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SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  1/4/24
DESCRIPTION:Happy Family \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nJanuary 4\, 2024 \n  \nLive righteously and love everyone\, \nyou will build up around you an aura of light and love \n  \n—tag on a Yogi Tea bag \n* \n  \nBecause you are alive\, everything is possible. \nWaking up this morning\, I smile. \nTwenty-four brand new hours are before me. \nI vow to live fully in each moment\, \nand to look at all beings with eyes of compassion. \n  \n—from “Buddha True Meaning of Life by Thich Nhat Hanh\,” on YouTube \n* \n  \nWell\, it’s a new year. I wish you all an abundance of peace and love and joy. I’m enjoying a quiet morning—quiet outside and quiet within. Looking out the window at the clear blue sky. Drinking coffee. Doing nothing. It’s perfect. \n  \nFor this coming year\, I’m thinking of every day as a Day of Celebration. Today (1/1/24)\, of course\, I’ll celebrate New Year’s Day. On Thursday (1/4/24)\, I’ll celebrate friendship with my weekly dialogue group. On the sixth is Epiphany—when the Wise Men arrived with gifts for the divine child. (Every baby is an incarnation of the Divine!) It’s also Twelfth Night. Shakespeare’s company performed his play Twelfth Night for Queen Elizabeth in 1602. That’s something to celebrate! This coming Saturday\, the sixth\, we will be showing Bushra’s film A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison at the First Unitarian Church. After a Q & A with some of the actors\, we will celebrate together all the people who contributed to the success of the film\, and of our prison theater programs. Nancy and I will be celebrating Valentine’s Day in Guanajuato. (In Mexico\, they have a fiesta almost every day of the year!) May 3rd is Buster Cornelius Day. (Listen to “Buster Cornelius” by The Colorblind James Experience on YouTube.) On May 31st\, I’ll celebrate Walt Whitman’s 205th birthday by performing “Song of Myself”—as I often do. These are just a few of the many celebrations ahead. \n  \nWhen I’m in need of wisdom and inspiration\, I often turn to the great Russian clown-philosopher\, Slava Polunin. He says: \n  \n“I think that theatre was created to open doors and passages in the blind walls of everyday reality—doors that lead into other worlds…. \n  \nThe First Door \n  \nCelebration \n  \nLook at the crowds of people at a celebration—their faces are beaming with almost giddy smiles of happiness. I love a festive theatre\, a theatre of spectacle. I love it when even the most serious matters are discussed—perfectly naturally and inadvertently\, as it were—under the cover of some common festive prank. I don’t want to live in the workaday world\, and especially not when I’m on stage\, because it is a depressing world\, painted in grey with a smell of stuffy rooms. I love rich and vivid colors\, the kind that children use to paint. I love the profusion of aromas\, like you find in Hawaii. I love the lushness of sound\, even if it’s only the sound of cicadas trilling in the night… \n  \nThis is the teeming\, brimming world of celebration. A world that delights and astonishes\, crawls under your skin and haunts you for a long time afterwards—until such time when you finally accept the fact that a life of celebration is far more attractive than the day-to-day routine\, and that it only takes a tiny effort to learn to transform one’s daily life into a holiday. The world of celebration is filled with creativity. In this world each and every one of us can endlessly recreate and reinvent himself. \n  \nI don’t want to do anything that doesn’t bring joy to me\, to my friends and my audiences. This is how I’ve arranged my life\, and this is how I assemble my team. Any time I see someone who is full of joy\, whose life is a celebration\, I drag him into my show. I’d rather pass over a brilliant expert\, if he happens to be of a different spirit. \n  \nIn general\, I collect festive people—they radiate a wondrous light! Such people are few and far between\, but they do exist\, and they are spectacular. No matter what happens to them\, they never lose their spirit of celebration. And I try to learn from them. This is why I do everything I can to have such people near me. \n  \nFestive people are a bit like ambulance paramedics\, because whenever they show up\, you feel like you’ve been given a shot of mysterious optimism. Maybe we ought to set up a kind of emergency mental health service staffed with these people. In any event\, whenever I have to put together a touring company\, I always make sure we have some holiday people on board. It is very important for the whole team to be in high spirits. It is essential to have the walls of whatever theatre we happen to be in shaking with our raucous laughter! \n  \nCelebration of life is an enormous and very important subject….For now I will only say that I love celebrations. And I can spend a great deal of my time and energy making sure we put on a fabulous celebration. \n  \nAS A MATTER OF FACT\, ALL I’VE EVER DONE IN LIFE IS PUT ON CELEBRATIONS—WHETHER IT BE PERFORMANCES\, PROJECTS\, FESTIVALS\, OR JUST PARTIES FOR MY FRIENDS. I REALIZED THAT MY GREATEST PROJECT IS CALLED ‘CELEBRATION OF LIFE’\, AND THAT ITS PURPOSE IS TO TRANSFORM THE GREY WORLD OF OUR EVERYDAY HUMAN LIVES INTO A RICH\, COLORFUL\, ARTISTIC CELEBRATION.” \n  \n—from The Alchemy of Snowness by Slava Polunin \n  \nIn the year ahead\, I want to gather together often with friends—live or online—to celebrate our friendship\, and anything else we can think of. When alone\, I want to celebrate the miracle of having a precious human life on Planet Earth. \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nKim sent this: \n  \nThought of you when I ran across this little blessing I sent to some youth “offenders” in a California prison a friend was working with…after they thanked me for some poems I had sent them: \n  \nI am with you.  \nWhat my breath made is for  \nyour breath. And the silence  \nbetween words–that too\,   \nis for you. For in silence  \nI exchange my sleepless nights   \nfor your day of release.  \nFor that moment I chant   \nevery morning on this page. \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nThe Three Wise Men \n  \nMaybe \nWere not \nConsidered \nWise \nOr even \nIn possession \nOf all \nTheir senses \nAt first. \n  \nMen \nWho suddenly \nDepart from \nFriends and family \nLucrative enterprises \nPositions \nOf power \nAnd  \nPlush thrones \nFor \nLong camel rides \nOf indeterminate \nDistance and duration \nOver forbidding \nForeign terrain \nIn the \nDead of Winter \nDrawn by a \nDistant star \nAre seldom \nConsidered \nWise. \n  \nMad? \nFoolish? \nYes. \nBut wise? \nNot likely. \n  \nYet \nWisdom is \nDistilled \nDrop by drop \nSlowly  \nOver time \nNot manufactured \nOvernight \nAnd now \nAges hence \nWe drink \nThat intoxicating \nLiquor \nBrewed from \nA \nCourageous \nPlodding \nHumble \nPilgrimage \nMade \nBy men \nBearing gifts \nIn the \nDarkness \nTo where \nAnd \nFor whom \nThey \nKnew not \nKnew only \nTo leave \nAll they \nKnew \nFor a long \nNight Journey \nToward a  \nBeckoning star. \n  \n—Will Hornyak
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-1-4-24/
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SUMMARY:Martin Luther King Day! (1/15/24) & Black History Month in February
DESCRIPTION: \n\n\n\n\nToday is Martin Luther King Day!\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\nBlack History Month is coming up in February!\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\nBelow is a link to a speech Dr. King gave a few days after Rosa Parks was arrested for not sitting at the back of a bus in Montgomery\, Alabama\, in 1955. As far as I know\, it is the earliest recorded speech of of his. The quality of the recording is not very good\, but it’s a miracle that we have it. This YouTube video contains a transcription of the speech. \n \nSomething happens near the end. The people in the church realize that in this moment\, in this place\, the world is going to change. The roof comes off the church.\n \nI’ve listened to this recording many times. I cry every time\, without fail.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TmoFoG5P-U\n \n \n\npeace\, love & justice\n\nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/martin-luther-king-day-black-history-month/
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SUMMARY:Meditation & Mindfulness  1/15/24
DESCRIPTION:  \nOpen Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue \n  \nJanuary 15\, 2023 \n  \nThe mind is its own place\, and in itself \nCan make a Heav’n of Hell\, a Hell of Heav’n. \n  \n—from “Paradise Lost” by John Milton \n* \n  \nA couple poems from Kim. I’d like to read the imaginary book that he wrote this prologue for: \n  \n                   Prologue \n  \nThis book should probably be banned \nbecause the author not only believes in  \nfreedom\, but practices freedom by talking  \nabout hard things that may distract you.  \nYou should probably not read this book  \nif you are afraid to see things in a new way\,  \nencounter ideas that require thought\, or  \ncome to know people you have discounted. \nIf anyone sees you reading this book\, they \nmay judge you in ways you can’t control.  \nThis book could cause young people to  \ndevelop open minds\, then—who knows \nwhat might happen? Maybe close this book  \nright now—unless you feel brave\, and free. \n  \n  \n                   Be Alive \n  \nSometimes you see it on the street \namong the many pedestrian pedestrians \ndragged by errands\, slouching toward work— \nthis one youth skipping with joy. \n  \nOr in the store where shoppers lean on carts  \nheaped with plunder\, one bright-eyed\,  \ngray-haired wisp of woman humming\,  \nbuoyant in the baking aisle. \n  \nDon’t die before you die. It’s possible\, even  \nin dark days to wake in wonder\, lift your gaze\,  \nmake them stare\, amaze the sleeping multitudes  \nby how you swim through air.  \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nI bless the redbrick \nobsolete city center \nfrom the nineteenth floor. \n  \n—Alex Tretbar \n* \n  \n#352  “Why Hurry to the Grave?” \n“There is no need for us to struggle to arrive somewhere else. We know that our final destination will be the cemetery. Why are we in a hurry to get there? Why not step in the direction of life\, which is in the present moment?” \n—from Your True Home by Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \nHahaha! Oh\, that Thich Nhat Hanh has a funny bone in his body! Why hurry to the grave\, indeed?! There’s way too much living to do: too many dahlias to plant; too many dogs to save; kids to teach\, and kids to learn from; prisons to badger; trails to find\, or trails to find me; bike routes to tackle; Asian dishes to cook—wait! African and Indian dishes to try; short stories to write…. \n  \nEvery day is a new day. Every moment is a new moment.  \n  \nI want to take up cardiac surgery; there are a few hearts I’d like to transplant. \n  \nSo I’d better get moving—this January 29th I will be 80 years old. Ack!!! Oh well\, my dad was planting 10” Christmas tree seedlings when he was 90 years old. \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \nJill sent this quote: \n  \nBe kind to people; you never know what they’re going through. They might look perfectly normal\, but if you could see into their heart of hearts\, you might discover that they’re a poet\, forced to wander the world noticing\, noticing\, noticing\, until they’re hearts give out. I should know: my brother is one such unfortunate. So you never can tell. \n  \n—Sofia Warren \n  \n—Jill Littlewood \n* \n  \nThe Pelican \n  \nFinding oneself alone \nlocked out\, just after dark \nin snow\, 15 degrees\, \nwith only one’s clothes and one’s wits \nsharpens awareness of vulnerability. \n  \nA bit like a knife finds one’s weak spots. \n  \nBut this is about wittering\, \nor lack thereof. \nThe longing for much \nmaligned chit chat \nthat is the crack in a door left slightly open \nfor a glimpse of loss\, grief\, loneliness. \n  \nThat’s where the brown pelican \ncomes in\, prehistoric\, living \ndinosaur chasing an osprey\, \nterrifying huge bucket of a mouth open \nto catch\, hopefully\, a dropped fish. \n  \nWe sit with it. \n  \nThe fear\, the maw\, the missing\, \nthe nature of things. \n  \nAnd then we get up \ngo to the dining hall or grocery \nand make a joke to the person \nahead of us in line. \n  \nAbout the weather. \n   \n—Elizabeth Domike \n* \n  \nClear blue sky this morning. It’s cold out. Snow on the ground. Wondering what to write for the Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue—what to say about the unsayable. Emily’s poem pops into my mind\, and says what I want to say better than I can: \n  \nThe Infinite a sudden Guest \nHas been assumed to be — \nBut how can that stupendous come \nWhich never went away? \n  \n—Emily Dickinson \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nWe are experiencing snow with our original nature of AWE like we were children. \n  \nFurry Bear \n  \nIf I were a bear\,\n   And a big bear too\,\nI shouldn’t much care\n   If it froze or snew;\nI shouldn’t much mind\n   If it snowed or friz—\nI’d be all fur-lined\n   With a coat like his! \n  \nFor I’d have fur boots and a brown fur wrap\,\nAnd brown fur knickers and a big fur cap.\nI’d have a fur muffle-ruff to cover my jaws\,\nAnd brown fur mittens on my big brown paws.\nWith a big brown furry-down up to my head\,\nI’d sleep all the winter in a big fur bed. \n  \n—A.A. Milne \n  \n“When somebody has access  \nwho did not previously have access\,  \nthat’s powerful . . .” \n  \nI read this sign on the front of the Metro Newsletter about where to hike in Portland. The lead article was about who has access to the rivers and the hiking paths. Metro is creating more accessible paths for people with difficulty walking. How essential is our ability to wander in the woods\, to be in the wild\, by running water?   \n  \nI was reflecting on this quote on the way to the showing of Bushra’s film “A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison” at First Unitarian Church last Saturday. There was a wonder-full audience of receptive people who were astonished and moved by the beautiful experience of being able to see this story unfold. And I realized the profundity of access\, not only to people imprisoned\, but also to the friends\, mothers\, fathers\, daughters and sons who have not been able to visit their loved ones in prison. How powerful it is to have access to theater\, reading\, Shakespeare\, performing\, music\, visitors\, freedom\, transformation\, spectacle \, joy\, laughter\, hugging\, love—to feel so alive and engaged in life! \n  \nI received a new year poem from Kim and Perrin – “Be Alive” so timely. We have access to so much that can make us happy to be alive. Even when the power goes out\, branches are breaking\, the internet is disabled\, water only runs cold. When you wake in the dark under piles of quilts to stay warm\, as Perrin and Kim write in their poem\, “it’s possible\, even in dark days to wake in wonder.” \n  \nThis storm will pass.  \n  \nWith love and thanks to you all and our expanding community.   \n  \n—Katie Radditz \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/meditation-mindfulness-1-15-24/
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