Thought for The Day - Float

A Day in The Water 24 x 30 Oils

Slowing my pace
Easing my mind
Present in this moment alone
The world is a tranquil place
The waves of water carry me along

Nerve endings respond
On impulse
Turning over on my back
and turning my thoughts
from slight panic
To calm acceptance
I float along on my back

Submerge into the depths
Eyes open
But not seeing much more
Than sun illuminated blue
Ears, detecting murky voices
And the sound of water
Close to the eardrums

All is peaceful in this place
There is no hasty schedule to keep
No work deadlines to panic
There is only the peace of floating
In liquid tranquility

Floating upward
The need for reality
And air
Burning in my chest
And mind
Just before I breathe in
I pause
To imagine
If only life could be lived
In these depths!

Thought for The Day - A Sprinkle...

Soul Dance 8 x 11 Colored Pencils

Humidity hangs in the air; in places like Chicago, Houston and New Orleans, on a summer's day? The air feels like you could literally swim through it!! Moisture moves on top of the breeze and heat and makes movement a chore.

Thick air, dank air, dripping moisture across your skin...

There is purpose and meaning all around us. It hangs in the air, in between obligation and the demands of society. It can easily be confused with the question: "what's everyone else doing?" But it lives in the space between bone and marrow, tendon and muscle. If you are willing to acknowledge, it is more powerful than a 100 degree day with 80% humidity! But we seek comfort, sameness and avoid the need screaming from our souls!

Just sit quietly today; just for a few minutes, listen to that cry from your heart. It wants more than seven matching numbers in the Powerball can deliver! It is the true value of your existence, the reason you have been brought to this place.

Thought for The Day - River Flow

Triplicate - 11 x 18 panels (3) Pastels

If you've ever placed your hand, a board, a brick or a sandbag in front of flowing water, you realized how hard it is to prevent it. It doesn't respond to words as we yell it and neither does it change direction. Have you ever paid attention to a drop of water? It works with gravity; put your finger in water, lift it up and watch: the water flows downward every time.

There are so many elements that for all practical purposes, we have little power over. Though its very cold here today, the sun is shining as if it were 90 degrees out! Unless you know the temperature before leaving the house, you might think it's warm and go out the door unprepared for the blast of air that takes your breath away! I considered the many elements, the multiple manifestations of matter that we literally 'swim' in any second of the day and it was near overwhelming! Consider what's happening around you - this is, by no means a comprehensive list:

• right now, you are surrounded by light and energy - whether you are asleep in a dark room or sitting outside, it's flowing around and even "through" you.
• The molecules necessary to produce a rain storm or snow are all around you right now
• You are made of water and so many other elements and molecules
• Right now, your eyes, ears, nose and tongue are working; your body detects temperature, or a comfortable level of humidity. It responds to the air and you decide whether you are comfortable or not. 
• And all of the above - and far more - are evidence of LOVE

Bilal, a singer has a song called: "All Matter;" I'm sure I've mentioned it before. In the chorus he asks the question: "what is love, what is it, what is love, what is it? Cool on the outside hot in the middle, cool on the outside, hot in the middle." Then he suggests "you don't even got to try, all you got to do is realize, you don't even got to try, all you got to do is realize....it's all matter, its all matter...."

Even love, though for all practical definitions is invisible, it is manifest in the physical. We usually think of it in the form of a mother and child or a couple, but God has manifests it in every way possible. From the light, energy and the movement of the universe, all is an expression of LOVE. In response to what you believe is in an absence of it, you might decide to be bitter and "grouchy." You might decide if anyone comes "near you" or tries to be kind to you, you will treat them with contempt and keep them away. But you can no more stop the flow of love than you can a swollen river. The air, the food, even the availability of "inefficient human engineered goods and services" declare LOVE. And whether your food tastes terrible or not, whether someone is "poisoning the air" we breathe, LOVE continues to flow! It flows to you, over you and through you.

You don't even got to try, all you got to do is realize!