Zen

i) Life is a story;
we are charged with forever narrating our existence to ourselves. This makes us- in a way- omnipotent. We knew it when we were kids-
how vividly we could sprout wings (and all other manner of magical appendages), materialize majestic beasts and enchanted cities out of the air.
As we age and busy ourselves with grown-up affairs we
forget this
and leave behind the charms and colours of our imaginations. So as

you write your story
to yourself
about
yourself

take a moment between pages
and
ad lib the impossible.

See, by doing so, you defy universal laws and create a possibility that is as palpable as
ice cream on your tongue.
It may last a second or ten seconds or even a minute, but it feeds your soul.
Regrow your youthful wings. Speak in cello. Invite a Jabberwocky for tea.
(a. You wont regret it)
(b. It is a gift)
(c. Jabberwockies make for very dignified company)


ii) People are constantly evolving. Everyone (and I mean everyone) is growing. As

people evolve

So too must our opinions of people evolve.
Our assumptions. Our unconscious prejudices.
Approach all souls with dignity and grace.
Hear with an open mind (wide, wide open!), and really hear.
People change, oft for the better. In accepting and nurturing the growth within those around us, we

grow ourselves a little bit, too.

iii) Some really very smart people believe that there is no such thing as altruism.
They seek to prove that every act of kindness

every good deed

every sacrifice

is ultimately for our own benefit.
An evolutionary instinct to save our asses in any given situation,
so that we may carry on to have many, many babies that look like us.
They search to find evidence in the belief that all generosity and kindness is built on
pretense, profit, and self-preservation.

They might be right. But if we know it in our hearts to be false we can maintain a world that is
good and pure. Science is brilliant. But sometimes it's bollocks. And

sometimes it's up to us to figure the difference.


iv) Devote a little time every day to appreciate natural beauty.

Whether it be a far-off vista, the ineffable aesthetic of a jagged cliff that tumbles into the ocean (Thank you, Blomidon)

or perhaps....        cherish the architecture that structures the
face
of a person
you love

Allow yourself to be warmed by the beauty, and your eyes to lose their focus.
Breathe in so that the space in your cranium expands upwards and upwards
Til your whole consciousness is a cathedral.

And in that lovely sanctuary, you can find astounding calm and repose. It reminds you of the

bigger picture.