Wednesday, May 24, 2006
THE SUMMER IS BORN
....on the fresh breezes of a sunny Spring day! Today is that day. And tomorrow, Paul D. and I drive north to Phoenicia , New York, around the Woodstock area, for a five day sitting retreat with Robert Thurman and Sharon Salzberg...the subject: Fierce Compassion....the activities: yoga every morning, talks and meditations all day, vegetarian meals and evening quiet times....Menla Retreat Center...photos show me that it is inspirationally gorgeous. I have decided to retreat into my own life today and treat the free day (I have no appointments, for a delicious change), as a threshold day.......what do i mean by a "threshold day"?
Too much of our lives is spent merely passing through...we live so quickly, so actively, so busily, that before we are even well conscious of it, the time has gone by and we are at the end of it...at the end of a day...the end of a week.,.the end of a show...the end of a month..at year's end...and finally; our entire lives are over before we have a chance to savor them....and we ask ourselves: where did the time fly?
So, in recognition of that all too common phenomenon, I have named today a threshold day because i want it to be the doorway into a different sort of consciousness: a step into awakedness, a fall into savoring the delights of each moment as much as possible....I use the words "fall into" because I want this day to mark the start of my letting go of control, of my falling into love with my own life....falling connotes release, and that is what I want...falling also intimates of accident and mistake...falling, as if heading for hurt...which is why i think most of us do not let ourselves fall into our lives...we are scared of being hurt....of being the victims of a good passionate fall...we may skin our knees and bleed....BUT I SAY when we fall , we fall onto clouds! WHEN WE FALL, let us feel confident that we will FLY!
But FLY with grace and gentleness and breath and ability to see what is around us.
SO I want to fall into today....cross the threshold of each moment and be aware...as some Buddhists are aware of walking through everyday doorways: they pause and meditate for a moment after passing through ...it's a meditation practise some use...well, I want today to be that for me....a recognition of doorways...and since each new moment is doorway into the next moment, the entire day is now a threshold day.....
To catch up: yesterday's New School meeting was fabulous..I have rarly worked with such a collaborative group of people, exciting artists all, intent upon shaping a great experience for the lucky 18 attendees of this new Immersion into Musical Theater...Nova Thomas...wow! Keith Buhl, amazing....Chuck Maryan, wonderful...Diane Wondisford, a miracle....and that 16 days of work are going to be lush with creativity...for all concerned. The meeting was productive and the curriculum is shaping well.
THEN: Peter and i were gifted with two House Seats to the most wonderful thing:
ALTAR BOYZ!!!!!! If you have not seen it, GO NOW!!! The most theatrical fun I have had in far too long a time....Peter's school chum Mark Kessler is one of the original conceivers of this wonderful show and as such was able to give us his two seats for last night's show...we were hilariously entertained and came away from the show feeling so great! The ALTAR BOYZ are a fictional Christian (Catholic) boy band and with that premise, these remarkable five yong men tear the stage up with the most delicious singing and dancing and fun...the most refreshing thing about the evening , besides the rhythms and clear gifts of the men, is that the piece knows what it is and embraces itself unabashedly...without trying to be anything else! It has the joy of sheer authenticity, and with its tongue slyly placed in various cheeks, the portrayals are truthful, sweet and deeply , humanly funny. What a relief! To see something really good.
Thank you Mark Kessler!
And to day, the sun is shining and the breezes blow with an insouciance that suggests that it too knows each moment is meant to be savored! So, as Summer comes nearer, let's not be afraid of its heat; let's not shy from its dampness; let's take off our mental clothing and run through the rain! Let's swim through the watermelon sweetness of it all! And wash off the sugar with cool, clear water!
Let's walk through doorways. C'mon!
Too much of our lives is spent merely passing through...we live so quickly, so actively, so busily, that before we are even well conscious of it, the time has gone by and we are at the end of it...at the end of a day...the end of a week.,.the end of a show...the end of a month..at year's end...and finally; our entire lives are over before we have a chance to savor them....and we ask ourselves: where did the time fly?
So, in recognition of that all too common phenomenon, I have named today a threshold day because i want it to be the doorway into a different sort of consciousness: a step into awakedness, a fall into savoring the delights of each moment as much as possible....I use the words "fall into" because I want this day to mark the start of my letting go of control, of my falling into love with my own life....falling connotes release, and that is what I want...falling also intimates of accident and mistake...falling, as if heading for hurt...which is why i think most of us do not let ourselves fall into our lives...we are scared of being hurt....of being the victims of a good passionate fall...we may skin our knees and bleed....BUT I SAY when we fall , we fall onto clouds! WHEN WE FALL, let us feel confident that we will FLY!
But FLY with grace and gentleness and breath and ability to see what is around us.
SO I want to fall into today....cross the threshold of each moment and be aware...as some Buddhists are aware of walking through everyday doorways: they pause and meditate for a moment after passing through ...it's a meditation practise some use...well, I want today to be that for me....a recognition of doorways...and since each new moment is doorway into the next moment, the entire day is now a threshold day.....
To catch up: yesterday's New School meeting was fabulous..I have rarly worked with such a collaborative group of people, exciting artists all, intent upon shaping a great experience for the lucky 18 attendees of this new Immersion into Musical Theater...Nova Thomas...wow! Keith Buhl, amazing....Chuck Maryan, wonderful...Diane Wondisford, a miracle....and that 16 days of work are going to be lush with creativity...for all concerned. The meeting was productive and the curriculum is shaping well.
THEN: Peter and i were gifted with two House Seats to the most wonderful thing:
ALTAR BOYZ!!!!!! If you have not seen it, GO NOW!!! The most theatrical fun I have had in far too long a time....Peter's school chum Mark Kessler is one of the original conceivers of this wonderful show and as such was able to give us his two seats for last night's show...we were hilariously entertained and came away from the show feeling so great! The ALTAR BOYZ are a fictional Christian (Catholic) boy band and with that premise, these remarkable five yong men tear the stage up with the most delicious singing and dancing and fun...the most refreshing thing about the evening , besides the rhythms and clear gifts of the men, is that the piece knows what it is and embraces itself unabashedly...without trying to be anything else! It has the joy of sheer authenticity, and with its tongue slyly placed in various cheeks, the portrayals are truthful, sweet and deeply , humanly funny. What a relief! To see something really good.
Thank you Mark Kessler!
And to day, the sun is shining and the breezes blow with an insouciance that suggests that it too knows each moment is meant to be savored! So, as Summer comes nearer, let's not be afraid of its heat; let's not shy from its dampness; let's take off our mental clothing and run through the rain! Let's swim through the watermelon sweetness of it all! And wash off the sugar with cool, clear water!
Let's walk through doorways. C'mon!
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