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coffee

For me, every morning is a coffee morning. A delicious, full-bodied coffee morning. You, too? Yesterday I was supposed to buy more coffee. Lately I’ve been buying Ethiopian Harrar coffee. Waiting in line though always leaves ample time to be swayed because the person(s) in front of me usually have a dialogue going with the “coffee expert”, behind the counter. So instead of having Ethiopian Harrar in mind, I begin to consider switching. Ah, but switching can be a problem. What if their tastes are entirely different from mine? “Be a sport,” I tell myself, “try it.” And so it goes until it’s my turn. By the time I reach the counter the choice can go either way, and it usually depends on nothing really, whatever comes to mind at the time.

However, yesterday I didn’t buy coffee, and this morning there was only about two tablespoons left – enough for a small French Press. Perfect! I measured two tablespoons of coffee into the French Press. But the French Press was filled with the water I’d forgotten to heat. And there floated the two tablespoons of coffee in the cold water. www.sweetmarias.com/prod.brewers.frenchpress.shtml

Tea is fine, too, but a delicious, full-bodied cup of coffee is a very nice way to start the day.

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a ride along the hudson river

The river changes all the time, and when you take the Metro Hudson train from Manhattan either at 125th Street or Grand Central, you’ll see it in all its splendor. Watch as you travel; it’s a perfect winter scene. If you have to walk through all the cars to get a seat by the river, it’s worth the effort. Perhaps there’s an artist in you waiting to be discovered, and perhaps the river will uncover it. Trying to make a decision? Think only of the river’s beauty as you ride along, forget everything else. That grand river changes from stop to stop. Closer to Manhattan it flows slowly, continue on and it’s rushing, then suddenly there are large blocks of ice all askew on the Hudson’s surface. What a grand site. It leaves a lot to the rider’s imagination. Let nature work its magic on you.

Poughkeepsie is the last stop on the Hudson Line. When you get off at any one of the towns you can either take a $5.00 (usually) taxi ride to the main area, or, if you want to walk, ask someone to direct you to the main part of town, depending on the town, buses are not always around. There are times when it’s nice to stay around the river, and that depends on the design of the town. You might want to get off at Cold Spring, or Beacon for the galleries, antique shops, charming restaurants or to simply take in a new place. The trains run fairly often as you’ll see on the Hudson Line schedule. No need to rush though. If you’ve bought a ticket to one destination and want to go to another, then just get off and explore. And the bonus – you begin to shake off the stress of the big city. Feeling more relaxed yet? Notice no one is rushing? You’ve left all that behind. Ah, take a big deep breath and enjoy. Perhaps you’ll see a B&B, and who knows, you’ll decide to walk in and stay the night. No toothbrush, no toothpaste, no stress – just an exquisite feeling of freedom. www.mta.info/mnr

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at goodwill

Marisa, a friend of mine, wanted to go to the local Goodwill shop. It seems that in the past year whenever she’d compliment someone on a jacket or blouse, they’d say they got it at Goodwill. It’s not where Marisa usually buys her clothes, but finally she had to see for herself what was going on there, and perhaps pick up a designer piece for a pittance. Off we went. And as we entered the shop, we both said, “Not bad, not bad at all.” And soon after that, a knee-length, light, mustard-colored spring coat for $7.50 started calling to me. It had a Christian Dior label. It wasn’t in its prime, but something about it said, “buy me. I still look pretty good, and I’ll show you how I can fit in with the other things hanging in your closet.” So, I bought it because it has great style and the material flows so nicely.

However, my usually very accommodating and nice Korean seamstress at the cleaners clearly didn’t see it that way. Her face scrunched up when I took it out of the bag. “you buy that?” she said. “Lots of holes, dirty.” Actually, it had a tiny hole where a Goodwill employee had put a tag and it was a little frayed and slightly dirty at the cuffs. “And that’s why I’m here.” I explained to her. Her face was still scrunched when she picked it up for more inspection, and said, “Hem no good.” We looked together and it turns out the lining needed to be tacked under the arm. She sent an exasperated sigh my way. Really, I wasn’t prepared to have to defend my newly-acquired coat, but was determined that somehow that coat was going to leave in better shape than the way it came in. I smiled and walked out wondering whether I’d left it in the hands of the right person. I’ll find that out tomorrow. And Marisa, she didn’t find a designer piece for a pittance, but she’s ready to return because she knows “It’s all about the timing.”

One day in Raleigh, Michael and I tried to leave a few bags of clothes at Goodwill at the area where donations are accepted, and discovered that that huge space was jam packed with boxes and bags, and couldn’t handle any more donations. Often new and unused items-beautiful things worn only a few times or used only a few times-are given away. It’s possible to find something that calls out to you, “buy me. I’m just what you need.” What’s that they say? – One man’s _________ is another man’s ________ .

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quibbling

There are many remarkable things to learn in the awe-inspiring world we live in. When you turn on the computer and you see a photo and writeup of a “celebrity” quibbling over a petty matter, time after time after time, do you ever want to ask, what exactly is the problem? Then again, maybe it’s just a form of entertainment; entertainment does take many different forms.
www.rosie.com

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manly p. hall

Manly P. Hall in The Secret Teachings of All Ages wrote about an extraordinary happening at the signing of the Declaration of Independence in which, when it was time to sign, there was a hesitation on the part of many of the signers “realizing they could be putting their life on the line….”
www.prs.org/mphbio.htm www.prs.org

Out of the blue a stranger appeared and began talking. The listeners were mesmerized by what he was saying. And “his stirring words ended with the cry, “God has given America to be free!” The listeners were overcome with emotion and “rushed forward” to sign the Declaration of Independence. After which the stranger was nowhere to be found. Manly P. Hall wrote that this was not the the first incident “when strange unknown men suddenly appeared just in time for the creation of some new nation.”
The world – it seems it’s not what it seems.

Quest Books at 240 East 53rd Street in Manhattan had some of Manly P. Hall’s books. When I read the above for the first time at Quest Books, a chill ran up my spine. www.questbookshop.com

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le rendez vous in vilcabamba

This time of the year, when it’s bone chilling cold, I sometimes think of Isabella and Serge from France, and Le Rendez Vous, the place they lovingly built in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. I happened upon Le Rendez Vous one day when I was out walking. There’s no effort involved in finding anything in Vilcabamba since everything extends not too far from the town square. It’s a different story when you’re searching for a friend’s house in the mountains.

When I found Le Rendez Vous, I was staying at a charming place called Hostal Jardin Escondido. Then one day I heard a bell ring in my mind telling me it was time to leave Jardin Escondido for other experiences. I walked past the wall surrounding Isabella and Serge’s place and peeked in. “Very nice,” I thought. That day I said goodbye to the friendly staff at Jardin Escondido and to the acquaintances I’d met, laughed with and dined with, and walked my suitcase to the lovely room waiting for me at Le Rendez Vous. Chairs and a table were set in front of every room’s window, and in the morning Isabelle’s freshly-baked bread and delicious coffee would be served, along with fresh fruit or a freshly-squeezed fruit drink.. There were avocado, mango, lemon, bamboo trees, big wonderful plants surrounding Le Rendez Vous, and there were the beautiful mountains. What a tranquil scene it was. And guests can buy a chicken, potatoes, and veggies from the little local grocery store, wrap it all in foil and throw it onto the coals in the pit on the grounds. How good it is. There you are at night, under the stars, enjoying the food, and laughing with strangers. Isabella and Serge said that they travelled all over South America before returning to Vilcabamba. Every time they thought of VIlcabamba, they were pulled back to its tranquility and beauty. Eventually they returned to build their dream place. www.rendezvousecuador.com

One day I’ll go back. I’ve no doubt about that. And there, I hope will be, along with Le Rendez Vous, El Punto restaurant, La Tarraza for lunch, the enjoyable walk to Madre Tierra for lunch or dinner, the enjoyable walk to Izhcayluma for lunch or dinner, Shanta’s Bar, Mandango for hiking, beautiful Podocarpus National Park, Rumi Wilco Eco lodge for nature, the faces of the happy children, the Book Exchange up the road, where perhaps there’s another copy of “THE PANAMA HAT TRAIL” a very funny book which was left by a traveler at the Book Exchange. There’s got to be a few other things I’ve forgotten, but will happily remember when I get there. And I’ll apologize to Nora who tried, oh how she tried, to teach me Spanish. I’ll do better next time, Nora. Yes, it’s all good! Right!
www.madretierra1.com
www.izhcayluma.com
www.rumiwilco.com
www.thebestofecuador.com/pnodo.htm

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a few simple words

Lately I’ve been thinking about some simple words and how nicely they were put together. They are:

“Two men looked out from prison bars.
One saw mud the other saw stars.” -anonymous

These simple words convey an awesome message. I wonder, who wrote them, when were they written, and what inspired them.

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this old building

I hear many different sounds and noises in the place where I’m living at the moment. The couple upstairs and I keep similar night-owl hours. For me that’s a good thing, because she likes running in her apartment. And even though she’s not light-footed, it’s not annoying. It strikes me as whimsical to run in your apartment when you’re an adult. Besides, I know I have dues to pay because when my children were young, they often ran around our apartment with a soccer ball at their feet, especially Michael who didn’t seem able to move without one. Our downstairs neighbors, three different ones in the time we were there, never complained and always smiled and spoke when they saw us, but now I know how it must have felt.

One day in this old building, my sweet next door neighbor developed bronchitis and coughed the night away. At first I couldn’t place where it was coming from, but when she left for four days all was quiet on the coughing front. On her return it began again. I would have brought her a cup of tea, anything to help the cough, but I know her apologies would never have stopped had she thought she was disturbing anyone. This sound had to be waited out.

Six days a week the office phones ring loud and clear downstairs. Some sounds are easily heard – voices are a murmur, but a laugh is clear. And the pipes in this old building always communicate when they’re working. It’s easy to get used to the pipe noises, but it’s jarring at 3am when someone turns on the shower. And no one can ever sneak into this building. The stairs are old and squeaky and always announce someone’s arrival.

Colin Wilson wrote about Ouspensky in one of his books. He wrote that Gurdjieff had taught Ouspensky about self-remembering. It’s about being aware of yourself and at the same time being aware of what you’re looking at. Ouspensky would walk around St. Petersburg in Russia late at night, and practice self-remembering by noting buildings, small objects, etc. The more he practiced the more he felt that these things were aware of him. After awhile he could sense their history. He said, “they were living beings, full of thoughts, feelings, moods and memories.” That’s when he “learned that everything indeed has a spirit. . . .”

And so, this old building has a feel of its own. What is its history? What are the secrets it’s keeping? Who are the people who built it? Sometimes when you enter a building there’s a feeling of something not being quite right. This one feels right at the moment. And even though I’m not able to sense its history, I’m thinking that perhaps it had a good one.
www.gurdjieff.org/foundation.htm
www.ouspensky.info

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a world of contrasts

Yesterday while reading the New York Times it suddenly dawned on me what a world of contrasts ours is. There was a photo of a child lying on his side at a Mozambique clinic, and under the photo it said he had malaria. It went on to say that, “In Africe, the disease kills 3,000 children each day.” On the next page was a photo of a fisherman on the Nile in Cairo. Under the photo were the words, “men like him live by their wits and earn a few dollars on a good day.” And there were similar photos. Then I noticed the ads of beautiful products by Prada, Chanel, Mikimoto, Tiffany & Co., Coach, Gucci, etc. next to the photos. At that moment those ads alongside the photos seemed completely inappropriate. But we accept these contrasts. We see them, but we really don’t – except when something nudges us to see beyond the newspaper page.

Many families dine with the TV and its news of homicide, mayhem, war-torn bodies, children with guns. Eating and watching and listening to this must do something to the spirit of the one watching. And so this is the other side of the coin – seeing, but unable to help.

I know I’m not going to Mozambique, or the Nile to see if I can somehow make a change. But then, these kinds of photos continue to remind us of the vast numbers of people in the world who suffer day after day without any hope of change coming any time soon.

In The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, there’s a chapter called Always Do Your Best. Maybe that’s an answer. Wherever we find ourselves, in whatever situation we’re in at the time, if we always do our best we’re contributing to helping the world. And one day, if we find ourselves able to help on a mass scale, we’ll step up and do our best – wherever we are; we do our best.
www.miguelruiz.com

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kurosawa

It’s a new month. What will it bring? What do you want it to bring? I’m going to sit here for a few minutes, and think about one thing to do this month that I’ve not done before. That shouldn’t be difficult based on the choices we have in this wonderful world. I just remembered why I’m thinking this way; it’s getting clearer as I go along. I saw Akira Kurosawa’s great movie Ikiru. To be honest, it’s probably not for everyone, but that can be said about most movies. Maybe some people will think it’s too slow. Keep in mind though that the way it unfolds is its beauty. If you’re used to fast-paced movies that leave your mind on edge, and in a fog sometimes, Ikiru could be a delightful change. There’s one scene that will remain in my memory for a long time; it’s simple and beautiful, a different kind of beauty that’s not easy to describe.

While I’m thinking about the month of March, maybe you’ll think about getting the movie. I have a feeling you’ll find your own reasons for enjoying it. www.akirakurosawa.info