’s perception, subtle, easily overlooked. Being present allows a little time for a breath between action and reaction.