May
   2006   

Spring Morning in Red Bluff, California

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May 1,  Monday,  2006

"Eden is that old-fashioned House
We dwell in every day
Without suspecting our abode
Until we drive away."
-   Emily Dickinson

Walking and Taijiquan at daybreak.  Teach my new student, Mike Smith, Taijiquan at home.  Work on new garden expansion and bagua area.  Put two 4" x 4" posts in the
ground with concrete.  Planted one mulberry tree.  Put down mulch over 3 trees I had planted.  Pruned trees in new garden area.  Watered from ditch pond.  

Gym workout from 4:30: weightlifting for 45 minutes, spin class for 45 minutes with Nichole, and cardio-kickboxing class for 45 minutes with Tonya.  

Ginger Olds asked me to teach spin on Mondays.  

Prepare for string figures class.  

"You tell me, doubt is Devil-born.
I know not: one indeed I knew
In many a subtle question versed,
Who touch'd a jarring lyre at first,
But ever strove to make it true:
Perplext in faith, but pure in deeds,
At last he beat his music out.
There lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds."
-  Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809-1862), In Memoriam  

"Attitudes are not beliefs at all, literal, analogical or otherwise. They are, however, deeply important to how we live, for they determine our entire orientation to the world around us.

Among the primary religious attitudes are those of awe, reverence, gratitude and humility. What each have in common is that they capture a sense that there is something greater than us, which commands us, and which we cannot control."
-  Julian Baggini   

"We sit face to face, and you don't say a word;
Yet your silence reveals the timeless essence of things. 
Open books lie strewn about on the floor, 
And just beyond the bamboo shade 
A gentle rain soaks the flowering plum." 
-   Ryokan

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May 2,  Tuesday,  2006

"The secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all
the details of daily life, and in elevating them to art."
-  William Morris

Work from 7:30 - 4 pm for CUESD.  Reading First Grant Meeting.  
Teach string figures class to GATE students.

Gym from 4:30:  Weightlifting for 45 minutes, teach hatha yoga class from 5:30-6:45 and Taiji class from 7-8 pm.  

'He who has taken the first steps towards the knowledge of the Dao
Knows where to stop; 
He who maintains the Dao in himself 
Knows how to be diligently vigilant; 
He who employs it 
Knows what is most subtle.
When one knows what is most subtle, the light of intelligence grows.
When he can know how to be diligently vigilant, his sage wisdom becomes complete. When he knows where to stop, he is grandly composed and restful.
When he is grandly composed and restful, his sage wisdom becomes complete.
When his sage wisdom becomes complete, the light of intelligence grows.
When the light of intelligence grows around him, he is one with the Dao.
This is the condition which is styled the True Forgetfulness; 
A forgetting which does not forget; a forgetting of what cannot be forgotten.
That which cannot be forgotten is the True Dao. 
The Dao is in Heaven and Earth, but heaven and earth are not conscious of It."
-  Hsüan-yang Dze (1280-1367)
   Classic of the Pivot of Jade, Part III
   Translated by James Legge

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May 3,  Wednesday,  2006

Work from 7:30 to 4 pm for CUESD.  

Since I slept poorly last night, and felt very tired and sore today,  I did not 
workout at the gym tonight.  

May 4,  Thursday,  2006

Work from 7:30 - 4 pm for CUESD.  Teach string figures class to GATE students.

Gym from 4:30:  Weightlifting for 45 minutes, teach yoga class from 5:30-6:45, and taiji class from
7-8 pm.  

May 5,  Friday, 2006

Work around house and yard all morning.  

Karen and I take a trip to Redding for dinner, shopping, bookstore browsing, coffee.
Cashed our federal tax refund.  

Only one koan matters -
you.

The tree is stripped,
All color, fragrance gone,
Yet already of the bough,
Uncaring spring.  
-  Ikkyu   1394-1481

Looking south towards our small pond and our teahouse under the weeping willows on the
east side of the small pond.  

Visit:   Poetry Chaikhana - Sacred Poetry From Around the World

"A chaikhana is a teahouse along the legendary Silk Road pilgrimage and trading route linking China to the Middle East and Europe. It is a place of rest along the journey, a place to shake off the dust of the road, to sip tea, and to gather together to sing songs of the Divine..."

May 6,  Saturday,  2006

Walking and Taijiquan in the early morning.

Teach Taiji class from 10-11, and hatha yoga class from 11-12:15.  

Yardwork and home improvement projects.  

I often come across idealist statements that express the idea
that "My mind creates the World."

"What is mind? No matter.
What is matter? Never mind."
-George Berkeley

"We are mind and matter, but it’s the mind that matters,
more than matter, as "mind over matter",
whether you mind it or not.
So mind your mind."
-Stonepeace

There is value to minding our mind, observing the processes of our minds, controlling and directing our minds, uplifting our minds, and expanding our minds. I have no doubts about the powers of introspection, self-reflection, meditation, and inner insight in examining the nature of my consciousness.

Neverthe less, I'm of the opinion that my mind really depends on all other minds to give meaning and purpose to our lives, and in the critical importance of intersubjective verification and the value of repeatable public measurement in the sciences. Also, I believe that the bio-chemical activities of cells in my body create the various phenomena of my consciousness, and that my conscious mental life (i.e., thinking, will, choice, acting, etc.) can change the bio-chemical states of my body - creating a feedback loop from both sides of the mind-body equation.

It is both the World (i.e., cells, body, home, work, land, sun, food, etc.) and your own mental states that creates your every-changing mind:

It's our minds that think we create our worlds.
It's our minds that can imagine other worlds.
It's our minds that can believe in falsehoods and the impossible.
It's our minds that tell stories of the past.
Take away all the other minds and your mind won't last for long.
Millions of minds have disappeared into the World.


With respect to mind-body practices (i.e., yoga, taijiquan, qigong, dance) is the idea that mind alone can create extraordinary and magical powers in the body. A number of taiji players speak of special chi powers. For example, a 260 pound strong man attacks you, a 130 pound 60 year old man, with intent to cause you harm; you relax, summon mind intent, direct chi, use your "Taiji Super-Powers," and toss the surprised attacker 10 feet away from you. Or, yogis sometimes speak of gaining special powers, siddhis, that allow the super yogi to hold his breath for days, heal the seriously sick, walk 90 miles in a day, or float above the earth. I believe that nearly all of these tales of special powers are nonsense, poppycock, laughable, fictions of guru/hero worship, or a magician's tricks.

Physics tells us that force/energy is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration. The faster and larger person can generate more force. Techniques of delivering the force - angle, timing, surprise, etc., also effect the impact of the forces. Also, in fighting situations, the muscular strength of the fighter, the toughness of the fighter, the experience of the fighter, the determination of the fighter, the fighters will to hurt another, and the fighters will to over-power and control all effect the outcome. Therefore, if you want "Taiji Super-Powers" you need to practice diligently, spar often, get serious about strength training, get into superior aerobic condtion, really toughen up, work on your balance, improve your speed, and develop a Warrior's Mind.

It is both mind and matter, both yin and yang, both the whole and the parts.

Mind over matter? Occasionally, when there is enough of your matter actively applied by your will to act.

May 7,  Sunday,  2006

Walking and Tai Chi in the morning.

Work around house and yard all day: mowing, garden expansion project, planting trees and shrubs, watering, cleaning, and take more pictures.  

Ten Positive Energy Prescriptions:

1.  Awaken intuition and rejuvenate yourself.

2.  Find a nurturing spiritual path.

3.  Design an energy-aware approach to diet, fitness and health.

4.  Generate positive emotional energy to counter negativity.

5.  Develop a heart-centered sexuality.

6.  Open Yourself to the flow of inspiration and creativity.

7.  Celebrate the sacredness of laughter, pampering, and the replenishment of retreat.

8.  Attract positive people and situations.

9.  Protect yourself from energy vampires.

10.  Create Abundance.  

-   Judith Orloff, M.D..  
    Positive Energy: 10 Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and
    Fear into Vibrance, Strength and Love.  
    New York, Harmony Books, 2004.  Resources, index, 353 pages.   ISBN: 0609610104.

.  

May 8,  Monday,  2006

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning.

Teach Mike Smith Taiji.

Work around house on improvement projects.  Shop at Home Depot for construction materials.  

Gym workout from 4:30: weightlifting for 45 minutes (pulldowns, leg curls, triceps extensions, back hyper-extensions.  Spin class for 45 minutes and I taught spin for the first time for 30 minutes.  Cardio-kickboxing was cancelled.  

Updated the Bagua Zhang webpage.  

Added pictures of my baguazhang circle training area.

5:30-6:30 am Taijiquan and Baguazhang.  

Work from 7:30-4 for CUESD.  Reading First and EETT3 grant meetings.  

Gym: 4:30-  Lift weights for 45 minutes (bench press, military press, squats, situps), teach yoga for 75 minutes, teach taijiquan for 60 minutes.  

Bagua Zhang, Yin Style, Bear Forms

Valley Spirit Center, Red Bluff, California

Work from 7:30-4 for CUESD. 

Gym: 4:30-  Lift weights for 45 minutes (dead lifts, reverse leg curls, back hyperextensions), spin class with Nichole for 30 minutes, walking, then cardio-kickboxing for 45 minutes with Tonya.   

Work for CUESD from 7:30-4 pm.   

Gym: 4:30-  Lift weights for 45 minutes (variety), teach yoga for 75 minutes, teach taijiquan for 60 minutes.  

1. Lift the Spirit: Stand straight and hold the head and neck naturally erect, with the mind concentrated on the top. Do not strain or be tense, otherwise the blood and vital energy cannot circulate smoothly.

2. Sinking of Shoulders and Elbows: Keep your shoulder in natural, relaxed position. If you lift your shoulders the qi will rise with them, and the whole body will be without strength. you should also keep the elbows down, otherwise you will not be able to keep your shoulders relaxed and move your body with ease.

3. Correct Position of Chest and Back: Keep the chest slightly inward, which will enable you to sink your breath to the dan tian (lower belly). Do not protrude your chest, otherwise you will feel uneasy in breathing and somewhat top heavy. Great force can be launched from the spine only when you keep the vital energy in your lower belly.

4. Relaxation of the Waist: For the human body the waist is the dominant part. When you relax the waist, your two feet will be strong enough to form a firm base. All the movements depend on the action of the waist. As the saying goes: "Vital force comes from the waist." Inaccurate movements in taijiquan stem from the erroneous actions of the waist.

5. Solid and Empty Stance: It is of primary importance in taijiquan to distinguish between "Xu" (empty) and "Shi" (solid). If you shift the weight of the body onto the right leg, then the right leg is solidly planted on the ground and the left leg is in an empty stance. When your weight is on the left leg, then the the left leg is firmly planted on the ground and the right leg is in an empty stance. Only in this way can you turn and move your body adroitly and without effort, otherwise you will be slow and clumsy in your movements and not able to remain stable and firm on your feet.

6. Coordination of Upper and Lower Parts: According to the theory of taijiquan, the root is in the feet, the force is launched through the legs, controlled by the waist, and expressed by the fingers; the feet, the legs and the waist form a harmonious whole. When the hands, the waist and the legs move, the eyes should follow their movements. This is what is meant by coordination of upper and lower parts. If any one part should cease to move, then the movements will be disconnected and fall into disarray.

7. Using the Mind Instead of Force: Among people who practice taijiquan it is quite common to hear this comment: "That is entirely using the mind, not force." In practicing taijiquan, the whole body is relaxed, and there is not an iota of stiff or clumsy strength in the veins or joints to hinder the movement of the body.

People may ask: How can one increase his strength without exercising force? According to traditional Chinese medicine, there is in the human body a system of pathways called jingluo (meridians) which link the viscera with different parts of the body, making the human body an integrated whole. If the jingluo is not impeded, then vital energy will circulate in the body unobstructed. But if the jingluo is filled with stiff strength, the vital energy will not be able to circulate and consequently the body cannot move with ease. One should therefore use the mind instead of force, so that vital energy will follow in the wake of the mind or consciousness and circulate all over the body. Through persistent practice one will be able to have genuine internal force. This is what taijiquan experts call "lithe in appearance but powerful in essence."

8. Harmony Between the Internal and External Parts: in practicing taijiquan, the focus is on the mind and consciousness. Hence the saying: "The mind is the commander and the body is subservient to it." With the tranquility of the mind, the movements will be gentle and graceful. As far as the frame is concerned, there are only the xu (empty), shi (solid), kai (open) and he (closed). Kai not only means opening the four limbs but the mind as well, and he means closing the mind along with the four limbs. Perfection is achieved when one unifies the two and harmonizes the internal and external parts into a complete whole.

9. Importance of Continuity: In the case of the "Outer School" (which emphasizes attack) of boxing, the strength one exerts is stiff and the movements are not continuous, but are sometimes made off and on, which leave openings the opponent may take advantage of.
In taijiquan, one focuses the attention on the mind instead of force, and the movements from beginning to end are continuous and in an endless circle, " like a river which flows on and on without end" or "like reeling the silk thread off cocoons."

10. Tranquility of Mind: In the case of the "Outer School" of boxing, the emphasis is on leaping, bouncing, punching and the exertion of force, and so one often gasps for breath after practicing.
But in taijiquan. the movement is blended with tranquility, and while performing the movements one maintains tranquility of mind. In practicing the "frame," the slower the movement, the better the results. This is because when the movements are slow, one can take deep breaths and sink it to the dan tian. It has a soothing effect on the body and mind. Learners of taijiquan will get a better understanding of all this through careful study and persistent practice.

Source: Yang Cheng Fu.

A Quan-Shu Manuscript

A collection of articles on Chinese Martial Arts that have caught my eye\

http://taijijourney.blogspot.com/

Zhanzhuang: a postura da estaca

http://www.taijiquan.pro.br/taijiquan/zhanzhuang

 Walking, baguazhang and taijiquan in the morning.

Mow lawns.  Water.  Weed.  Work on new garden expansion.  
Start building outdoor storage shed near baguazhang training area.   .  

The Practice of Zhuang Gong

http://taijijourney.blogspot.com/2005/02/practice-of-zhuang-gong.html

Hun Yuan Zhuang:


1. Stand naturally, the hands loosely at the sides. The ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should all be aligned when viewed from the side.


2. Close the mouth, and place the tip of the tongue on the upper palate behind the teeth. The eyes may be open or closed.


3. Fangsong (relax the mind and body). Mentally repeat the verse ‘weight balanced, mind balanced, listen behind, qi balanced in the dantien”


4. Slowly bend the knees, lowering the center of gravity, and relax the hips.

5. Shift weight to the right leg. Sink down, and lift the left heel, followed by the toes. Step out to shoulder width, with weight still on the right leg. Slowly shift weight back to the center of the body, so it is evenly distributed on both legs.


6. Mentally repeat the verse “weight balanced, mind balanced, listen behind, qi balanced in the dantien”


7. Beginning from the medulla and proceeding downward, relax each vertebrae in the spine, counting to 9 for each vertebrae.

8. Slowly raise the arms to a shoulder height and width position, as if holding a large ball. Depending on one’s fitness, the arms may be held at a greater than shoulder width. As the arms rise, simultaneously sink the hips more. Relax. Keeps wrists and fingers loose and relaxed.


9. Mentally repeat the verse ‘weight balanced, mind balanced, listen behind, qi balanced in the dantien”


10. Assume a posture with the chest concave, shoulders and hips relaxed, the dantien area relaxed, the back straight. When all these requirements are met, your body will feel comfortable.

11. Hold this position for a set period of time. Beginners should work gradually to a time frame of at least 20 minutes.


12. Mentally repeat the verse ‘weight balanced, mind balanced, listen behind, qi balanced in the dantien”


13. Very slowly lower hands to the sides, standing up as they drop, but not completely. Keep the hips relaxed.


14. Allow the qi of the shoulders to flow downward to the hips: the elbow qi to flow downward to the knees: and the qi of the hands to flow downward to the feet.

15. Mentally repeat the verse ‘weight balanced, mind balanced, listen behind, qi balanced in the dantien”. Relax any tense areas in the body.


16. Slowly shift weight to the right leg. Lift heel and then toes of the left foot, and move it inward next to the right foot. Place first toes, then heels on the ground.


17. Mentally repeat the verse ‘weight balanced, mind balanced, listen behind, qi balanced in the dantien”. Count silently to 9.


18. Stand up fully.


19. Relax and slowly open the eyes if they have been closed.

Walking, baguazhang and taijiquan in the morning.

Teach taijiquan at TFFC for 60 minutes, teach yoga for 75 minutes.  

Go to Chico to pick up my niece, Marcella, and a friend of hers, Wendy.  The young women are
staying at our home this weekend to study for final exams and relax away from dorm life.  

I shopped at The Used Bookstore in Chico.  I purchased Karen a number of used books
for Mother's Day.  

Working on home improvement projects: outdoor storage shed, garden expansion project.

Here are some of the used books titles we added to our home book collection:

BodyStories: A Guide to Experiential Anatomy.  Expanded Edition.  By Andrea Olsen in collaboration 
with Caryn McHose.  Barrytown, New York, Station Hill Openings of Barrytown, Ltd., 1998.  
Index, bibliography, 168 pages.  MGC.  ISBN: 1581770235.   

Embarking on the Way: A Guide to Western Taoism.  By Solala Towler.  Foreword by 
Chungliang Al Huang.  Eugene, Oregon, Abode of the Eternal Tao, 1997.  Index, 
bibliography, 160 pages.  MGC.  ISBN: 0964991225.

Massage: A Career at Your Fingertips.  The Complete Guide to Becoming a Bodywork Professional.  
3rd Edition.  By Martin Ashley.  Carmel, New York, Enterprise Publishing, c 2000.  Index, 
appendices, 317 pages.  MGC.  ISBN: 0964466260.  

Dr. Yoga: A Complete Program for Discovering the Head-to-Toe Health Benefits of Yoga.
By Nirmala Heriza.  Medical consultant, Sandra McLanahan, M.D..  Foreword by Dean 
Ornish, M.D..  Prepace by C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D..  New Yor, Jeremy P. Tarcher, 2004.
Index, appendices, 277 pages.  MGC.  ISBN: 1585422924,  

Walking, baguazhang and taijiquan in the morning.

Working on home improvement projects: outdoor storage shed, new garden expansion project.  

Helping Karen set up her new printer and improve her computer.  

Walking, baguazhang and taijiquan in the morning.  Beautiful cool morning walk - lots of bird and animal sounds at daybreak.  

Take Marcella and Wendy back to Chico State.  

Home improvement project: shelving indoors.  Watering all areas outside.  Clean up.

Gym 4:30-7:20:  Weightlifting (pulldowns, leg lifts, triceps pressdowns, rows), teach spin cycling class, 
walking and stretching, cardio kickboxing with Tonya from 6:30-7:20.  

Salad for supper.  Very tired - asleep by 8:30 pm.  

Taijiquan at daybreak.  Some shoveling and weeding with shovel.  Pushups.

Work for CUESD from 7:30-4 pm.  EETT4 meeting.

Gym (4:30-8:15): Weightlifting, teach yoga, teach taijiquan.  

Currently reading:

Combat Techniques of Taiji, Xing Yi, and Bagua: Principles and Practices of Internal 
Martial Arts.  By Lu Shengli.  Translated and Edited by Zhang Yun and Susan Darley.  
Berkeley, California, Blue Snake Books, 2006. 369 pages.  ISBN:9583941452.  MGC.
General history and principles of 3 internal arts, basic movements, basic gongfu
training techniques, and a detailed description with photographs of the Sixteen-Posture
form (pp. 231-356).  

Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field.   By Barbara
Ann Brennan.  Illustrated by Jos. A. Smith.  A New Paradigm for the Human Being
in Health, Relationship, and Disease.  New York, Bantam Books, 1987.  Index,
bibliography, 294 pages.  ISBN: 0553345397.  MGC.  

Complete Kickboxing: The Fighter's Ultimate Guide to Techniques, Concepts,
Strategy for Sparring and Competition.  By Martina Sprague and Keith Livingston.
Wethersfield, Connecticut, 2004.  Index, 479 pages.  ISBN: 1880336847.  

Taijiquan and walking at daybreak- 5:30 am.

No gym at night - rest my body.  

Interesting blog:

Walking Seduction
http://users.pandora.be/Tango-E-Vita/tango/walk.htm
Dance, Walk Steps, Zen, Tai Chi and Tango Dance

The four stepping stages in Zen are:
lifting the foot,
moving forward,
putting down
and pressing the ground.

Buddha said :"A monk applies clear comprehension in going forward and in going back." Clear comprehension means the correct understanding of what one observes. Thus the Buddha was instructing meditators to apply mindfulness, concentration, and clear comprehension while walking, while "going forward and back." At first yogis may find it difficult to slow down, but as they are instructed to pay explicit attention to all of the movements involved, and as they actually pay closer and closer attention, they will automatically slow down. Although yogis pay close attention and slow down, they may not see all of the movements and stages clearly. The stages may not yet be well-defined in the mind, and they may seem to constitute only one continuous movement. As concentration grows stronger, the four stages will be easier to distinguish. 

Walking meditation is important in the correct understanding of the act of going. The practice of mindfulness meditation can be compared to boiling water. If one wants to boil water, one puts the water in a kettle, puts the kettle on a stove, and then turns the heat on. But if the heat is turned off, even for an instant, the water will not boil, even though the heat is turned on again later. If one continues to turn the heat on and off again, the water will never boil. In the same way, one cannot gain an impelling force or strength in the mind, and so one cannot attain concentration, full sensitive attention.

Before yogis begin practicing walking meditation, they may have thought that a step is just one movement. After meditation on that movement, they observe that there are at least four movements, and if they go deeper, they will understand that even one of these four movements consists of millions of tiny movements. By our ordinary perception, we are not able to see-through that mind and matter is just a vibration of particles and energy is constantly changing, hidden by the illusion of continuity, it is an optical effect like a movie.

The Benefits of Walking Meditation.   By Sayadaw U. Silananda

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/silananda/bl137.html

"Let us now talk specifically about the practice of walking meditation. If you are a complete beginner, the teacher may instruct you to be mindful of only one thing during walking meditation: to be mindful of the act of stepping while you make a note silently in the mind, "stepping, stepping, stepping," or "left, right, left, right." You may walk at a slower speed than normal during this practice.

After a few hours, or after a day or two of meditation, you may be instructed to be mindful of two occurrences: (i) stepping, and (ii) putting down the foot, while making the mental note "stepping, putting down." You will try to be mindful of two stages in the step: "stepping, putting down; stepping, putting down." 

Later, you may be instructed to be mindful of three stages: (i) lifting the foot; (ii) moving or pushing the foot forward; and (iii) putting the foot down. Still later, you would be instructed to be mindful of four stages in each step: (i) lifting the foot; (ii) moving it forward; (iii) putting it down; and (iv) touching or pressing the foot on the ground. You would be instructed to be completely mindful and to make a mental note of these four stages of the foot's movement: "lifting, moving forward, putting down, pressing the ground."

At first yogis may find it difficult to slow down, but as they are instructed to pay close attention to all of the movements involved, and as they actually pay closer and closer attention, they will automatically slow down. They do not have to slow down deliberately, but as they pay closer attention, slowing down comes to them automatically. 

Although yogis pay close attention and slow down, they may not see all of the movements and stages clearly. The stages may not yet be well-defined in the mind, and they may seem to constitute only one continuous movement. As concentration grows stronger, yogis will observe more and more clearly these different stages in one step; the four stages at least will be easier to distinguish. Yogis will know distinctly that the lifting movement is not mixed with the moving forward movement, and they will know that the moving forward movement is not mixed with either the lifting movement or the putting down movement. They will understand all movements clearly and distinctly. Whatever they are mindful and aware of will be very clear in their minds.

As yogis carry on the practice, they will observe much more. When they lift their foot, they will experience the lightness of the foot. When they push the foot forward, they will notice the movement from one place to another. When they put the foot down, they will feel the heaviness of the foot, because the foot becomes heavier and heavier as it descends. When they put the foot on the ground, they will feel the touch of the heel of the foot on the ground. Therefore, along with observing lifting, moving forward, putting down, and pressing the ground, yogis will also perceive the lightness of the rising foot, the motion of the foot, the heaviness of the descending foot, and then the touching of the foot, which is the hardness or softness of the foot on the ground. When yogis perceive these processes, they are perceiving the four essential elements (in Pali, dhatu). The four essential elements are: the element of earth, the element of water, the element of fire, and the element of air. By paying close attention to these four stages of walking meditation, the four elements in their true essence are perceived, not merely as concepts, but as actual processes, as ultimate realities.

In the Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness, the Buddha taught walking meditation two times. In the section called "Postures," he said that a monk knows "I am walking" when he is walking, knows "I am standing" when he is standing, knows "I am sitting" when he is sitting, and knows "I am lying down" when he is lying down. In another section called "Clear Comprehension," the Buddha said, "A monk applies clear comprehension in going forward and in going back." Clear comprehension means the correct understanding of what one observes. To correctly understand what is observed, a yogi must gain concentration, and in order to gain concentration, he must apply mindfulness. Therefore, when the Buddha said, "Monks, apply clear comprehension," we must understood that not only clear comprehension must be applied, but also mindfulness and concentration. Thus the Buddha was instructing meditators to apply mindfulness, concentration, and clear comprehension while walking, while "going forward and back." Walking meditation is thus an important part of this process."

The Benefits of Walking Meditation.   By Sayadaw U. Silananda

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/silananda/bl137.html

<a href="http://wholinkstome.com/" title="Click here to see who's linking to this site.">Who links to me?</a>

Press Release:  May 15, 2006

The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s nonprofit fitness advocate, is pleased to announce that YogaFit®, the leader in mind-body fitness education, has chosen ACE as its premiere provider of fitness certification to its more than 50,000 instructors worldwide.

“I think an ACE Certification should be mandatory for anyone teaching Yoga in a Fitness Club or SPA" says Beth Shaw, YogaFit Founder. She goes on to add, “Yoga in the Health Club setting in its basal form is Group Exercise”

Each YogaFit instructor will now be highly encouraged to study and sit for either the ACE Group Fitness Instructor or ACE Personal Trainer examination in addition to their YogaFit instructor trainings. As an ACE certified-fitness professional, each instructor will have a requisite level of knowledge in several critical areas including anatomy, kinesiology, exercise physiology, instructional techniques and injury prevention.

“We are pleased and excited to enter this collaboration with the American Council on Exercise,” said Beth Shaw, president and founder of YogaFit®. “This greatly enhances our opportunity to enhance the exercise science backgrounds of our members and bring the practice of yoga to all populations in a safe and user-friendly, fitness format.”

American Council on Exercise

YogaFit
http://www.yogafit.com/

Taijiquan and walking at daybreak- 5:30 am.

Our daytime temperatures have moved into the middle to upper 90's.  

Gym: Weightlifting, teach yoga, teach taijiquan.  

My brother, Philip arrives at night.  He drove from San Diego today.  

Bamboo Shade
http://collectorofquotes.blogspot.com/
Selected quotes by Kathy

"An old-fashioned vegetable soup, without any enhancement, is a more powerful anticarcinogen than any known medicine."
-James Duke M.D.(U.S.D.A.)


“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.”
-Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)


"After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one's relatives."
-Oscar Wilde


"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning".
- Catherine Aird

The only way to know your true nature is through the actions you take in the real world, not through meditations or introspection.
- Doc Trejo

The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
- Albert Einstein



Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.
- Steven Weinberg



An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.
-Buddha



The belief that there is only one truth, and that oneself is in possession of it, is the root of all evil in the world.
-Max Born

I was raised in the Catholic Christian Church. I attended Catholic Schools 
from the 1st to the 12th grade. 

When I was a young college student, my parish priest told me it was my
duty to go and fight against the atheistic communists in Vietanam. Those
atheistic Marxists had to be stopped to protect our Catholic religion and 
our American freedoms. 

I was advised that to defend, protect, fight for, and kill other people in the 
Vietnam War was a good deed for our religion and our country. 

I'm quite sure that young Middle Eastern men are now being told that it is
honorable and right for them to go to war to defend their religion against
infidel Americans and Europeans. The are encourage to continue the violence 
and killing because they are justified to do so, and that Allah praises their 
efforts, sacrifices, and violence.

Does not Krishna himself tell Arjuna that it is his duty to fight and kill his
friends and relatives in a just cause of revenge against thieves and cheats

I've learned over the years, that a wise person should doubt the advice of 
religious "leaders" on these matters. A wise person should doubt the decisions
of political "leaders" who cheer on the killing and destruction with a "God Bless 
America." 

Be skeptical. Ask for facts. Understand the consequences. Ask
about the cost? How many people will die? How will the destructive aspects
of war effect the well being of people in thos countries? How much hate
will be generated? 

I think that any international war effort with American forces should 1) when
possible, require a 66% approval vote of the American people, 2) require that
all citizens pay extra taxes for the war: a $300 per person annual war tax for all 
adults earning under $25,000 per year, a $500 per person annual war tax for 
all adults earning between $25,000 and $60,000 per year, a $800 per person
annual tax for all adults earning over $60,000 per year, and a war tax on all 
companies selling goods or services to the federal government. 

Right now, even though 75% of the American public don't approve of the 
federal government's policies about Iraq, we have been unable to change
the course of action. 

Our current misguided and useless war in Iraq is an examle of doing it the 
wrong way. Voters were not part of the decision making process. (My letters
of protest are ignored by our "leaders.") We have incurred a huge debt in 
conducting this war. Young soldiers are bearing the brunt of the war effort, 
while the average citizen (poor, middle class and rich) stands on the sideline 
with no personal contribution except to pray like a fool to a disinterested God/Allah/Lord/Jesus, Krishna/Jaweh/Shiva to bless the 
mess we have made. 

Taijiquan and walking at daybreak.

Watering and work projects.  

Visit with my brother Philip and his daughter, Marcella.  We went to Chico to help her move
out of her dorm.  They are going back to San Diego on Saturday.  Prepare dinner for group.  

"Life begets life.  Energy begets energy.  It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich."
-  Sarah Bernhardt

Taijiquan and walking at daybreak.

Gym:  teach taijiquan and yoga.  

Phil and Marcella leave for San Diego.  

I took a nap in the early afternoon and then did some home work projects.

Karen and I went out for Tai food for dinner.

I see a galaxy,
I watch the earth,
looking at a garden,
I observe an ant at work.

As the sun rises from east,
humming birds fly out to flowery feasts,
all things begin to move, feelings of brightness starts to bloom.
Butterflies on flight throughout the day, reminding us of natures primal ways.
Then sun starts to set west, giving way to stillness and rest,
like waking and sleeping, sun will return, dawn to dusk in constant turn.

Taoistic Poems
http://members.aol.com/MrSage365/Poems.html

Exploring quotations on Energy.

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking ....
~Henry Ford

Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts.
~Anonymous 

For me, a garden is peace of mind. It immediately takes my mind off the thing I'm puzzling about in my work and gives me repose.
~Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., historian, as quoted by Rosemary Herbert in "Weeding and Writing," The Boston Herald, 6/3/01

Wushu Scholar 

An online multimedia production covering all aspects of Chinese martial arts. We merge the disciplines of internet design and usability, filming and video editing, interviewing and journalism, not forgetting martial arts.

The Chinese word gun (棍 pinyin gùn) refers to a long Chinese staff weapon. It is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the spear, saber, and the sword, called in this group "The Grandfather of all Weapons".

There are various kinds of gun and these include (from olden days): Monkey Staff (猴棍), Biangan (鞭杆), Mad Demon Staff (瘋魔棍), Tianqi Staff (天齊棍), Staff of Five Tigers and Goat Herds (五虎群羊棍), Nunchaku (二節棍), Taiji Staff of Thirteen (太極十三杆), Taiji Quarterstaff (太極大杆), Taiji Staff (太極棍), Staff of Eight Trigrams and Seven Stars (八卦七星竿), Staff of Eight Fairies (八仙棍), Flail (槤枷).

The types of gun normally used nowadays for exercises and competitions are the bailangan (白栏杆) and the nangun (南棍).

Thomas A. McCarthy, "Quarter-staff: A Practical Manual". London : W. Swan Sonnenschein and Co., 1883.
Allanson-Winn, R.G. and C. Phillipps-Wolley, "Broadsword and Singlestick - with Chapters on Quarter-staff, Bayonet, Cudgel, Shillalah, Walking Stick, Umbrella and other Weapons of Self Defence; The Quarter-Staff". London : George Bell & Sons. 1st edition, 1898.
* Author unknown, "Boy Scout Quarterstaff". c. 1914 - 1920.
* Tony Wolf, "The Manly Art of Quarter-staff: Origins of a Victorian Combat Sport".
* Frank Docherty, "A Brief History of the Quarterstaff".
* George Silver, "Paradoxes of Defence". London: Edward Blount, 1599.
* Joseph Swetnam, "The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence". London: Nicholas Okre, 1617.
* Zach Wylde, "The English Master of Defence or, the Gentleman's A-la-mode Accomplish". Tork: John White, 1711.
* British Quarterstaff Association, "www.quarterstaff.org"

Taijiquan and walking at daybreak.

Edge play for 6 hours.  Rest, relax and read during the day.  

Taijiquan and walking at daybreak.  

I installed Karen's new HP printer/scanner/copier, and checked out her new digital Cannon camera.

Home work projects and clean up.

Gym:  Weightlifting workout for 45 mintues, taught spin cycling interval classes from 5:30-6, and 
from 6-6:45 (for Rosie).  

Watered and worked in garden in late evening before nighttime.  

Reading and webwork.   Staff Weapons webpage.

Work for CUESD from 7:30-4 pm.  Library clerks meeting.

Gym workout:  light weightlifting, teach yoga and taijiquan.  

Reading and webwork.  Walking Meditation webpage

Work for CUESD from 7:30-4.  

Gym workout: weightlifting for 45 minutes, and spin for 30 mintues with Heather.

Watched Dallas Mavericks loose to Phoenix Suns in final 3 mintues, blowing a 9 point lead.  
It was a high scoring game.  The NBA Western Conference finals have begun.  

Reading and webwork.   Bagua webpage

Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. - Ronald E. Osborn

Up at 3:30 am.  Working on Walking Meditation webpage.

Work for CUESD from 7:30-4.  

Gym workout: weightlifting for 45 minutes, then teach tai chi and yoga.  I had a good weightlifting workout.

Yardwork in the evening.  

Reading and webwork.

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning.  Start on Yang Long Form Section 3 review.  

Gym workout: Spin with Tonya 8:30-9:15, weightligting workout.  .  

Garage cleanup and arrangement.  

Mowing lawns and watering garden.  

Reading and webwork.

The principles of integrative medicine: 

* A partnership between patient and practitioner in the healing process 

* Appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the body’s innate healing response 

* Consideration of all factors that influence health, wellness and disease, including mind, spirit and community as well as body   A philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative therapies uncritically 

* Recognition that good medicine should be based in good science, be inquiry driven, and be open to new paradigms.

* Use of natural, effective, less-invasive interventions whenever possible.   

* Use of the broader concepts of promotion of health and the prevention of illness as well as the treatment of disease.  

* Training of practitioners to be models of health and healing, committed to the process of self-exploration and self-development.   

Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging
http://www.drweilonhealthyaging.com/hya/ecs/subpage/publicabout.html?docid=FFM00002

~

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning.

Yardwork and constructing shelves.  

Teach Taijiquan and Yoga at the gym.   

Reading and webwork.

Nap in the afternoon.

Attend Lee Turner's retirement dinner at Judy and Lee Turner's home in Corning.  

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning.

Gym workout: 50 minutes of weightlifting.  

Yardwork and constructing shelves.  

Reading and webwork.

Cold Mountain in Icy Mist (detail) - Zhang Hong, 1649

Graham English's Entegral Conversations

“It seems scientists and philosophers now agree which came first. The Egg. From the CNN article: ‘Put simply, the reason is down to the fact that genetic material does not change during an animal’s life. Therefore the first bird that evolved into what we would call a chicken, probably in prehistoric times, must have first existed as an embryo inside an egg. Professor John Brookfield, a specialist in evolutionary genetics at the University of Nottingham, told the UK Press Association the pecking order was clear.’

"Contemplative practices are methods incorporated into your daily life as a reminder to slow down, focus, and feel more connected to your self, your work, and your environment. They can help you stay calm and centered in the midst of the activity and distraction that fills everyday life.

Contemplative practices have helped people develop greater empathy and communication skills, improve focus and concentration, reduce stress and enhance creativity. Over time, they cultivate insight, inspiration, and a loving and compassionate approach to life. Contemplative practices are practical, radical, and transformative.

The concept of contemplative practice is as old as the world's religions. Every major religious tradition includes forms of contemplative practice, such as prayer, meditation, and silent time in nature. Many practices remain rooted in their religions, and others have grown in secular settings.

Some people find that movement practices, like yoga or tai chi, work best for them. Others find nourishment in still and silent practices, like mindfulness meditation. Some people find that practices rooted in a religious tradition, like lectio divina from Christianity or Shabbat observance from Judaism, speak to their soul. Others take heart in simple rituals like taking a soothing bath or a morning walk in nature. Not all practices are done in solitude – groups and communities can engage in practices that support reflection in a group process."
-  Center for Contemplative Mind in Society  

In their book Creating Optimism Bob Murray and Alicia Fortinberry reveal the fundamentals of happiness and 8 things you can do today to create happiness and optimism.

1. Connection to Others “…at the very heart of your being.”
Make a list of friends you haven't contacted in a while but would like to, and call them.

2. Autonomy “…a feeling of independence and a sense of being in control…”
Go to as many local establishments rather than chains as possible and strike up a conversation with the proprietor or service people.

3. Self-Esteem “…a function of how you perceive others view you.”
Catch yourself every time you make a self-deprecating comment.

4. Competence “…relates to how effective you feel you are.”
Ask the people in your life to tell you when they think you've done something well.

5. Purpose “…fulfillment and meaning throughout your life.”
Ask your friends and acquaintances to describe what they see as their purpose beyond making money or caring for others.

6. Connection to Your Body “...vital to our complete sense of self...”
Throw out all your magazines that feature impossibly perfect-looking men or women on the covers.

7. Connection to Nature “…its permanence, its beauty and power…”
Walk in a park or other natural area for twenty minutes each day. Pat at least one dog and talk to its owner.

8. Spirituality “…a powerful weapon against depression...”
Make a list of all the things you believe in that give you comfort.

8 Fundamentals of Happiness and Optimism

8 Tips for Happiness and Optimism
Creating Optimism  
By Bob Murray, PhD and Alicia Fortinberry, MS

Walking and Taijiquan in the morning.

Yardwork and constructing shelves.  

Reading and webwork.

Memorial Day Holiday.  

Add to Blogrolling

http://taichiheartwork.blogspot.com/

Tai Chi Heartworks

Dynamic Balancing Tai Chi
http://dynamicbalancingtaichi.blogspot.com/

Mike Garofalo, Gardener

North Yolly Bolly Mountain, 8,376 feet
East of my home in Red Bluff, CA, May 2006

Work for CUESD from 7:30-4 pm.  Library clerks meeting.

Gym workout:  lift weights for 45 minutes, teach yoga and taijiquan.  

Reading and webwork. 

Pulling Onions:

"Some failures increase our energy and resourcefulness. 

"Seeing" is not "believing." 

We often overestimate what we can accomplish in a day, 
and underestimate what we can accomplish in a week.

Gardens are demanding pets. 

Time is something everyone runs short on and finally runs out of. 

An important gardening judgment - When to Do Nothing! 

Remember that gophers also need to make a living; preferably in somebody else's garden. 

A garden is made up of stories, not things."

- Mike Garofalo, <a href="http://www.gardendigest.com/laws.htm">Pulling Onions</a>

May 31,  Wednesday,  2006

Work for CUESD from 7:30-4 pm. 

Rest at home in the evening.  I was feeling very stiff and sluggish.  

Reading and webwork. 

Feedback from Readers During May 2006:

"Hi Michael, I bow to your work!  It is truly amazing.  It amazes me all the more for a special reason: in the 90s I published a novel titled "Rabenwelt (Raven World)" in German, and a key character there is a Hawaiian-Korean "Zen Gardener" called Mr. "I am just a simple gardener" Makani.  When I started browsing your website, I really felt moved and thought: hell - Master Makani has his own website now.  Really beautiful and great work!  Keep going!  Kind regards from Germany."
-  Stefan  Thiesen, 5/1/06
   Mind Quest, http://www.mindquest.info

"I stumbled on the site in search of arbors. What a delight! So friendly. Thanks for sharing. I'm a native daughter transplanted to Pahrump, NV. Desert landscaping and gardening is by trial and error. Loving the sun however, after living a number of years in Washington state."
-  Kay Turner, 5/12/06, www.symmetrydirect.com/KTURNER

"Walking Meditation Resources is an exhaustive resource for walking and standing meditation."
-  Graham English, Intergral Conversations, 5/26/06


"I was a student of Cheng Man-ch'ing's son Patrick in New York City in 1971 and 1972.  I would like to contact Patrick.  I would also like to thank you for you website.  I live in Portland, Oregon and often travel to the Bay area. I will stop next time and take a class if it is possible to drop in.  I play the bass fiddle and would like to link your site to my teaching materials. Thank you for your fine work.  Best wishes!"
-  Glen Moore, 5/22/06

"Hi Mike!.  I have been doing some translation for the International Daoism Conference, being held in Germany this year.  I thought you might like to add this this quote about movement and nature, that I translated from Christian Morgenstern, to your collection: 
"Nature is expansive calm compared with our mobility. Therefore, the finer and more mobile a human becomes, he will love nature ever the more. Nature offers him broad brushstrokes, wide perspectives, 
and at the same time, by all untiring change, the picture of a sublime serenity."
Best wishes, Philip Stanley (fellow bhikku), Frankfurt, Germany, 5/25/06  

"Thanks for the wonderful site and gardening inspiration! Gardening As an Act of Faith In 1960, the Easter Bunny still resided in the fields of my imagination, where he had lived from the earliest days of my childhood, a mystical rabbit who could make milk chocolate and jelly beans appear from the depths of a mythical forest and deliver them right to my front door in a straw basket, scattered in pastel beds of lavender, yellow and pink Easter grass. For the last week or two, I've been wondering what M.O. Easter Bunnies use these days. Do they scamper through pastel colored Nintendo games, or have they become the stars of their own Podcasts, with a choreographed show of chocolate eggs and marshmallow chickens dancing in a chorus line? Or has the Easter Bunny, like Santa and the Tooth Fairy, been demoted to the rank of a mere cartoon with no counterpart in the real world? Now many of you may be thinking, "Wake up Annetta, they were never real to begin with. Didn't anyone ever explain that to you?" And I would answer, "Yes, of course. I know that. But that's not the point." The point is that the Easter Bunny is an act of faith, every bit as much as Santa and the Tooth Fairy. They are the icons of the faith of childhood, laying the foundation for much larger acts of faith as the child becomes an adult. The essential quality that the Easter Bunny, Santa and the Tooth Fairy all have in common is their love for children. They want what is best for kids and prove it in the most tangible way a child can understand, with toys and candy and coins for their piggy banks. In a strange way, the same can be said not only about God, but about science as well. The technological wonders of recent centuries have rendered science the god of the modern age. When we have a medical problem, we go to a doctor. When we need transportation, we buy a car. When we want to light up a baseball field, cook a meal, wash our laundry or watch a movie, we flick on a switch. None of these things would be possible without scientists. In short, no science: no modern world. But like most other religions, science is a jealous god. It too demands unequivocally, thou shall have no other gods before me. If the sacred books of religion differ with the sacred pronouncements of science, then science demands that religion prove its assertions while science itself often relies on hypothesis and theories. The realization that science and religion both require faith is lost on many of us. But faith is an essential ingredient of life just as much now as it ever was. Unfortunately, in our time, when the irresistible force of sacred tenets stands toe to toe with the immovable objections of scientific theories, neither will budge. Thus has modern man set up a war between the sacred and the scientific? It is a war that no one can possibly win, and everyone loses by fighting it. By forcing the sacred and the secular to compete with each other, we set man at war with his own soul. No one but a fool would deny the reality of science. And few indeed are brave or stupid enough to thumb their noses at God in the face of death or in the face of life if they are wise enough to realize their own mortality. And so we come back to the question of the Easter Bunny. If, through the wonders of technology, we allow science to rob childhood of its imaginings and adulthood of its sacred mysteries, where do we go for help when science has no answer? It is amazing in these days of technological wonders that so many seem not to understand the growth of something as simple and essential as faith. It's not just faith in the Easter Bunny, or Saint Nicholas, or the power of God, none of which we can see; it's faith in life itself that we must learn, from the day we are born till the day that we die. For some people, faith is nothing more than believing that the brakes on the car behind them will stop that car before it hits them. But for others, it is seeing a tree bud in springtime, and believing that each new leaf unfurling from what looked like a brown, dead branch a mere month ago is a promise of renewed life. Without faith, how does a Fiji Islander understand that some people routinely walk on water? He has never seen ice or Eskimos. Without faith, how can children understand that the stars aren't going to fall and hit them in the head? Without faith, how can anyone believe in love when there is absolutely no way to put it on a table and examine it? Science is the discovery and utilization of the laws of the universe. But who set those laws in motion to begin with? If not God, then who? Did they evolve from nothing? If they evolved from nothing, how can the initial theory be scientific, since science claims to be the study of things measurable or tangible? Modern man has spent literally billions of dollars probing the depths of space, secure in the knowledge that the laws that keep the stars and the suns and the moons of the universe safely in their orbits will continue to hold true whether humanity chooses to believe in them or not. How ironic that so many believe implicitly in the laws of science and the universe, yet wonder if there was any One out there to fashion those laws. For myself I have found that gardening is the greatest act of faith for my personal life. Last year, as I assessed my then new yard, and catalogued the many perennials, trees, and self-seeded annuals in it, I carefully researched the many plants to see what I might learn to help them to improve. It was a valuable lesson indeed about faith. There were many plants that I had not grown myself because they were not prime candidates for the desert. I have always experimented with plants especially those that might be adaptable to the desert climate. I have hand grown many of these specimens for people that just couldn’t live without some of the plants from their former homes. Many plants were ill-placed in my yard. Some of them simply could not be moved because this would have disturbed their growth or possibly killed them. I thought I would try to improve their chances of survival by improving their soil by amending it with organic substances. This is essentially the most important act of faith of the gardener because one cannot be certain if any of this will help. In the case of the peony bush, clematis, and Jupiter’s beard it has certainly paid off. As I have watched the show unveil it has been a humbling and exciting process. You can never be sure in gardening if your efforts will really work – if in fact the experiment was successful. I am a firm believer in Emerson’s pronouncement that “All life is an experiment.” In fact he says fully, “Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” I am happy to be a gardener and that the various composts, peat moss, top soils, and other organic amendments brought forth such a glorious display. So gardening is an act of faith each time we plant, weed, amend, or perform the many tasks that make it our personal project and activity. Since the many months that passed, when I had performed those duties, I hoped that the intense work would yield positive results. It most certainly did. It is those results that inspire us to continue to cultivate and plan our gardens each year. And I was reminded as I drove across country and saw many wildflowers from the Western United States that were broadcast along the highways and growing majestically, that those experiments are the best and remind us that in fact the Easter Bunny is alive and smiling along with the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. Happy Gardening! random quotes to consider Fate can only bring you to the door, it is up to you to open it and walk in! The door is in your mind, open the doors in your mind and see what you can really do. Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds. --Orison Swett Marden "Great Faith. Great Doubt. Great Effort." The three qualities necessary for (Zen) training. Complacency is the enemy of growth. The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell. Think big, believe big, act big, and the results will be big. –Anonymous Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. - Ronald E. Osborn A strong woman knows she has strength enough for the journey, but a woman of strength knows it is in the journey where she will become strong. –unknown Today's mighty oak tree was once just some nut that held his ground. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sales. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain"
-   Anetta, 5/23/06

Links to the Green Way Blog in May 2006:

Mombacho, http://mombacho.wordpress.com/

Touch of Ancients, http://atouchofancientszhouyi.blogspot.com/

Links to the Cloud Hands Blog in May 2006: