Sunday, January 30, 2011

Truth & Dicipline

Wine O'clock.

I finally watched the movie version of "Eat Pray Love" and it was disappointing as I new it would be, except for two things. A song by Eddie Vedder at the end credits and an idea she(the author) calls Quest Physics. It's at the very end of the movie. I don't remember it in the book, but I really like it. I wanted to share it with "all of you".

A force in nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity. The rule of quest physics goes something like this:

If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comfortable which can be anything from your house to bitter old resentments and set out on a truth seeking journey either externally or internally and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, the truth will not be withheld from you


Also, because music is often a "thin place" for me, here are the lyrics to "Better Days" by Eddie Vedder. It's the first song on my playlist.


I feel part of the universe open up to meet me
My emotion so submerged broken down to kneel in
Once listening the voices they came
Had to somehow greet myself read myself
Heard vibrations within my cells in my cells

Singing "Ah-la-ah-ah ah-la-ah-ah"

My love is safe for the universe
See me now I'm bursting
On one planet so many turns
Different worlds

Singing "Ah-la-ah-ah ah-ah-ah-ah ah"

(Spanish guitar solo)

Fill my heart with discipline
Put there for the teaching
In my head see clouds of stairs
Help me as I'm reaching
The future's paved with better days

Not running from something
I'm running towards the day
Wide awake
A whisper once quiet
Now rising to a scream
Right in me

I'm falling free falling
Words calling me
Up off my knees

I'm soaring and darling
You'll be the one that I can need
Still be free

Our future's paved with better days

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Trouble

The Thanksgiving Post was so lovely and fluffy wasn't it?. Ya right.

It's easy when things are going the way you want? All that "unconditional love. the end" stuff of mine. "How much wine is she drinking anyway! you may think. " Well, not enough I say! because I've been in my "monkey mind" repeatedly since then. Remember the Buddhist monkey from my post from 5-3-10. The Buddhists called it the "monkey mind" "the thoughts that swing form limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit and howl." Well I've being swinging with the howling monkey. I thought I had made a narrow escape once. All it took was a day and a half(which I'll never get back), a run, and of course a glass or two of wine. I thought PHEW I escaped. That was going to be my post title "A Narrow Escape" But no, He (the monkey-my buddy) came back again for another ride and I hopped on. I've been on several rides in fact since then.

I thought I was getting wiser, stronger, better at this. Dealing with life and it's adversity. Well, I need to take some of my own medicine. -Oh it's a jagged little pill.-

Today I was really fighting the monkey when I got a nice little kick in the ass from a facebook comment that reminded me:

I control my response to any situation. (the space between)
Don't take things personal
Trust myself.

What a tri-fecta!

It's all pretty tough and it's too early to drink! so I'll just do what Yahweh told me to one day while running on the canal-

"Practice Robin"

Trouble
Don't you see
That in your bed
I find no sleep
I confess you came because of me
Trouble get behind me now
Trouble let me be

Cold wet stone
Deep river bed
Once so clean and clear now runs red
You know to well
Was me that called you here
Trouble get behind me now
Trouble let me be

Oh sweet day
Leave me behind
I will never call on you
Until the day I die
Pray your mercy shine on me
Pray your mercy shine

Here I stand
Head bowed for thee
My empty heart begs you
Leave me be
But I confess
You know too well
That I have fallen
Pray your mercy give to me
Pray your mercy shine
Trouble
Trouble thee
Let your mercy shine

Cold wet stone
River deep and red
Your cold heart beats inside my head
You know too well
It was me that brought you here
Ohhh trouble get behind me now
Trouble let me be
I pray your mercy shine on me
Trouble let me be


Dave Matthews Band

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving: What a beautiful word!

It is wine o'clock and I wanted to share a pray today. It's from a prayer cube given to me by a family member I love and admire! It's one of my favorite prayers and I think it's perfect for Thanksgiving!

Dear God,

thank You for my loved ones, and for choosing me from all others to love and care for them. Fill me with Your Spirit to share Your warmth and love with my dear ones, and bless them with Your joy, peace, and grace. May we come someday as one family to live with You forever in heaven.

Amen

Wow I'm fa-clement! What a great prayer for today! I know sometimes families and loved ones are tough. So many emotions good and sometimes painful. But I'm reminded of a thought I heard in church months ago. Maybe we are with our specific families for a reason. If we have strife with one another maybe that's why we are connected. There is a purpose. Something we need to learn or perhaps teach. Again I come to the answer the wine give me:

Unconditional Love. The end.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Inner Strength

"Inner Strength". What is it? What does it look like? Where does it come from?

Is it staying "true" to yourself" when you're being pushed another way. Is it standing up for what you believe in or for your own wants, needs, or desires in the face of opposition?

Is it "bending" without breaking for the benefit of someone else. Strong enough to put aside your own needs for the needs of someone else?

Is it the ability to compromise for a mutual benefit?

Or is it simply just "keeping on" when you feel weak, tired or like you can't continue?

Is it one of these or all these? And how do you know what and when?

When are you being "true to yourself" and not being selfish?

When is it bending with the strength to not break for the good of someone else or just giving in to someone else will?

  • “Go within every day and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out.”
Katherine Dunham
  • Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.
Arnold Schwarzenegger

  • Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as true strength.
Ralph Sockman

  • When I discover who I am, I'll be free.
Ralph Ellison


Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.


  • All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
Buddha

  • Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair but manifestations of strength and resolution. ~
Kahlil Gibran

Thursday, September 2, 2010

"Thin Places"

Yesterday I was "running"ha ha, in the morning on the canal that backs up to our house. It was about 6:00am and there was a cool breeze blowing. I noticed the sound of the leaves rustling and the way the light reflected off them. I looked at the ripples the breeze created on the water in the canal with the light dancing off them. It was beautiful and peaceful. I was thinking about why. Why did the simple breeze, water and leaves seem so beautiful to me? Why did they create a feeling of peace and calm in me? Maybe it's because these things are of nature and that the light and spirit of God is in them. Something so simple as a cool breeze rustling the leaves of a tree can be so calming and connect us more to ourselves if we take the time to experience it.

That morning was Sept 2nd. Its now Sept 27 and I have just read a chapter in the current book I'm reading.

The Chapter is called Thin Places Opening the Heart. "Thin Places" is a metaphor from Celtic Christianity that began in the fifth century. It's a way of thinking about God that sees God as "the More," as the encompassing Spirit in which everything is. God is not somewhere else, but "right here" This way of thinking affirms that there are minimally two layers or dimensions of reality, the visible world of our ordinary experience and God, the sacred, Spirit.

One of the authors favorite quotations expressing this understanding of God is from Thomas Merton, a twentieth-century Trappist monk:

"Life is simple. We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent, and God is shining through it all the time. This is not just a fable or a nice story. It is true. If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes, and we see it maybe frequently. God shows Himself everywhere, in everything-in people, and in things and in nature and in events. It becomes very obvious that God is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without Him. It's impossible. The only thing is that we don't see it."

The author says occasionally we do "see it", do experience God shining through everything.
"Thin Places" are places where these two levels of reality meet or intersect. He goes on to say that a thin place is anywhere our hearts are opened. A thin place is a means of grace. He says there are many kinds of thin places for example nature, especially wilderness areas, music, poetry, literature, the visual arts, and dance can all become thin places in which the boundary between one's self and the world momentarily disappears.

Wow! This reminds me of that morning I wrote about on Sept 2nd and about so many other moments! It's cool.

There's more about it in the book but one key thing is that the spirit of God operates through "thin places" to open hearts.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

So I was flipping the channels the other nite and I stumbled upon HBO's broadcast of the Rock and Roll hall of fame 25th anniversary.

U2 was the "house band" and they did the following number. Wow! Bono and Mick. (Ferggie's in there too.) This is just a utube clip. It doesn't do it justice. The DVD comes out in September.

Love the BONO and Mick what can you say. Nobody moves like Mick!


Monday, August 23, 2010

"What's the end game?"

So I've been thinking about expanding the "viewability" of this blog and I was getting close to just making it open so anyone who wanted to read could; I mean really, how many people would be interested in reading it anyway! So I was getting brave and getting close to opening it up when I asked someone what they thought. This person said well "What's the end game?" I said, "There isn't an end game." Well what's the point of it? are you connecting it to your work? or anything? I said no. It's personal. Nothing to do with work. Then what's it about? and what's the point of doing it if you don't put it out there?

This got me to thinking why am I doing it? Why does anyone do it? Some to promote their business or to give information or create a business.

Some say it's about a need for validation, or Ego or the Freudian "id"That sounds bad!

So far for me it's just been thoughts, kind of like a journal but usually journals are kept private.

So I've been thinking about this.

For me I think it's about connection and sharing.

Sharing of thoughts, music, feelings- anything and what it's all like at "wineoclock" uninhibited and loopy! Also, maybe validation, but sharing and validation require replies and comments and more thoughts than mine and since I only have two people who can read it that's not happening too much.

So........

Maybe I could open it up and have additional authors that can post their wineoclock thoughts.

I don't know. Even now it's hard for me to click "post"

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Bridge over Troubled Water

I'm reading a book called "Belong to Me " by Marisa de los Santos. It's about what it means for one human being to belong to another. (I know this cause I read it on the jacket cover!)

I just came to a part where one of the main characters, Piper, a woman caring for her best friend Elizabeth, who is dying of cancer listens to her most beloved, best friend in the world sing a lullaby to her two young children. It's the same one she's always sung and now barley has the strength to do. It's "bridge over troubled water" by Simon and Garfunkel. Piper recalls how familiar the song was and how she couldn't believe all the years she spent not realizing that it was about motherhood. I can't believe all the years I've spent not seeing the same thing. It's such a beautiful song and is really be about many different kinds of relationships but I didn't see it in that light. Did you?

I think we all "belong" to many people in our lives and in many important ways. Sometimes in ways we aren't even aware of. That's one reason why I'm not so sure about the agreement (one of the " four agreements") "Don't take things Personal". I know it has it's usefulness. Especially when people are being (insert expletive here). People are coming from their own worlds and so are we. I believe It's in the intersection of the worlds, in the connection of our worlds that we find love, joy, happiness and yes pain, anger, regret, and hurt. I'm not sure if you can separate any of it. Maybe you can if seek to understand the other persons world and accept that it's where they live and have some empathy for them if it's painful all the while accepting that you're world remains as well.

That's a tall order! and yes the wine is flowing. I'm on vacation!

Simon And Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water Lyrics

When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all

I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you

I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way

See how they shine
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind


So I'm so excited I finally figured out how to get a playlist on this thing! Nothing goes better with wine o'clock then great music. It can really get the thoughts going! I'll start with"Grace" for my previous post.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Grace

I was listening to my ipod on the plane home Sunday from the Dallas market and "Grace" by U2 came on. It's such a beautiful song. The lyrics are so poetic (here's the wineo'clock coming out). I came home and found the lyrics. I wish I could figure out how to get a music player on here!

Here's the lyrics anyway. If you don't have the song already I recommended you buy it!

U2 Lyrics - Grace

Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything

Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything

Grace, she carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

I JUST LOVE BONO!

Robin


Music: U2
Lyrics: Bono
Synthesizers/programming: Brian Eno
Additional Guitar: Daniel Lanois
Produced by: Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno
Engineered by: Richard Rainey and Alex Haas
Assisted by: Chris Heaney
Mixed by: Brian Eno

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Sweet baby james

wine o'clock

a glass of wine and james taylor in concert on channel 8 singing Rock a bye sweet baby james. The bose is loud. the music beautiful. James Taylor's voice is so clear and sweet and the guitar is simple and true.

I love it I love it I love it!!!!!

Rob