Newsletter 46

Hello all. Welcome to a new week. I hope you are staying safe; staying strong, and staying well. This week my 5 interests included coping mechanisms for a stressful time, the best bass players in the universe, and more. Hope you find something of interest. Have a great weekend!

1. St. Francis and the Sow by Galway Kinnell, a poem that speaks of self-blessing. We all need to remember our essential nature and focus on self-compassion during these trying times.

A classmate of Galway Kinnell, also a poet; is the poet laureate, W.S. Merwin. He is quoted here, “The world is still here, and there are aspects of human life that are not purely destructive, and there is a need to pay attention to the things around us while they are still around us. And you know, in a way, if you don’t pay that attention, the anger is just bitterness.” W.S. Merwin

I like to write prose and poetry; a sample, my poem: Gratitude.

“To S.T.O.P and pay attention to what is happening in the moment is one way of snapping out of … fixations. It is also a reasonable definition of meditation.” Stephen Batchelor

2. Some of the bass players who have blown my mind with their phenomenal chops. Renaud Garcia Fons, Dave Holland, Stanley Clarke, Dave Young, Michael Moore, and Buster Williams. I mention these bassists as I have seen them all performing in concert and each one has moved me with their stirring performances. I spent the week enjoying and reminiscing on the where and the when, of these amazing performances.

3.) RIP Ennio Morricone; I loved his music, it made some of the movies of my youth so much better. Rest in Power Joe Porcaro, fantastic jazz drummer and patriarch to the Porcaro musical family. The family, that mostly comprised the pop band, TOTO. Rest in Peace Nick Cordero; Hamilton, Ontario born; Broadway star. Tony-nominated star of “Bullets Over Broadway” succumbed to Covid-19, my deepest condolences to his family.

4. For the kids in all of us, I spent time learning how birds; especially weaver birds, weave their nests. The kids should see this, and I learned something too.

On the subject of kids, and meditation; it’s all about practice. Just show up. A wonderful site with plenty of bite-size pieces; things to do and things to see, for all the curious minds out there.

5. Speaking of meditation; I use the word meditation to imply the activities to unify one’s life and the whole world. Can you find a better time to be a practitioner of some form of mindfulness? I practice Tohei style Ki Development; as mentioned in my previous newsletter, and one of the basic principles is to relax completely. Relaxation, deep breathing, and cold showers — all while maintaining the one point in the abdomen.

Thanks for reading, if you think someone you know would like my newsletter please share it with them. If you’re looking for a great children’s book, check out my book, Samba on a Snowy Day.

Please consider a contribution to our next book project by buying me a coffee (in a ceramic mug), swing by Ko-fi.com. Every coffee helps out during these challenging times.

Check out my blog, follow the link, sign in. Get the weekly newsletter in your inbox, no spam I promise.