Bob Ross was the host of a PBS TV show from the eighties called The Joy of Painting. Bob painted landscapes of “happy clouds and happy trees.” Known for his speedy technique, he could finish a landscape in about an hour.
Bob’s fast painting style is very much like our relationship with reality. We paint fast pictures in our minds.
Continue readingHappy New Year. Now What? The last two years have left us wondering what’s next. We’re in a liminal phase waiting for something new to emerge. We hope to cross a threshold to a better room, but we don’t know how, and we don’t know where we’re going.
How do we craft meaningful New Year’s resolutions in the context of so many uncertainties?
According to the internet, the most common resolutions are exercise more, lose weight, get organized, learn a new hobby, live life to the fullest, save money, quit smoking, spend more time with family and friends, travel more, read more. We’ve probably heard these before.
When I hear these resolutions, I conjure an image of God and Lucifer. They go into a bar. God says, “Look at the humans, aren’t they cute? They make the same resolutions year after year, and nothing changes!” Lucifer says, “Hey God, have you heard this one? New Year’s resolutions go in one year and out the other.” God and Lucifer laugh and pony up to the bar.
All kidding aside, are we setting ourselves up for failure with the same old resolutions?
Continue readingFear Not. These words may sound familiar to you if you were raised in the Christian Tradition. The Shepherds are abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night. Suddenly, an angel appears. The shepherds are afraid. Because they are afraid, I’m going to assume that they do what I do when I’m afraid – they overeat and watched bad television.
But wait, the story doesn’t stop with their fear. The angel says, “Put down that peanut butter, put down that remote. Fear not, for behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy.” The angel tells them of the re-birth of the Christ Consciousness – and the shepherds drop the remote control and powerwalk to Bethlehem.
Richard Rohr says that the most common one-liner in the bible is “do not be afraid.” Someone counted and it occurs 365 times. Rumi writes “every day we wake up empty and frightened.” Upon hearing these things, I ask “Have Rumi and the authors of the bible been reading my diary? Or are they reading the collective diary written by humanity on the blank screen of existence?” Metaphorically speaking, probably yes.
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Daily Beloved 