I can imagine it, Mary, a glorious forest, we can be it! ❤️
So many synchronicities here, from the Overstory that sits on my own shelf, to Ram Das whose book was one of the first I read when I woke up, to the tree hugging (love the photo!) which was the activity responsible for costing the kids and I a whole hour to comeback from the store because Frankie had to stop and hug every. single. tree.
I’ve also added your book in my cue to order.
Btw, I remember an anecdote that Ram Das shared about being pulled over by a cop while driving and when the cop came over to write the citation, Ram Das greeted him with “hello, brother” and broke the spell of the pre contextual relationship the two were supposed to have. I think of that often. How in society it’s hard to break from the roles we’re playing and just look upon each other as humans. Underneath the costumes we put on to signify what we are and what status we hold is the light that informs who we are.
Thanks for writing such a grounding post. Beautiful. ❤️
Remember those plaques that used to hang in the kitchens of many bustling households? Truly, for a householder, the blessing is in the mess of it all, as you so beautifully describe.
For me, motherhood was a monastery. I began practicing meditation twice daily at home when my children were young --that was the easy part. Maintaining a peace loving attitude while being challenged by those rascally little monks was the real spiritual curriculum that taught me everything I needed to know to grow my soul.
This quotation by Ram Dass captures the curriculum perfectly for me now as I work with people every day:
"I help people as a way to work on myself, and I work on myself to help people.”
Thank you for the abundance of wisdom you share with us,Mary!
Beautiful reflection. I loved 'The Overstory!' And I have a lifelong history of loving trees. I wrote a piece long ago on growing up in a tree. Which was a mimosa tree in my backyard. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in it. It was without a doubt my best friend. Yes, trees are very much intelligent and loving and we treat them like things!
When I say some of my best friends are tress I mean it.
I read a lot of Ram Dass in my twenties and thirties. Being here now, in a body, is where all the action is. It's a tremendous gift. It is odd indeed how many of us attempt to escape it via 'spiritual' practices. (No small thing getting here!)
These aspects - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual - are designed to operate together. Our separating them is out, must ultimately lead to an integration or we miss the larger point.
Thank you, Mary. Very wise and uplifting essay. Love that pic!
Well, Mary, you can only imagine how much I loved this. Especially the last line. I believe it will happen. And this - "I want to be more and more like a tree: travel in stillness; rest in action; and help others. Here. Now." 💚
I laugh out loud every time Grammarly tries to change he or she to "it" when I'm writing about an animal or a plant. They are sentient beings, just like we humans.
I'm a little reticent to admit that I had a really hard time loving that book. Me, the Tree-Lover. I might have to revisit it one day.
While community is essential, I think we are all different in how much we need it, and it can change over time. In my elder years, solitude has helped me grow by leaps and bounds. I don't really have a strong likeminded community here yet and I annoy the friends I do have by declining a lot of their social offers. There are a lot of lonely elders, for sure, and that is sad. Perhaps they're the Libras or the Leos, two of the more social signs. Or the Cancers for who family is everything. We're all so different, and yet, yes, we are social beings.
Anyway, I'm rambling now. Beautiful post, Mary. 🌲🌲🌲 💚
Just as The Powers that Shouldn’t Be try to divide us as individuals from each other, I believe they work harder at dividing us from our true selves. Creating havoc by encouraging, no demanding, that we focus on ONE aspect of ourselves (mostly physical) and forget the rest. I finally understood that the physical, emotional, mental AND spiritual pieces of me are ONE, not separate. Be Here Now helped me on that journey of realization. I find that My purpose is to help others realize the same with Love. ❤️
Amidst the present world's rising tide filling the global bowl of cosmic soup your capacity to capture the essence of many of the recipe's amazingly profound ingredients.
From this backdrop all of the earth thus creation has a primary creator who's master design for all human kind was always a fragile balance of spiritual dominion absent any and all human domination.
In this state the art of stewardship exceeds our fallen state of mind to remind us that being human is what the Creator had always had in his heart and mind for not just the earthly ingredients of the soup but for humankind as well.
Thanks for this beautiful piece. I love the Gandhi quote (it is the kind of life I try to lead)...and The Hidden Life of Trees - that is right up my alley, and I have placed an order for this book!
Gorgeous 💜 that Ghandi quote for me. Reading island of missing trees right now and the narration of the fig tree alongside the young woman is so beautiful.
Aug 20·edited Aug 20Liked by Mary Poindexter McLaughlin
Oh yeah!!
The gradual realisation that the sense - even if ultimately illusory - of being 'physical' and 'separate' enables a ton of learning that can't happen otherwise. And that protesting the difficulties down here is just egotistical. I'm already preparing for my next visit!
Earth
I can imagine it, Mary, a glorious forest, we can be it! ❤️
So many synchronicities here, from the Overstory that sits on my own shelf, to Ram Das whose book was one of the first I read when I woke up, to the tree hugging (love the photo!) which was the activity responsible for costing the kids and I a whole hour to comeback from the store because Frankie had to stop and hug every. single. tree.
I’ve also added your book in my cue to order.
Btw, I remember an anecdote that Ram Das shared about being pulled over by a cop while driving and when the cop came over to write the citation, Ram Das greeted him with “hello, brother” and broke the spell of the pre contextual relationship the two were supposed to have. I think of that often. How in society it’s hard to break from the roles we’re playing and just look upon each other as humans. Underneath the costumes we put on to signify what we are and what status we hold is the light that informs who we are.
Thanks for writing such a grounding post. Beautiful. ❤️
“Bless this Mess”
Remember those plaques that used to hang in the kitchens of many bustling households? Truly, for a householder, the blessing is in the mess of it all, as you so beautifully describe.
For me, motherhood was a monastery. I began practicing meditation twice daily at home when my children were young --that was the easy part. Maintaining a peace loving attitude while being challenged by those rascally little monks was the real spiritual curriculum that taught me everything I needed to know to grow my soul.
This quotation by Ram Dass captures the curriculum perfectly for me now as I work with people every day:
"I help people as a way to work on myself, and I work on myself to help people.”
Thank you for the abundance of wisdom you share with us,Mary!
Beautiful reflection. I loved 'The Overstory!' And I have a lifelong history of loving trees. I wrote a piece long ago on growing up in a tree. Which was a mimosa tree in my backyard. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in it. It was without a doubt my best friend. Yes, trees are very much intelligent and loving and we treat them like things!
When I say some of my best friends are tress I mean it.
I read a lot of Ram Dass in my twenties and thirties. Being here now, in a body, is where all the action is. It's a tremendous gift. It is odd indeed how many of us attempt to escape it via 'spiritual' practices. (No small thing getting here!)
These aspects - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual - are designed to operate together. Our separating them is out, must ultimately lead to an integration or we miss the larger point.
Thank you, Mary. Very wise and uplifting essay. Love that pic!
Well, Mary, you can only imagine how much I loved this. Especially the last line. I believe it will happen. And this - "I want to be more and more like a tree: travel in stillness; rest in action; and help others. Here. Now." 💚
I laugh out loud every time Grammarly tries to change he or she to "it" when I'm writing about an animal or a plant. They are sentient beings, just like we humans.
I'm a little reticent to admit that I had a really hard time loving that book. Me, the Tree-Lover. I might have to revisit it one day.
While community is essential, I think we are all different in how much we need it, and it can change over time. In my elder years, solitude has helped me grow by leaps and bounds. I don't really have a strong likeminded community here yet and I annoy the friends I do have by declining a lot of their social offers. There are a lot of lonely elders, for sure, and that is sad. Perhaps they're the Libras or the Leos, two of the more social signs. Or the Cancers for who family is everything. We're all so different, and yet, yes, we are social beings.
Anyway, I'm rambling now. Beautiful post, Mary. 🌲🌲🌲 💚
Just as The Powers that Shouldn’t Be try to divide us as individuals from each other, I believe they work harder at dividing us from our true selves. Creating havoc by encouraging, no demanding, that we focus on ONE aspect of ourselves (mostly physical) and forget the rest. I finally understood that the physical, emotional, mental AND spiritual pieces of me are ONE, not separate. Be Here Now helped me on that journey of realization. I find that My purpose is to help others realize the same with Love. ❤️
Another inspiring, beautiful and tear-inducing Sunday morning read! You are a bright light Mary. Thank you. ❤️
Amidst the present world's rising tide filling the global bowl of cosmic soup your capacity to capture the essence of many of the recipe's amazingly profound ingredients.
From this backdrop all of the earth thus creation has a primary creator who's master design for all human kind was always a fragile balance of spiritual dominion absent any and all human domination.
In this state the art of stewardship exceeds our fallen state of mind to remind us that being human is what the Creator had always had in his heart and mind for not just the earthly ingredients of the soup but for humankind as well.
I am your fellow tree, Mary...
Thanks for this beautiful piece. I love the Gandhi quote (it is the kind of life I try to lead)...and The Hidden Life of Trees - that is right up my alley, and I have placed an order for this book!
I LOVED this, Mary! Thank you! How do you come up with these ideas to write about? You are really inspired. No doubt about it.
XOX
Gorgeous 💜 that Ghandi quote for me. Reading island of missing trees right now and the narration of the fig tree alongside the young woman is so beautiful.
So very good. Reading Overstory now
Oh yeah!!
The gradual realisation that the sense - even if ultimately illusory - of being 'physical' and 'separate' enables a ton of learning that can't happen otherwise. And that protesting the difficulties down here is just egotistical. I'm already preparing for my next visit!
Beautiful writing, as ever....
XOX