Life, on the rocks

Joshua Tree

teach me how we bend before we break

Angels Landing • Zion National Park

turn that frown upside-down

a river cuts through rock not because of its power but because of its persistence ⠀⠀⠀JAMES N. WATKINS

in the dark (reprise)

sometimes, you can’t see the light sometimes, the light is so subtle you have to close your eyes and feel its effervescence to know that it’s there

reverie (a haiku)

SUNDIAL (a haiku)

Joshua Tree

• Tahoe National Forest • CA

CONTROLLED BURN (a haiku)

o’ you mighty trees do not fear the blazing fire that burns within me ––––––––––––––––––––– the forest is such a beautiful place to practice – with the tall and unwavering trees, the blades of grass that bend with ease, and the leaves who flow in the gentle breeze. out here, i practice and am humbled by the presence of the masters

teach me

teach me to be unwavering, steadfast in my ground yet bend and recover when the need comes around teach me to flow gently in the cool, summer breeze

Joshua Tree

Bishop, CA

Golden Repair

I read about this Japanese art form, Kintsukuroi or “Golden Repair,” that involves repairing broken pottery with a lacquer resin that’s dusted or mixed with powdered gold (or other likewise precious metals). The finished product is a pottery piece that has been returned to its original form, but now with streaks of gold abounding–creating a beautiful, intricate web throughout its structure.

I find this practice to be so inspired; to patch and repair the broken pieces with something that is not only beautiful but vibrant, difficult to ignore. Sometimes, the parts that have been broken are the parts that need the most light and love shed upon them. We are be fragile beings at times, but our resilience is beautiful and should be recognized.

Someday, you may find yourself broken down, shattered. Be strong, and fill in the cracks with something beautiful.