On the chalkboard: September 1, 2008

When Pablo Casals, the cellist, was ninety-one years old, he was approached by a student who asked, “Master, why do you continue to practice?” Casals replied, “Because I am making progress.”
–Norman Doidge, The Brain that Changes Itself, p. 257
(A fascinating, well-written, easy to read book concerning neuroplasticity.)

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on the chalkboard: june 17/08

Everyone you meet comes with a story… You might never know when you walk into a room whether someone has had an invasive procedure, bad news or good news. You must just arrive open–to the situation and the individual before you. That is presence. That stance allows [a person] to be heard.
–Suzanne Darley
from: The Expressive [...]

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on the chalkboard april 13/08

In conviction let me be kind;
In anger let me…burn bright;
In surrender let me be rekindled by pure love.
–Judy Collins
from a preface page in her book, The Seven T’s: Finding Hope and Healing in the Wake of Tragedy, (c) 2007.

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on the chalkboard: april 5/08

“Training in loving-kindness helps us remember it when we most need it. And sometimes, just to remember it is enough to create a turning point within us.”
–Bill Scheffel, Loving Kindness Meditation, (c) 2003, p10.

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On the chalkboard march 17, 2008

While browsing the book of poetry, The Gift, the other evening, I came across the following:
I weave light into words so that
When your mind holds them
Your eyes will relinquish their sadness,
Turn bright, a little brighter, giving to us
The way a candles does
To the dark.
Hafiz, from the poem, I Rain

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on the chalkboard march 1/08

I love the fact that when Clint directs a movie, he never says “Action.” He says calmly, quietly, “When you’re ready.”
–David Gilmour, The Film Club, p. 103, (c) 2007

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on the chalkboard feb 10/08

The beauty of a thing is its depth and meaning being revealed. To perceive that beauty, you need an eye for both appearances and for the invisible radiance of a thing. You also need the capacity to be affected.
~Thomas Moore , from Dark Nights of the Soul, (c) 2004, p. 223

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on the chalkboard jan 27/08: courage

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” –Ambrose Redmoon
What is something in your life right now that feels important to aim for, strive for, fight for, face, or gently let in even though there may be fear?

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this week, on the chalkboard (jan 13/08)

“Let us concern ourselves first and foremost with what it is within us that is struggling to be born.” This comes from Julia Cameron in her excellent book, The Artist’s Way, page 173.
Do you have a sense that there is something in you that is currently struggling to be born? How would you describe it? [...]

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this week, on the chalkboard (jan 3/08)

“One finds enough dropped feathers to build a whole bird.”

This is by Suzanne Buffman from her poem, Two Hands, which is in her book of poetry, Past Imperfect, (c) 2005.

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