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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240323
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SUMMARY:The Nonstop Love-In by Johnny Stallings
DESCRIPTION:  \nDear Friends! \nI’m excited to be publishing my first book! The Nonstop Love-In: poems\, stories\, essays & other writings is published by Open Road Press.  \nThere was a Book Launch at Ross Island Grocery & Cafe on March 23\, 2024. There was a Book Reading & Signing at Belmont Books\, in Portland\, on April 17. \nYou can buy a copy of the book from Belmont Books.  \nMultnomah County Library has ordered 12 copies. You can place a hold now! It’s also available as an ebook from Multnomah County Library\, or on Kindle from Amazon. \nYou can order a copy of the book from Open Road Press. Make out your check for $20 (includes shipping) to “Open Road Press” and mail it to:  \nOpen Road Press  \n4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd.\, PMB 268  \nPortland\, OR  97214 \n  \nYou can also get a copy by emailing me at: \nstallingsjohnny@gmail.com. \n  \nThe book can be ordered from the websites of: \nIngramSpark \nPowell’s \nBarnes & Noble \nAmazon \n  \nA portion of the proceeds goes to Open Road Press to seed future publications. \nThe release date was Saturday\, March 23rd\, 2024.  \nWe had a great Book Launch that very evening at Ross Island Grocery & Cafe. It was a total Love-In! \n  \nFrom the back cover: \n  \nIf you know Johnny\, you will love this book. If you don’t\, after reading\, you will want to meet him—by reading this book. Who else can provide such a good-humored\, big-hearted\, modern Socratic quest into the nature of human happiness\, and the myriad paths to finding joy? Johnny lived in India—and in the remote Eastern Oregon town of Ashwood. He’s spent years in prison—as a generous visitor creating dialog circles to bring lively thought to shadowed lives. And all the time he was writing these zesty morsels of insight\, poem\, story\, meditation\, and manifesto just for you. \n  \n—Kim Stafford\, author of As the Sky Begins to Change  \n  \nGet your copy today!  \nMakes a great gift! \n  \npeace\, love & happiness \n  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/how-to-order-the-nonstop-love-in/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240315
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240415
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SUMMARY:Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue  3/15/24
DESCRIPTION:photograph by Elizabeth Domike \n  \nOpen Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue \n  \n  \nMarch 15\, 2023 \n  \nOut breath \nand in breath— \nknow that they are \nproof that the world \nis inexhaustible. \n  \n—Ryōkan  (1758-1851) \n* \n  \nYoga \n  \nYoga is Love \n  \nThere are many ways to learn how to tolerate being uncomfortable. \n  \nYoga has been one of those ways for me.  I’d taken a few classes here and there and watched Lilias! as a teenager. I read then\, too\, voraciously about the austerities that the yogis performed along with some Buddhist texts. But it wasn’t until 1999 that I found myself going to a yoga class at my gym with a girlfriend of a work colleague who didn’t want to go alone. \n  \nIt was that one class and the most unusual teacher\, an older fellow\, shaggy beard\, who had been teaching martial arts until he was involved in a car accident from which he learned to rehabilitate himself from\, by practicing yoga. Not your normal teacher in a gym\, for him it was a short-term gig but after that first class I took every class he taught until one day he was gone. \n  \nHis replacement was a Russian woman in her 30’s who came over on a visa to compete in fitness competitions and found a way to stay. Born is Siberia\, trained as a grade schoolteacher she was able to have tea with our original teacher and find out the bones of what he had been teaching us. \n  \nSome classes we would spend an hour on our feet\, another day\, our necks. \n  \nMy partner at the time told me after maybe the second class that he liked that I was going\, which was unusual as he was a bit particular about time with me. He said I will take you any time you want to go\, you are so much “nicer” afterwards. \n  \nOlga\, my new teacher\, did (and does) not have the common American affliction of low self-esteem. \n  \nAfter teaching at the gym for six months she told us she had engaged studio space nearby and was going to teach independently and had found a new teacher for herself and was transitioning from a more fitness-based style to a spine and breath centered style that was developed in India and transmitted to her teacher there. \n  \nOver the next four years she trained with him while we followed her around from studio space to studio space until she was fully certified as a yoga therapist and opened her own dedicated studio. \n  \nI was happy taking class from her and at my local studio for the next 13 years.   \n  \nThat is what I did\, I worked\, I wrote and read poetry and practiced yoga. Always curious\, but (for a number of reasons) not interested in traveling either to India or to high priced retreats or trainings. I read\, asked questions\, and attended a few local workshops with visiting “master” teachers. Including Olga’s own\, Gary Kraftsow. He trained in India with the family that trained BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois. \n  \nOlga finally started grandfathering me into her classes and workshops for teachers because I wanted to know stuff. \n  \nIt was kind of a joke\, just me\, the perpetual student\, and all the teachers. Eventually though it became clear that the only way I was going to retain the Sanskrit and more esoteric teachings was to take on the challenge to teach them myself. I took that training and began\, much to my surprise\, to teach right away\, at work\, of all places. \n  \nAfter all those years of showing up and taking class and feeling better in my body and avoiding injury and helping my nervous system stay on an even keel\, I realized that I loved sharing the teachings with others. \n  \nThe movement\, the meditation\, the breathing\, the profound deep relaxation. This isn’t a metaphor\, teaching for me is love. I love the folks who show up for class and I love being there as a guide for them into their own journey of discovery. Of course\, I have my own practice\, separate from teaching as well. \n  \nHow many of us have the opportunity to fall in love every weekday over and over\, in love with the shared experience\, in love with the creativity (I now read a poem at the end of my morning classes)\, in love with the community the classes provide\, in love with the intoxicating flow during class that is like taking a vacation from the doubts and tribulations of our lives as they are these days? \n  \nEach practice is new\, even if the movements are similar. Each day is new\, the body is a mystery manufacturing plant\, astonishing in its ability to throw us for a loop and catch us as we spiral around back towards balance and integration once again. \n  \nIn the intervening years discomfort has been there\, always a companion\, but so has the yoga. \n  \nI can vaguely make them out\, holding hands\, heading along the path ahead that leads towards the mystery just over the next rise; the one to which we all one day will return. \n  \n–Elizabeth Domike \n* \n  \nWalk so that your footprints bear only the marks of peaceful joy and complete freedom. To do this\, you have to learn to let go – let go of your sorrows\, let go of your worries. That is the secret of walking meditation.  \nWalk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. \n                                                                                   —Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \nWhen I was 11 years old\, in the course of a devastating accident\, I had an out-of-body experience. 30 years later\, parasailing in Hawaii\, I recognized the perspective. From a great height I could view my entire neighborhood. I could see residents coming out of their houses and running in the direction of some intense  activity happening far below me. After a time\, I heard distant screaming. Then\, it was me screaming. \n  \nI might have been unconsciously trying to assimilate this experience a couple of years later when my mother came home from her book club with Forever Young\, Forever Healthy\, by Indra Devi; a kind of autobiography with instructions in the practice of yoga asanas. Devi had been the wife of a Czech diplomat in India. She had become an Indian movie star (hence the name) and had convinced the famous yogi Krishnamacharya to take her as a student—perhaps making her the first woman ever accepted into a yoga ashram. Years later\, she opened a studio in Hollywood and taught yoga to movie stars and other famous people. Her book was a success and she followed it up with Yoga For Americans\, a six week yoga course in book form. I was intrigued and began a practice of the asanas\, which has continued more-or-less unbroken for 60 odd years. \n  \nDevi made some reference to the meditative aspect of yoga\, but it was an encounter with another book\, Autobiography of a Yogi\, by Paramahansa Yogananda\, that convinced me to adopt yoga—an idiosyncratic yoga to be sure—as my way of life. Devi’s yoga was basically exercise. She taught a progressive series of asanas adapted for Western people. Yogananda\, on the other hand\, created a syncretic religion focused on meditation and the attainment of “cosmic consciousness” or “oneness with God.” He named it Self-Realization Fellowship. \n  \nIn the hyperbolic language of yogic literature\, dedicated practice gives the yogi power over life and death. The authoritative Yoga Sutras lists eight primary siddhis\, or magical powers\, and many minor ones. Yogananda tells intoxicating stories of healings\, appearing in two places at once\, walking through walls\, stalling passenger trains\, and having casual conversations with God\, whether in the form of Krishna\, Jesus\, Buddha\, or an articulate glowing light. This was heady stuff for a 13 year old nerdy American boy with no athletic prowess and a considerable capacity for self-depreciation\, and I became a committed “devotee.” \n  \nAs the months and years went by\, I noticed that I wasn’t feeling particularly integrated or powerful. While some “meditative experiences” did occur\, I actually seemed to be moving in the opposite direction. I was not becoming more integrated\, but less. At first I attributed this dissolution to weakness in my practice\, but as time went on the Buddhist analysis of the self and of the intention of meditation seemed to confirm my experience. (This is\, of course\, an extremely condensed picture of my development.) At the university I encountered the Prajnaparamita literature and the Mahayana teachings of emptiness\, no-self\, and dependent origination or interbeing. \n  \nIn 1968 I was drafted. The United States involvement in Vietnam was surging\, and the anti-war movement was in full oppositional flower. Now\, the first axiom of Yoga\, philosophically and in practice\, is ahimsa or harmlessness—“not to injure any creature by thought\, word or deed”—and I applied for Conscientious Objector status\, ascribing my dissent to this principle. As part of my application\, I had to gather reference letters from as many people as possible. To my genuine surprise\, the Self Realization Fellowship refused to support my appeal. The flamboyant Yogananda\, with his long hair and ocher robe\, had perhaps wisely required his followers to assume a conservative demeanor. The small organization did not want to become the object of government scrutiny. (Conversely\, they may have actually believed in so-called conservative values.)  \n  \nAn FBI agent was assigned to my case. He spoke with friends and neighbors\, teachers\, acquaintances\, and\, in the end\, he concluded I was sincere. The local draft board turned me down. I appealed to the State Board. An investigation followed; again the investigator concluded I was sincere and the board refused me. This sequence was repeated with the National Board and a Presidential appeal. I was able to read through these various reports due to the Freedom of Information Act. I steeled myself to go to prison. One evening\, a friend  advised me to write to my senator\, Henry “Scoop” Jackson\, a hawkish Democrat who was a strong supporter of US involvement in Vietnam. I felt it was futile\, but I wrote to him stating that I thought an injustice was about to occur. To everyone’s surprise\, Jackson asked that my  case be reviewed. Two days later I received my Conscientious Objector status. Thus yogic ahimsa was made a precedent in claiming CO standing. \n  \nThere are many stories about how yoga came into the world. One of my favorites is that Shiva\, the Lord of Yoga\, created all the forms of life by assuming the appropriate asana for each being. The practice of yoga asanas is an act of identifying with the god\, and through him identifying with all creation. In a typical asana session one becomes a dog\, a cat\, a frog\, a cobra\, an eagle\, a mythic hero\, a baby Krishna\, a tree—even an abstract being such as a triangle. There is no limit to the possibilities of identification. \n  \nTo me\, the practice of Hatha Yoga is a form of meditation\, no different from sitting still or from the  practice of walking described in the quotation above. It should never be done as mere exercise or as a bitter medicine that is supposed to be good for one. I think it’s hilarious when someone refers to me as “disciplined.” For me\, yoga is play\, something so enjoyable I begin to smile the moment my foot kisses the mat. I never hurt myself “doing my yoga”. I don’t stretch or pull my muscles beyond my capacity. Whether in sitting meditation or in asana practice\, I like the sports phrase “playing the edge”—testing one’s limits without trying to go beyond them. Hanging out\, exploring the edge of possibility\, that edge expands without effort. Ahimsa\, the first principle of Yoga\, applies to oneself as well as others.  \n  \nAlthough I studied yoga somewhat extensively\, I was not one of those western pioneers of the ‘60s who journeyed to the east and practiced at the feet of the gurus. I remained in America\, was a dilentantic student at best\, and devoted more time to the study and practice of theater than to Indian metaphysics. Any interpretations I have of Yoga or of Buddhist theory and practice are likely\, in the language of Harold Bloom\, to constitute a misreading. Nevertheless I am bold enough to claim to be a yogi with a small “y”.  The study and practice of Yoga as I understood it has been an unqualified blessing in my life. Whether “kissing the Earth with my feet” or turning the World topsy turvy by standing on my head\, I find stability in insecurity and certainty in not-knowing. To anyone who thinks of yoga as a remote or inaccessible regimen\, I invite you in this moment to bring your attention to how you are sitting (or standing) and breathing. In a moment of attention without any effort to improve\, you can experience yoga\, which is the ending of division and conflict.  \n  \n—Howard Thoresen \n* \n  \nI initially began a serious yoga practice shortly after the birth of my first daughter. It began as an escape. I had gone from an independent\, young woman pursuing my education and supporting myself\, to partnered with a child in a short time. I was looking for something that could be mine. Looking back\, I see I needed to grieve for my life before children—for my former identity—and I was searching for a way to complete my metamorphosis. I was looking to relieve the spiritual suffering I couldn’t articulate at the time.  \n  \nI met a woman teaching Kundalini yoga. I was drawn in from the first class and started going as often as I could. I liked using mantras and the resonance of speaking these new and foreign powerful words aloud and in community. It felt like tangible strength. I was reconnecting. I was breathing and transforming. And with a flexibility of body comes a flexibility of mind.  \n  \nThroughout the years my practice ebbed and flowed. I went from Kundalini to Ashtanga to shadow yoga and back to Ashtanga. There were times I was practicing daily separated by periods with little to no time on the mat. But yoga has been a part of my life since that first class. There is asana and there is everything else. It is the inner practices of yoga (concentration\, meditation) that have been the most profound for me. What is striking about yoga to me is its ability to gently guide. I make better\, more conscious decisions\, as a yogini.  \n  \nIn 2018\, I traveled to Kathmandu to become a certified yoga and meditation teacher. I had no intention of teaching. I simply desired to dive deep and solidify what I began so many years ago – to take a new shape as a person content with the unknown. I am happy\, as I now understand that gratitude and presence is love in action and are accessible any time.  \n  \nYoga has now led me to the healing potential of Ayurveda and I am now an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor\, committing myself to a life of balance and wonder. I continue to practice meditation daily and asana on a regular basis and imagine I will do so for the rest of the days within my one wild and precious life.  \n  \nIn gratitude and light \n—Nicole Rush
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/meditation-mindfulness-dialogue-3-15-24/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240310T150000
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DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240229T232650Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240402T160530Z
UID:4465-1710082800-1710090000@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  3/10/24
DESCRIPTION:Ceramic Tree of World Literature from Guadalajara\, Mexico. \nTop center: The Bible. Bottom center: Moby Dick. \nUpper left: Dante’s Inferno. Upper middle: Don Quixote & Sancho Panza.  \nUpper right: Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis above Aladdin from Arabian Nights. \nMiddle left: Faust & Mephistopheles. Middle: Shakespeare above Romeo & Juliet. \nMiddle right: Edgar Allen Poe & Jean Valjean from Les Miserables. \nLower left: Borges above Ulysses and the Sirens.  \nLower right: Ruben Dario above Homer’s Trojan Horse. \n  \nBeloved Bibliophiles!  \nOn Sunday\, March 10th\, at 3 p.m. PST\, our theme will be World Literature. Here’s the Zoom link:  \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \n  \nI hope to see you there!  \n  \npeace\, love & happiness  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-3-10-24/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240307T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240307T210000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240127T002642Z
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UID:4399-1709838000-1709845200@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:A Midsummer Night's Dream in Prison at Lewis & Clark Law School  3/7/24
DESCRIPTION:  \nA Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison\, a documentary by Bushra Azzouz\, will be shown at Lewis & Clark Law School\, (Room 7 or 8 Wood Hall Basement)\, on Thursday\, March 7th\, at 7 p.m. Following the screening there will be a Q & A with Brandon Gillespie (actor) and Johnny Stallings (director). \n  \nHere’s a trailer for the film: \n  \n  \n \n  \n  \n  \nDON’T MISS THIS! \n  \npeace\, love & happiness \n  \nJohnny \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/a-midsummer-nights-dream-in-prison-at-lewis-clark-law-school-3-7-24/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240307
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240404
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240307T165920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240307T170040Z
UID:4483-1709769600-1712188799@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  3/7/24
DESCRIPTION:Tree of World Literature\, ceramic from Guadalajara\, Mexico \nCan you find…The Bible\, Moby Dick\, Don Quixote\, Romeo & Juliet\, The Little Prince\, Metamorphoses\, Aladdin\, Faust\, Les Miserables\, The Inferno\, The Iliad\, The Odyssey? \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nMarch 7\, 2024 \nAbundance! \n  \nThe road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. \n  \n& \n  \nExuberance is Beauty. \n  \n—William Blake \n* \n  \nInsatiableness is good\, but not ingratitude. \n  \n—Thomas Traherne \n* \n  \nI was reading On Dialogue: an essay in free thought by Robert Grudin\, and it got me thinking about abundance in literature and in life—about too muchness. If I had a coat of arms\, this might be my motto: \n  \nLOVE  *  SILENCE  *  LIFE ABUNDANT! \n  \nI want to live my life to the full! I want my cup to runneth over! And it is! It is! I admire the fictional character Alexis Zorba\, from the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. He’s based on a man Kazantzakis knew. Zorba loved “the whole catastrophe”! \n  \nIn Chapter 3 of On Dialogue\, “The Liberty of Ideas\,” Grudin talks about copia\, a Latin word that means “abundance\,” from which we get the words “copious” and “copiousness.” \n  \nLiterary copiousness is a kind of “overdoing it” that gives a special kind of delight. Grudin cites Rabelais as someone who uses copia for humorous effect. An example that came to my mind is this passage from King Lear: \n  \nOswald \nWhy dost thou use me thus? I know thee not. \nKent \nFellow\, I know thee. \nOswald \nWhat dost thou know me for? \nKent \nA knave\, a rascal\, an eater of broken meats; a base\, proud\, shallow\, beggarly\, three-suited\, hundred-pound\, filthy\, worsted-stocking knave; a lily-livered\, action-taking knave; a whoreson\, glass-gazing\, super-serviceable finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting slave; one that wouldst be a bawd in way of good service; and art nothing but the composition of a knave\, beggar\, coward\, pander\, and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch; one whom I will beat into clamorous whining if thou deniest the least syllable of thy addition. \n  \nJames Joyce overdid it in his novel Ulysses\, and overdid overdoing it in Finnegans Wake. In Ulysses\, he describes a man\, “the citizen\,” sitting in a pub: \n  \nThe figure seated on a large boulder at the foot of a round tower was that of a broadshouldered deepchested stronglimbed frankeyed redhaired freelyfreckled shaggybearded widemouthed largenosed longheaded deepvoiced barekneed brawnyhanded hairylegged ruddyfaced sinewyarmed hero. From shoulder to shoulder he measured several ells and his rocklike mountainous knees were covered\, as was likewise the rest of his body wherever visible\, with a strong growth of tawny prickly hair in hue and toughness similar to the mountain gorse (Ulex Europeus). The widewinged nostrils\, from which bristles of the same tawny hue projected\, were of such capaciousness that within their cavernous obscurity the fieldlark might easily have lodged her nest. The eyes in which a tear and a smile strove ever for the mastery were of the dimensions of a goodsized cauliflower. A powerful current of warm breath issued at regular intervals from the profound cavity of his mouth while in rhythmic resonance the loud strong hale reverberations of his formidable heart thundered rumblingly causing the ground\, the summit of the lofty tower and the still loftier walls of the cave to vibrate and tremble. \n  \n—James Joyce\, Ulysses\, Chapter 12\, lines 151-167 \n  \nWalt Whitman overdoes it in “Song of Myself.” I’ve always been inspired by the loud “YES!” he sings to Life—and to Death. Here are a couple excerpts: \n  \nI believe in the flesh and the appetites\, \nSeeing\, hearing\, feeling\, are miracles\, and each part and tag of me is a miracle. \n  \nDivine am I inside and out\, and I make holy whatever I touch or am touched from\, \nThe scent of these arm-pits aroma finer than prayer\, \nThis head more than churches\, bibles\, and all the creeds. \n  \n& \n  \nI am an acme of things accomplished\, and I an encloser of things to be. \n  \nMy feet strike an apex of the apices of the stairs\, \nOn every step bunches of ages\, and larger bunches between the steps\, \nAll below duly traveled\, and still I mount and mount. \n  \nRise after rise bow the phantoms behind me\, \nAfar down I see the huge first Nothing\, I know I was even there\, \nI waited unseen and always\, and slept through the lethargic mist\, \nAnd took my time\, and took no hurt from the fetid carbon. \n  \nLong I was hugged close—long and long. \n  \nImmense have been the preparations for me\, \nFaithful and friendly the arms that have helped me. \n  \nCycles ferried my cradle\, rowing and rowing like cheerful boatmen\, \nFor room to me stars kept aside in their own rings\, \nThey sent influences to look after what was to hold me. \nBefore I was born out of my mother generations guided me\, \nMy embryo has never been torpid\, nothing could overlay it. \n  \nFor it the nebula cohered to an orb \nThe long slow strata piled to rest it on\, \nVast vegetables gave it sustenance\, \nMonstrous sauroids transported it in their mouths and deposited it with care. \n  \nAll forces have been steadily employed to complete and delight me\, \nNow on this spot I stand with my robust soul. \n  \n—Walt Whitman\, from sections 24 & 44 of “Song of Myself” \n  \nPeace\, Love & Life Abundant! \n—Johnny \n* \n  \nHere’s a poem from Will: \n  \nSome Tides \n  \nJust ooze in  \nQuiet as a shadow \nRising slower than  \nOld fishermen  \nAt seasons end. \nOthers come \nQuick as cats \nWind-whipped\, hungry \nDevouring acres of mud flats \nIn minutes. \n  \nThis tide today \nPulled in to our little bay \nUnhurried \nDrew its soft\, green \n Blanket of brine \n Over beds of oysters \nBarnacled blocks of rip-rap \nKelp-strewn boulders \nBeaches of stones \nRounded by   \n Endless comings and goings \nThen \n Tucked itself in \n To every inlet \nComing to rest at last \nBeneath dark\, overhanging \nFir and Cedar boughs.    \n  \nA family of seals arrived \nDrawn no doubt  \nTo a feast of edibles \nWithin this swelling sea  \nThey approached my canoe \nWary but curious \nFifteen dark heads \nFifteen whiskered mouths \nFifteen pairs of eyes  \nSo intent\, so familiar \nI couldn’t help but talk to them \nWatch them surface\, submerge\, resurface.  \n  \nThen\, Bufflehead ducks\, Mergansers\, Canada geese arrived \nTo this watery place of plenty  \nAlong with those peerless hunters \nGreat Blue Herons\, perched on a single leg \nIn the shallows\, beaks poised waiting  \nFor that one careless minnow. \n  \nThen\, far above\, in a blue\, cloudless sky  \nA Raven flew over the brimming bay  \nIts shrill cry reminding us all \nThat Raven made these seas to rise and fall \nThat Raven holds the rope to let loose their ebb \nAnd pull forth their flood  \nThat he has done so since the beginning of time \n“And look\,” he says\, in his ancient tongue   \n“Caw! I have done it again today.” \n  \n—Will Hornyak\,  February 2024 \n* \n  \nI was talking with Kim about abundance\, and he thought of “lagniappe.” This is the Preface to his book of poems The Lagniappe: \n  \nPreface \n  \nThe title of this book\, lagniappe\, is a resonant word heard in New Orleans\, where it means “a little extra…a bonus…a gift.” This term was first the Quechua word yapa (“to add\, to increase\, to help”) heard buy the hungry conquistadores in the Inca markets of the Andes. It meant a little gift smuggled into the bargaining for potatoes or grain. They took this word to Mexico\, where it became Spanish: ñapa. And then to New Orleans\, where it became French: lagniappe—as in\, “Why did Irene pay for our dessert?” “It’s the lagniappe.” \n  \nSo\, as I age\, I seek the bonus\, the little extra. I hope to become a graceful ruin\, if I am lucky\, lasting past my prime into the years of bending lower\, withering\, and yet—if I choose the path of luck—in possession of lagniappe\, some gifts of insight to offer to the young. \n  \nWho wrote the manual for growing old with grace? Who took time to compose the encyclopedia of life’s attritions\, to gather the scripture of the elder age\, to list the acts of aging apostles\, to pen the proverbs that might guide our passage\, to proffer the gospel for the elder soul? I look around to see who has done this\, or who will do this\, and it appears it may be me. Hence this draft of essential terms. \n  \n—Kim Stafford\, 70 \n* \nBrian Doyle exemplified Blake’s aphorism: “Exuberance is Beauty.” In his enthusiasm he sometimes wrote sentences that went on and on and on. In the posthumous collection of essays One Long River of Song\, the first sentence of his essay on “Pants” contains 379 words! The final essay\, “Last Prayer\,” teaches us about living and dying in Abundance: \n  \nI could complain a little here about the long years of back pain and the occasional awful heartbreak\, but Lord\, those things were infinitesimal against the slather of gifts You gave mere me\, a muddle of a man\, so often selfish and small. But no man was ever more grateful for Your profligate generosity\, and here at the very end\, here in my last lines\, I close my eyes and weep with joy that I was alive\, and blessed beyond measure\, and might well be headed back home to the incomprehensible Love from which I came\, mewling\, many years ago. \n  \n—Brian Doyle\, from One Long River of Song
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-3-7-24/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240225T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240225T170000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240216T165627Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240229T233303Z
UID:4440-1708873200-1708880400@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  2/25/24
DESCRIPTION:Alokananda Roy \n  \nBeloved Bibliophiles!  \nOn Sunday\, February 25th\, at 3 p.m. PST\, our theme will be Who do you admire\, and why? It could be an author\, a fictional character\, someone you’ve read about–or someone completely unrelated to books. I’ve got a long list–including Alokananda Roy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz1VlS-w9Co). I’m eager to hear who you admire. Here’s the Zoom link:  \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \n  \nI hope to see you there!  \n  \npeace\, love & happiness  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-2-25-24/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240215
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240315
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240215T172007Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240215T172103Z
UID:4434-1707955200-1710460799@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue  2/15/24
DESCRIPTION:  \nOpen Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue \n  \nFebruary 15\, 2023 \n  \nwhen the mind is still \nall views disappear \n  \ntrying to quiet the mind \nis just more activity \n  \n—Seng Ts’an \n* \n  \n“Abandoning concepts is of prime importance for a meditator.” \n  \n—from The Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh\, p. 319 \n* \n  \nAnd a favorite quote for Valentine’s Day: \n  \nLove to faults is always blind\, \nAlways is to joy inclin’d\, \nLawless\, wing’d & unconfin’d\, \nAnd breaks all chains from every mind. \n  \n—William Blake \n* \n  \n¡Greetings from Guanajuato! \n  \nThis morning (2/6/24) I was thinking about Thomas Traherne. He’s a Christian mystic from the Seventeenth Century. Naturally\, he believes in God. For him\, God created the heavens and the earth\, and everything that lives here–including us.* He’s terrifically pleased with all this\, grateful\, and eloquent. I enjoy reading his poems and meditations. In my mind\, I have to do some translating of what he says into ideas that are more congenial to me. So\, this morning\, instead of doing it in my head\, I tried a couple things in my journal. \n  \nIn Centuries of Meditations Thomas Traherne wrote… \n  \n58 \nThe Cross is the abyss of wonders\, the centre of desires\, the school of virtues\, the house of wisdom\, the throne of love\, the theatre of joys\, and the place of sorrows; It is the root of happiness and the gate of Heaven. \n  \n…which I changed to… \n  \n58 \nSilence is the abyss of wonders\, the center of desires\, the school of virtues\, the house of wisdom\, the throne of love\, the theater of joys\, and the place of sorrows; it is the root of happiness and the gate of heaven. \n  \nA longer passage from Thomas Traherne… \n  \n71 \nBut what life wouldst thou lead? And by what laws wouldst thou thyself be guided? For none are so miserable as the lawless and disobedient. Laws are the rules of blessed living. Thou must therefor be guided by some laws. What wouldst thou choose? Surely  since thy nature and God’s are so excellent\, the Laws of Blessedness\, and the Laws of Nature are the most pleasing. God loved thee with an infinite love\, and became by doing so thine infinite treasure. Thou art the end unto whom He liveth. For all the lines of His works and counsels end in thee\, and in thy advancement. Wilt not thou become to Him an infinite treasure\, by loving Him according to His  desert? It is impossible but to love Him that loveth. Love is so amiable that it is irresistible. There is no defense against that arrow\, nor any deliverance in that war\, nor any safeguard from that charm. Wilt thou not live unto Him? Thou must of necessity live unto something. And what so glorious as His infinite Love? Since therefore\, laws are requisite to lead thee\, what laws can thy soul desire\, than those that guide thee in the most amiable paths to the highest end? By Love alone is God enjoyed\, by Love alone delighted in\, by Love alone approached or admired. His Nature requires Love\, thy nature requires Love. The law of Nature commands thee to Love Him: the Law of His nature\, and the Law of thine. \n  \n…in my argot becomes… \n  \n71 \nIt is impossible not to love someone who loves you. Love is so amiable that it is irresistible. There is no defense against that arrow\, nor any safeguard from that charm. What life would you lead? By what would you be guided? We must have something to live for. What would you choose? Why not live in blessedness? Why not live in love? You must live for something. What more glorious than infinite love? Where there is infinite love there is infinite treasure. Choose the most amiable paths that lead to love and joy. By love alone is life enjoyed\, by love alone delighted in. Love is the essence of life. It is our true nature. \n  \n*Darwin’s version seems more plausible to me than the account given in the book of Genesis–where Adam is a clay figurine and Eve is created from his rib. \n  \npaz\, amor y felicidad \n  \nJuanito \n* \n  \nKim wrote in response—and sent a poem: \n  \nThank you\, Johnny\, for these thoughts and texts. What you have done seems to me a version of what every reader does–adapt a text into one’s own frame of reference. I like that you took the time to spell it out in your own lingo. \n  \nI remember my father telling me about the early Spanish priest deep in the Amazon jungle preparing to preach the Christian gospel to the local tribe. For them\, animals were gods. So the priest\, to tell the story of Christ\, began: “Once a jaguar was born in a nest of grass….” \n  \nThis form of radical transformation of a text in translation\, my father said\, was called “an economy.” That is\, an utterly thrifty and practical conversion of currency from one culture to another. \n  \nThis you have now done\, and all becomes a little more clear…. \nAll praise to the Jaguar. \n  \nKim \n  \n    Deep State II \n  \nAny songbird is a likely spy watching your \nevery move\, head turned to hear your thoughts\, \nowl on night watch channeling your dreams\, \nwheeling hawk agent in feathered surveillance  \non the payroll of the CIA (Compassion in All)  \nto know your part in the great extinction. If \nyou are complicit\, it’s not too late to change— \nswitch loyalty to Earth and earn exoneration. \nJoin the underground in radical solidarity with \ninsects serving the FBI (Friend Bond Intrinsic)  \nfor the long-game operation eons old\, code name \nConspiracy of Rivers trafficking in mist by secret  \ntransport hidden in plain sight\, sotto voce bats \nchanting dispatch passed along by moth wing  \nsemaphore for the sleeper cells of bees. \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nPrayer for the Reader Who Photocopies This Prayer and Shares It with Friends and Sisters \n  \nDear Coherence: Thank You for beer and friends and pencils and socks and the Red Cross and cellos and Paul Desmond’s saxophone and Wiffle balls and elm trees and woodpeckers and transistor radios in the pockets of old men who are fishing for bass and perch but also keeping one ear on the baseball game. Thank You for suspenders and Larry Bird. Thank You for typewriter keys and stamps and windowpanes and coffeepots. Thank You for Rosemary Clooney’s voice especially in her later years. Thank You for photocopy machines and friends and sisters and the refrigerators on which we pin up small lovely strange things people we love send us in the mail. Thank You for teeth and earphones. Thank You for sand crabs and safety belts. Thank You for the way men pat their pockets while checking for their keys and wallets and phones. Thank You for the way people defer to each other while boarding the bus. Thank You for all the little things that are not little. Absolutely beautiful work there. If You had a supervisor I would so  be writing a letter of commendation for Your personal file\, but…And so: amen. \n  \n—from A Book of Uncommon Prayer by Brian Doyle \n* \n  \nWalt Whitman says: \n  \n…The smallest sprout shows there is really no death\, \nAnd if ever there was it led forward life\, and does not wait at the end to arrest it\, \nAnd ceas’d the moment life appear’d. \n  \nAll goes onward and outward\, nothing collapses\, \nAnd to die is different from what anyone supposed\, and luckier. \n  \n7 \nHas anyone supposed it lucky to be born? \nI hasten to inform him or her it is just as luck to die\, and I know it. \n  \nI pass death with the dying and birth with the new-wash’d babe\, and am not contain’d between my hat and boots\, \nAnd peruse manifold objects\, no two alike and every one good\, \nThe earth good and the stars good\, and their adjuncts all good. \n  \n—from “Song of Myself\,” sections 6 & 7 \n* \n  \n#318  “True Generosity” \n  \n“True generosity is not a trade or a bargaining strategy. In true giving there is no thought of giver and recipient. This is called ‘the emptiness of giving\,’ in which there is no perception of separation between the one who gives and the one who receives. \nThis is the practice of generosity given in the spirit of wisdom\, with the understanding of interbeing. You offer help as naturally as you breathe. You don’t see yourself as the giver and the other person as the recipient of your generosity\, who is now beholden to you and must be suitably grateful\, respond to your demands\, and so on. You don’t give so you can make the other person your ally. When you see that people need help\, you offer and share what you have with no strings attached and no thought of reward.”—from Your True Home by Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \nI am not a good board member; I am especially not effective as a fundraising committee member. I would like to be helpful in that area\, but I am definitely a liability rather than an asset. In fact I have been quietly dropped from the two committees I’ve been on in the past. Let me explain. \n  \nDecades ago\, I volunteered to go door-to-door soliciting donations for the American Cancer Society to put on the ‘resume’ for our Lake Grove Garden Club\, to show others how charitable we were. I launched my campaign door-to-door\, and after about a dozen or so households\, I’d gathered a smattering of small checks and bills. Seemed like everyone had other needs for their money\, very understandable. I’d collected about $75 when I came to the last house for the day. An elderly woman greeted me sweetly. I told her my reason for being there\, and she whispered\, “Oh my dear\, I would love to help\, but I have just finished my last round of chemotherapy myself\, and I have not a penny left to my name\, but I do wish you luck.” Well\, I felt so terrible and could truly feel her pain\, so I rummaged through my envelope of donations and gave her $60 of my $75 collection of the day. It was evident that she needed that $60\, and much more; it was also evident that all the others I’d approached were in need themselves. Life is hard\, I explained to the club members when I turned over my $15.00. Soon after\, I was quietly taken off the fundraising committee and assigned to the cookie sales committee. \n  \nThe fundraising committee of the Portland Artquake board evidently had not learned of this when they assigned me a spot in their group. They discussed with me how it was an essential component  that we donate a portion of our artists’ sales profits to other organizations. This was followed by a heated discussion about what we would get in return for our donation: If we gave X amount\, could we expect to get X in return? Could we give less than X amount and still get what we wanted/needed in return? Could we get a particular in-kind\, non-fungible (I was 29 years old and just learning the definition of ‘fungible’) favor/gift? Would that qualify as an equal\, or more than a win-win for us? I was naive\, and puzzled. \n  \nDuring a moment of stony silence in the arguing\, I piped up\, “But isn’t this a gift? I thought you didn’t expect something in return for a gift. Isn’t it something you give with no expectation of some reward\, or return? It’d sure be easier that way.” The silence turned frigid\, and pitying. One man sneered at me in disbelief\, “You don’t think we do this crap for nothing\, do you? This is business\, sweetheart\, business!”  The light dawned and I nodded slowly\, knowingly. \n  \nDays later they told me everyone thought I’d be great on the arts display committee. They told me it was a promotion\, an honor—but I’ve always wondered… \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \nMirror \n  \nShipmates\, we float on a sea of story. \n  \nBooks become companions for a while\, \nsaving us from chaos in our minds \n  \nWe stay up to find \nout what in the end \nholds that particular narrative line.  \n  \nEven though we can guess\, \nthe thirst is there to know \nno matter how twisty we go. \n  \nJust not too. \n  \nNot too easy\, not too twisty\, \nnot too overblown\, or risky. \n  \nNot too sappy\, \npedestrian\, predictable \nand please\, not too happy. \n  \nA challenge or predicament \nmust engage \ncould be in the form of a wizened sage. \n  \nPerhaps there is a tiger \nunexpectedly on a raft \nor a talking spider \ncaught in an updraft. \n  \nA bear and his friends\, \nan unwholesome fish\, \nit could even be someone \ntrying to find the right sized dish. \n  \nThere are colors and places \nand narrow cramped spaces \nfull of smells \nand remarkably… tolling bells. \n  \nWherever we go \nwe are still here\, \nnever having gone and yet… \nthings become\, curiously\, more clear. \n  \n—Elizabeth Domike \n* \n  \nThese days I am taking care of my granddaughter about 2 hours a day. Delana is nine weeks old. She is so tiny she looks like a baby buddha\, with her mother\, Ying’s\, Thai genes. She looks more like a little old man than a girl when she is serious. My husband often refers to her as “he” even now. When my son Will\, her papa\, comes to pick her up\, his face transforms. He starts beaming when he looks into her eyes. And he exclaims\, “She is so darling! Even when she’s crying\, I think she is darling!” I see Will’s face shining\, as he remembers over and over that he’s totally\, unabashedly\, unconditionally in love.  It lights up the room! \n  \nAnd I think of this poem. I carry this poem with me\, I carry it in my heart!   \n  \n(i carry your heart with me) \n  \ni carry your heart with me(i carry it in \nmy heart)i am never without it(anywhere \ni go you go\,my dear;and whatever is done \nby only me is your doing\,my darling) \n                                                      i fear \nno fate(for you are my fate\,my sweet)i want \nno world(for beautiful you are my world\,my true) \nand it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant \nand whatever a sun will always sing is you \n  \nhere is the deepest secret nobody knows \n(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud \nand the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows \nhigher than soul can hope or mind can hide) \nand this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart \n  \ni carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) \n  \n—e. e. cummings \n  \n—Katie Radditz \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/meditation-mindfulness-dialogue-2-15-24/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240201
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240307
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240201T202951Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240201T203127Z
UID:4414-1706745600-1709769599@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  2/1/24
DESCRIPTION:  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nFebruary 1\, 2024 \n  \n¡Saludos from sunny México! \n  \nRecently\, I asked some friends: “Over the years\, and right up to now\, what experiences\, people\, books\, movies have enlarged your world?” Kim sent this: \n  \nThe Key to Sweden \n  \nIn July of 1969 I was hitchhiking north into Sweden\, after spending a few days at a commune called Dragon Houses just across the strait from Copenhagen. I had a small rucksack containing a sleeping bag\, a camera\, my journal\, and a recorder\, which I played inexpertly while waiting for a ride on the increasingly empty roads of Sweden stretching into the interior. I was nineteen. \n     A woman driving alone picked me up. She didn’t speak English\, and seemed very preoccupied\, as we drove north along what turned out to be a narrow peninsula stretching out into a great lake. At the end of the road\, we got out\, and I looked around. She made a rather halting speech in Swedish\, then awkwardly got in the car and drove back south\, leaving me there. All afternoon I waited. It was a dead-end road. Maybe no one else ever came there. Finally\, in the evening\, three French lads arrived in a little car\, we all went for a swim\, and then they drove me back to the main road\, and left me at an improbable English-themed pub standing alone in a field\, far from anything. Clearly\, I was meant to enter. \n     Inside it was loud. Lots of young travelers\, a scruffy lot like me. A din of languages. Lots of beer going down. Shouting and laughter. Long benches pulled up to long tables\, and smoke from many cigarettes wafting up toward the rafters. I bought a beer at the bar\, found an empty seat at one of the long tables\, and settled in to nurse my silence. I was so solitary in those days\, and sick with grief about it. \n     As I hunched over my half-empty glass\, the traveler beside me — a boy about my age\, from England\, by his voice — turned to me out of the blue and shouted the wanderer’s existential question into my ear: Where are you going? \n     I leaned over and shouted into his ear: Göteborg\, just then deciding. \n     He shouted to me: Do you have a place to stay? \n     I shook my head. But before I could turn back to my beer\, a young woman on the bench behind me rose to her feet\, and extended her hand toward me. In her hand was a key. She bent close to shout in my ear\, I will not be using it. Then she took the pen from my pocket\, and wrote an address on my palm\, put the key there\, closed my fingers around it\, and stepped away. In a moment\, she had disappeared into the crowd. \n     I hitched to Göteborg\, found the address\, opened the door to a snug refuge\, lived there three days\, baked bread\, read a copy of The Grapes of Wrath I found on her shelf\, cleaned the place as an act of gratitude\, left the key on the kitchen table\, and pulled the locked door shut behind me. \n     For decades now\, I have carried that moment of generosity and trust as a talisman for the possibility of human kindness. When young people ask me\, “What was it like in the 60s?” I tell about the key to Sweden\, and the address written on my hand by a trusting stranger. \n  \n—from Little Book of Common Good by Kim Stafford\, (Little Infinities\, 2018) \n* \n  \nProust’s In Search of Lost Time has enlarged my world more than any other book. It taught me the vastness of life. \n  \n—Alex Tretbar \n* \n  \nFor a number of years I facilitated dialogue groups at Two Rivers prison. The name I gave to the dialogue program was: “The Stories We Tell Ourselves: How Our Thinking Shapes Our Lives.” I am obsessed with stories—especially what they do to us. We live inside of stories. We tell ourselves stories all day long—stories about who we are\, about the world in which we live\, and our relationship to it. Individually and collectively\, we have worldviews\, which are subject to change. \n  \nStories can define and confine us. They can rob us of the joy that is our birthright. We can live in fear. And we can live in love. \n  \nThe question I asked my friends—“what has enlarged your world?”—arose out of my own quest to see through the ideas\, opinions\, prejudices and dogmas that imprison me. I’m always wondering: what can make me wiser\, kinder\, happier\, more generous\, more loving\, more free? I ask again and again: “What’s going on here?” I’m constantly on the lookout for the next book that will give me new insights and deepen my understanding\, the next film that will make me laugh or break my heart\, the next friend who will do…whatever it is that friends do. Love me? Enliven me? Correct me? Inspire me? \n  \nIt’s a long way from Whitefish\, Montana to Udhagamandalam\, Tamil Nadu. Looking back on my life journey\, I can see that Indian yogis made my life bigger and better. Also\, American yogis\, like Howard Thoresen\, Alan Benditt & Walt Whitman. \n  \nShortly after escaping from high school\, I encountered people in books and in “real life” who changed the way I see the world. J. Krishnamurti spoke of “freedom from the known\,” and from authority (including religious authority)\, and from fear. In Autobiography of a Yogi\, Paramahansa Yogananda made India seem like a magical place. He wrote about meditation and spiritual ecstasy—samādhi. I wanted that! Instead of going to college or to Vietnam\, in my twenties\, I spent a lot of time with two Indian yogis\, Nitya Chaitanya Yati and Nataraja Guru\, in Udhagamandalam and elsewhere. There is an old idea in India\, that one’s true self is not other than the All—which has no beginning or end. I spent a lot of time meditating on that. \n  \nDuring the years I was studying Indian Philosophy\, I always had Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass in my back pocket. In the poem “Song of Myself\,” Walt says: \n  \n“I believe in the flesh and the appetites\, \nSeeing\, hearing\, feeling are miracles\, and each part and tag of me is a miracle.” \n  \nIt doesn’t sound like something an Indian yogi would say. But the next lines of the poem sorta do… \n  \n“Divine am I inside and out\, and I make holy whatever I touch or am touched from\, \nThe scent of these arm-pits aroma finer than prayer\, \nThis head more than churches\, bibles\, and all the creeds.” \n  \nI don’t know of anything that has enlarged my world more than Walt’s poem. Back in the day—before the Internet!—the Looking-Glass Book Store was full of books that blew my mind. The Whole Earth Catalog\, the I Ching\, the Tao Te Ching\, and the books of Jack Kerouac\, Carlos Castaneda\, Buckminster Fuller\, Shunryu Suzuki\, Hermann Hesse\, Alan Watts\, Carl Jung and Nikos Kazantzakis come to mind. \n  \nMore recently\, paradoxically\, going into the confined space of prisons made my world bigger. I made many friends there. Friends continually enrich my world—too many to name here. However\, Nancy Scharbach\, more-than-a-friend\, deserves special mention. \n  \nAs an actor and director\, William Shakespeare has given me boundless gifts. \n  \nThat’s enough for now. \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nThis morning\, I opened “my” blog that is kind of like a diary site online called Prosebox. I have been writing like this since 1998 and read notes and writings from my Icelandic friend who lives in Sweden and writes horror fiction and takes amazing photographs. There is a retired child minder grandmother who lives in a comfortable cottage town near Edinburgh who has a troubled adult son that is mentally ill. \n  \nThere is something pretty much every day from my friend\, a recent widow\, who since the beginning of the pandemic and Zoom\, also is now my yoga student. She lives in Peterborough Australia\, (a flyspeck of a town she calls it) about as far north of Adelaide as Seattle is from Portland.   \n  \nThere is my friend who is a retired maths teacher living in Victoria Australia\, a fifth-grade teacher in a Catholic School outside Calgary Alberta\, a journalist writing for a prestigious medical journal on mental health and related topics in Washington D.C. who is obsessed with birds\, all kinds. \n  \nThere is a paper artist in San Diego\, an inn keeper in rural South Africa who co-authored a book last year on native plants\, a recent empty nester\, fiddle player\, master gardener and homeschooler (both kids now in college) in rural Maine. \n  \nThe affiliation is loose and unstructured. \n  \nWe don’t use our “real” names but over the years most of us have exchanged addresses and links to things in our lives. Interestingly\, all our pets are described using their real-world names. My cat Carlo is internationally known. \n  \nBecause of the way of these things\, the original site we used closed down about seven years ago\, but someone set up another less annoying one and many of us moved over there. \n  \nWe talk about all sorts of things. Big things. Life changing things\, small things\, an annoying drawer\, dogs barking in the night. Over the years we have learned what to share (so as not to annoy our loved ones) and what not to. I have had occasion to meet some of the people as they have passed through town. Mostly at Powell’s coffeeshop\, because\, why not? \n  \nOne of the lovely things about all this\, besides knowing what the weather is like all over the place each day\, is that we know each other well. One of us has developed dementia in the meantime and she uses her old posts to help her remember friends and events and we act as a kind of collective memory for her. \n  \nIt is a joy. And a bit weird. And not at all like Facebook. It has most determinedly enlarged my world. \n  \n—Elizabeth Domike \n* \n  \nI’ve still been thinking about the Dalai Laman’s top suggestion for cultivating Joy in one’s life. If we are suffering\, the Dalai Lama suggests that we get a wider perspective\, to see the bigger picture. \n  \nAfter reading the newsletter a few months ago with Black Elk’s vision and telling of the midwest Native massacres\,  I discovered i knew nothing of the Trail of Tears in the Willamette Valley.  \n  \nI read in National Geographic that a Mountain in the Cascade foothills near Cottage Grove was being renamed. From Mt. Swastika to Mt. Halo\, it was renamed for Chief Halo who had refused to move his family from his homeland in 1856.  From Tualatin to the Southern  Oregon border\, the indigenous People were forced to the coast where they were promised all the food they could eat. Most of the people died from disease or starvation along the route. The survivors ended up at two camps\, one on the southern coast and the other that is now the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.   \n  \nIt is a paradox that to read this history and have more understanding  feels expansive.  It is easy to relate the stories to what is happening now in the Middle East\, and what has gone on for centuries. I can’t say it brings me Joy\, but it does make me have a broader view as well as deep compassion that will find a way to compassion in action. \n  \nReparation takes a long time\, but we do hear now recognition of those who lived on this land before European conquest. There is more awareness\, and realization that there are descendants that are struggling to keep their culture. And there are stories of returning land to tribe members from those who have benefited for years from  living on what was stolen.  \n  \nThere are books on this history\, written by Americans\, about the settlers and the US military and the tribes; about the Applegates\, the Indian government authorities\, and the Kalapuya. But now there is a book by scholar David Lewis\, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.  Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley tells the rich history and systematic removal of The Kalapuyans who lived in the Valley for thousands of years.  It opened my heart and mind to their/our ongoing story.  \n  \nAs we get older there is some letting go of despair over terrible news. Annie Lamott wrote about it this way recently\, about aging and insight\,  \n  \n“In my younger days when the news was too awful\, I sought meaning in it. Now not so much. The meaning is that we have come through so much\, and we take care of each other and\, against all odds\, heal\, imperfectly. We still dance\, but in certain weather\, it hurts. \nThe portals of age also lead to the profound (indeed earthshaking) understanding that people are going to do what people are going to do” \n  \nSo this leaves me with feeling that kindness on an everyday basis\, cultivating joy for the sake of those around me\, enjoying nature and art especially books are the things that matter most.  \n  \nMay we be healed\, may we be a source of healing for all beings. \n  \n—Katie Radditz \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-2-1-24/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240115
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240215
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240117T214345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240117T214513Z
UID:4381-1705276800-1707955199@openroadpdx.com
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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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240115
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240301
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240115T191521Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240115T193234Z
UID:4368-1705276800-1709251199@openroadpdx.com
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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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240114T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240114T170000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240110T191335Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240216T171527Z
UID:4327-1705244400-1705251600@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  1/14/24
DESCRIPTION:  \nBeloved Bibliophiles!  \n  \nOur topic on Sunday\, January 14th\, is Histories!  \nWe’ll talk about different approaches to history. There are traditional histories that emphasize the deeds of “great men” like Napoleon\, Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great*–accounts of war and conquest\, the rise and fall of countries\, empires and civilizations. February is Black History Month. March is Women’s History Month. There are histories of Philosophy\, of Art\, of Theater\, and of Literature. Biographies are histories of individual people\, which often shed light on the time and place in which they lived. Now there are many ecological histories. There is a history of salt: \n  \n \n  \nThere is a history of the color red (featuring Cochineal Pirates): \n  \n \n  \nWhat other kinds of history are out there? What are your favorite history books? \nWe will gather once again on Zoom on Sunday\, January 14th\, at 3 pm (PST). Here’s the link: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \nI hope to see you there! \n  \npeace\, love & happiness!!! \n  \nJohnny \n  \n* Bonus Joke: \n  \nQ.  What do Alexander the Great and Smokey the Bear have in common? \nA.  Same middle name. \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-1-14-24/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240106T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240106T180000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20231203T200547Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240127T001053Z
UID:4252-1704553200-1704564000@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:A Midsummer Night's Dream in Prison at First Unitarian Church  1/6/24
DESCRIPTION:  \nA Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison\, a documentary by Bushra Azzouz\, will be shown at First Unitarian Church in Portland–1226 SW Salmon Street–on January 6th\, at 3 pm. Following the screening there will be a Q & A\, featuring actors who were in our prison plays. \n  \nThen we will have a BIG CELEBRATION for all the people who helped make this film and all our prison plays possible! \n  \nHere’s a trailer for the film: \n  \n  \n \n  \n  \n  \nDON’T MISS THIS! \n  \npeace\, love & happiness \n  \nJohnny \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/a-midsummer-nights-dream-in-prison-at-first-unitarian-church-1-6-24/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240104
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240201
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20240105T195145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240105T195145Z
UID:4318-1704326400-1706745599@openroadpdx.com
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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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231231T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231231T170000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20231229T165519Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240110T191441Z
UID:4307-1704034800-1704042000@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  12/31/23
DESCRIPTION:  \nBeloved Bibliophiles! \n  \nWhat are the best books you read in 2023 & what books are you looking forward to reading in 2024? \n  \nWe will gather once again on Zoom on Sunday\, December 31st\, at 3 pm (PST). Here’s the link: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \nI hope to see you there! \n  \npeace\, love & happiness!!! \n  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-12-31-23/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231217T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231217T170000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20231216T215527Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231229T165613Z
UID:4290-1702825200-1702832400@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  12/17/23
DESCRIPTION:  \nBeloved Bibliophiles! \n  \nOn Sunday\, December 17th\, at 3 pm (PST)\, legendary actor KEITH SCALES will read A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas to us!!! Here’s the link to the Zoom gathering: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \nDon’t miss this SPECIAL EVENT!!!  \n  \npeace\, love & happiness!!! \n  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-12-17-23/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231215
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240115
DTSTAMP:20260425T072549
CREATED:20231215T214256Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250717T162748Z
UID:4277-1702598400-1705276799@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Meditation & Mindfulness  12/15/23
DESCRIPTION:  \nOpen Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue \n  \nDecember 15\, 2023 \nLet us be kind and compassionate to remove the sadness of the world. \n—tag on a Yogi Tea bag \n* \n  \nSomeone at a lecture asked Suzuki Roshi about psychoanalysis. \n  \nIn answer he said\, “You think the mind is like a pond that you throw things in\, and they sink to the bottom\, like old shoes\, and later they rise to the surface. But actually\, there’s no such thing as the mind!” \n  \n—from To Shine One Corner of the World: moments with Suzuki Roshi \n* \n  \nWhat Christmas Means to Me \n  \nIt took me a long time to discover the error in presuming to write something with a title like “What Christmas Means.” But I’m an authority on “What Christmas Means to Me.” Who else? \n  \nIt seems to me that every spoken or written sentence should begin with the phrase “it seems to me.” But that would be tedious. I am not and you are not in a position to make pronouncements about the way things are.  \n  \nOnly Donald Trump is in that position. Just kidding.  \n  \nAnd so\, dear reader\, don’t take offense. This does not pretend to be the right way to look at Christmas. Just my way. \n  \nThe birth of Jesus is a symbolic event\, not a historical one. What it symbolizes is that every baby born on Planet Earth is an incarnation of the Divine. \n  \nEnd of essay. That’s about all I’ve got to say on the subject\, but I enjoy saying it. \n  \n—Johnny Stallings\, from the forthcoming book The Nonstop Love-In \n* \n  \n  Earth Eve \n  \nYes\, we know that telling\, about the apple \nand the exile\, how one son slew the other\, \nso we descended from their legacy of loss  \nand violence\, and blamed our troubles \non a woman’s taste for sweet. But \n  \nin another telling she remained resident \nin green\, her daughters Wind and Willow \ndanced together\, could bless without fire \nor sacrifice\, could follow moth by night\, \nbutterfly by day\, moon and sun\, enough. \n  \nWhich story shall we tell the children: \nhow we failed\, or how they might live. \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nBrandon sent these quotes: \n  \nWhen we love\, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are\, everything around us becomes better too. \n  \nIt’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. \n  \nThere is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. \n  \nTell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams\, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.     \n  \n—Paulo Coelho\, The Alchemist \n  \n—Brandon Gillespie \n* \n  \n“It is very important to have at least one meal together every day. This meal should be an occasion to practice mindfulness\, and to be aware of how fortunate we are to be together. After we sit down we look at each person\, and breathing in and out\, smile to him or her for a few seconds. This practice can produce a miracle. It can make you real\, and it can make the others at the table real also.”—#359 “A Family Meal” from Your True Home by Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \nWelll—-ha ha ha! “A Family Meal\,” “an occasion to practice mindfulness\,” “breathing in and out\, smile to him or her for a few seconds…” I don’t know how many of the twenty three people at our Thanksgiving meal had a chance to enact these practices\, but I know that everyone laughed and hugged and ate and jabbered for hours and hours…and hours. One woman said\, “You don’t know me\, but Mary said she thought you wouldn’t mind…”  Another said\, “Oh I’m Sean’s son’s girlfriend and Sean thought it would be okay if…”  \n  \nOf course it was okay. It was a gorgeous\, sunny\, chilly day\, and the snowy mountain gleamed as white as the mounds of whipped cream on the pumpkin pies. Six kids under five years old caromed from wall to wall\, inside and outside. They poked at Lolo the dog’s nose and ears\, then shrieked and ran when she growled her old dog growl. We had to cook on the outside barbecue to get all the food ready; doors flung open and shut a hundred times. Cold air in\, warm air out. “Hey\, close that door!” “Can’t! Gotta’ heat up this ham because she has turkey in the oven!” Everyone\, it seems\, brought pies—pumpkin(s)\, apple\, peach\, blueberry/blackberry\, pecan…  One of the pumpkin pies had a huge slice carved out of it. Sister\, Holly\, waving her wine glass around\, announced\, “Pie before dinner is my motto!” \n  \nIn spite of all the chaos\, the meal went off without a hitch. Sisters and brother-in-law spent the night\, along with a few others who decided they were so comfortable they would\, too. \n  \nSo: Mindfulness? Not so much. Except for our singing of a round that my family has sung before each Thanksgiving meal since I was little. I passed out copies to groups of 4 or more; I sang for them to introduce the simple tune\, then instructed groups to chime in after a few bars. Everybody settled down\, and we sang. It sounded like a chorus of bells being rung. Ethereal. Holy. \n  \n    “Around the table now we praise the Lord of earth and heaven. \n     In grateful songs to thee we sing for all thy mercies giv’n.” \n  \nWe sang several rounds until the last group echoed away\,  “….for all thy mercies giv’n.” And there was silence for a hushed moment. I guess that was our “mindfulness moment\,” and we did all smile to each other\, and we were real. \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \nOpen the Door \n  \nOpen the door \nReceive the breath like a wave \nWeave a sense of calm \nWhisper soft and shallow \nResonate – an underground stream \nSmooth continuous deepening calm \nNourishing release \nFeet heavy\, lower legs settle \nStillness in the knees \nThighs heavy \nHips belly chest back \nSinking \nHands lower arms elbows upper arms \nShoulders – head heavy \nEffortless heaviness \nSilent silent \nPeace peace peace on the in breath \nPeace peace peace on the out breath \nBody infused with peace \nMind saturated with peace \nBecome peace \nAwareness \nPeace inside the body \nPeace outside the body \nPeace above the body \nPeace below the body \nSurrounding the body \nOn the breath – in the mind \nAbsorbed \nUnchanging \nUndisturbed \nThe source \n  \n—Elizabeth Domike \n* \n  \nClairvoyance \n  \nWhen you work in newspapers\, you’re always a few days in the future. On Tuesday you’re talking with your editor about Thursday\, and on Wednesday you’re talking about Friday. On Saturday I talk about nothing. I sit on the patio at 5 a.m. facing the eastern dark\, remembering how I tossed and turned in utero. I’m really not so intelligent as people think. I forget books as soon as I’ve read them\, articles as soon as I’ve written them. I got through all of Proust in five months but could tell you little about it\, other than how I superimposed my great loves over those of the narrator. When you work in newspapers\, “today” is always in the rear-view\, familiar but strange\, like your lover’s face when you see it in the mirror\, a speck of toothpaste in the corner of their backward smile. \n  \n—Alex Tretbar\, originally published in SAND \n* \n  \n5  “It was beginning winter” \n  \nIt was beginning winter  \nAn in-between time\,  \nThe landscape still partly brown: \nThe bones of weeds kept swinging in the wind\,  \nAbove the blue snow.  \n  \nIt was beginning winter\,  \nThe light moved slowly over the frozen field\,  \nOver the dry seed-crowns\,  \nThe beautiful surviving bones  \nSwinging in the wind.  \n  \nLight traveled over the wide field;  \nStayed.  \nThe weeds stopped swinging. \n The mind moved\, not alone\, \nThrough the clear air\, in the silence.  \n  \nWas it light?  \nWas it light within?  \nWas it light within light?  \nStillness becoming alive\,  \nYet still?  \n  \nA lively understandable spirit  \nOnce entertained you.  \nIt will come again.  \nBe still.  \nWait. \n  \n—from the poem “The Lost Son” by Theodore Roethke \n  \n“unto us a child is born” \nUnto all of us. Delana Nalin Kloster has been born unto us\, into our family and our loving\, wise tribe.  \nWe are blessed and so happy to have you friends around us. Even in this time that\, like all times\, is troubled and people feel hopeless—more war\, less water. \nBut a child comes into the world and all around this shining space\, there  \nis anticipation and hope!   \nA not so subtle shift; she comes like a force of nature\, hungry for life.   \n  \nDelana – named by her parents Kornvipa “Ying” and William Forest Kloster\, is an ancient name with many meanings in many cultures. It symbolizes the embodiment of beauty and love\, sunlight\, and resilience. \nNalin – in Sanskrit means Beautiful Lotus Flower. Named by her Thai Grandfather\, following the tradition of waiting in meditation for the right meaning\, \n  \nDelana Nalin arrives at Christmas time when millions of people are celebrating the birth of a child. \nMay she be a princess of Peace\, Love\, and Happiness \n  \n—Katie Radditz \n* \n  \nThis year is coming to an end. I just looked through the Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogues for 2023. It’s quite a treasure trove of beauty and inspiration! If\, from time to time you find yourself in need of either\, please visit the Meditation & Mindfulness Archive on the Open Road website: https://openroadpdx.com/event/open-road-meditation-mindfulness-archive/ \n  \nMuch love to everyone reading this!—now and in the year ahead. \n  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/meditation-mindfulness-12-15-23/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231207
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240104
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20231207T210507Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231207T211351Z
UID:4261-1701907200-1704326399@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  12/7/23
DESCRIPTION:Grinnell Lake in Glacier National Park \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nDecember 7\, 2023 \n  \nFrom Rocky: \nOctober 18\, 2023\, 5:40 a.m. \nDear Johnny \n  \nHello and good day to you. I hope that this letter finds you in a moment of peace & joy. I am just starting my day here & it is a beautiful day & the autumn sunrise is starting to fill the sky. I love this time of year. Between October & April is the time of year I love the most. The holidays & friends & food! The feeling you get from being close to the ones you love. Well\, I have to start the day now. I’ll be back soon. \n  \nOctober 19\, 2023\, 6:11 a.m. \n  \nDo you know the dreams you dream at night that let you know everything is alright? I had one of them last night. A friend & I just sat & talked about the last 25 years of our lives. It would seem we did it in the blink of an eye\, or\, 40 winks. We just sat and talked & it was so nice to see her\, even if it was only in a dream. \n  \nOctober 30\, 2023\, 5:10 a.m. \nDear Johnny & Nancy\, \n  \nIt’s a very cold morning here & it is also beautiful Autumn out\, my favorite time of the year. Family\, friends\, food & good times. I had an amazing October this year. \n  \nThe harvesting of the last of the Summer’s growth & the tilling of the earth for the crop. The falling of the leaves\, each one of them landing on the bed of my heart. Autumn has always been dear to me\, even when I was a child. \n  \nThe smell of pies & of chopping wood\, the smoke from the chimneys as the smell fills the neighborhood. Children in costumes\, bags full of candy and running noises—running towards Thanksgiving with their families. With Christmas on the way. \n  \nIt was so nice to talk to you two while you were picking out a tree for your yard. I closed my eyes & could see you shopping together. I know you came to the right one and it will look great in your yard for many years to come. I wish I could have been there to plant it for you\, while you enjoyed some coffee while I dug the hole. I know the digging around there is not so easy. I’m more than happy to do these things for you two. I want to enjoy life with my friends & family. \n  \nThe last few days have been so cold here! It is going to be one of those years\, I think. Long Cold Winter! \n  \n—Rocky Hutchinson \n* \n  \nKatie sent this: \n  \nGate A-4 \n  \nWandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal\, after learning \nmy flight had been delayed four hours\, I heard an announcement:\n“If anyone in the vicinity of Gate A-4 understands any Arabic\, please\ncome to the gate immediately.” \n  \nWell—one pauses these days. Gate A-4 was my own gate. I went there. \n  \nAn older woman in full traditional Palestinian embroidered dress\, just\nlike my grandma wore\, was crumpled to the floor\, wailing. “Help\,”\nsaid the flight agent. “Talk to her. What is her problem? We\ntold her the flight was going to be late and she did this.” \n  \nI stooped to put my arm around the woman and spoke haltingly.\n“Shu-dow-a\, Shu-bid-uck Habibti? Stani schway\, Min fadlick\, Shu-bit-\nse-wee?” The minute she heard any words she knew\, however poorly\nused\, she stopped crying. She thought the flight had been cancelled\nentirely. She needed to be in El Paso for major medical treatment the\nnext day. I said\, “No\, we’re fine\, you’ll get there\, just later\, who is\npicking you up? Let’s call him.” \n  \nWe called her son\, I spoke with him in English. I told him I would\nstay with his mother till we got on the plane and ride next to \nher. She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just \nfor the fun of it. Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while\nin Arabic and found out of course they had ten shared friends. Then I \nthought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian poets I know\nand let them chat with her? This all took up two hours. \n  \nShe was laughing a lot by then. Telling of her life\, patting my knee\,\nanswering questions. She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool\ncookies—little powdered sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and\nnuts—from her bag—and was offering them to all the women at the gate.\nTo my amazement\, not a single woman declined one. It was like a\nsacrament. The traveler from Argentina\, the mom from California\, the\nlovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same powdered\nsugar. And smiling. There is no better cookie. \n  \nAnd then the airline broke out free apple juice from huge coolers and two\nlittle girls from our flight ran around serving it and they\nwere covered with powdered sugar\, too. And I noticed my new best friend—\nby now we were holding hands—had a potted plant poking out of her bag\,\nsome medicinal thing\, with green furry leaves. Such an old country tradi-\ntion. Always carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere. \n  \nAnd I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and I thought\, This\nis the world I want to live in. The shared world. Not a single person in that\ngate—once the crying of confusion stopped—seemed apprehensive about\nany other person. They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women\, too. \n  \nThis can still happen anywhere. Not everything is lost. \n  \n—Naomi Shihab Nye \n  \nI think this is perfect for our times. The importance of language and listening and compassion can lead to deep understanding and inter-connectedness.  \n  \n—Katie Radditz \n* \n  \nTodd Oleson shared this: \n  \nKurt Vonnegut wrote:  \n  \nWhen I was 15\, I spent a month working on an archaeological dig. I was talking to one of the archaeologists one day during our lunch break and he asked those kinds of “getting to know you” questions you ask young people: Do you play sports? What’s your favorite subject? And I told him\, no I don’t play any sports. I do theater\, I’m in choir\, I play the violin and piano\, I used to take art classes. \n  \nAnd he went WOW. That’s amazing! And I said\, “Oh no\, but I’n not any good at ANY of them.” \n  \nAnd he said something then that I will never forget and which absolutely blew my mind because no one had ever said anything like it to me before: “I don’t think being good at things is the point of doing them. I think you’ve got all these wonderful experiences with different skills\, and that all teaches you things and makes you an interesting person\, no matter how well you do them.” \n  \nAnd that honestly changed my life. Because I went from a failure\, someone who hadn’t been talented enough at anything to excel\, to someone who did things because I enjoyed them. I had been raised in such an achievement-oriented environment\, so inundated with the myth of Talent\, that I thought it was only worth doing things if you could “Win” at them. \n* \n  \nDriving to the Headlands  \non the 23rd of December \n  \nWhat a light this morning! \nGlowing peach balloons for clouds\, \ntowering bouquets of them\, \nsuspended by an invisible clown \nacross the heavens. \n  \nAt last the greening of our hills comes to pass\, \nlike iridescent birds beside a charcoal sky. \nA jungle phoenix whose feathers color \nwith inhalation and sunlight. \n  \nAnd there’s an egret \ndoing tightrope tricks \nabove the marsh on my way to work. \nAll white and long necked\, \nshe bows and scrapes  \nfrom her telephone wire \nacrobat in nature’s circus\, \nwaiting for applause. \n  \n—Gail Lester\, from Transformed by Other Places \n* \n  \n           Water Song \n  \nI flow lower\, slower\, sliding wet in rivulet \nor defile\, creep deep\, seep under\, sift through\, \nturn blue\, mist up from wave or pool\, fool \nto be gone\, abscond beyond accountability\, \nmyriad molecule sipped by Caesar\, fog \nfurrowing battlefields\, shining shields\, \nsurrender’s yield sealed sacred\, feeling \nmy way out from thicket or conflict\, \nhealing drought\, ooze from wounds\, \nsound of splash\, blood from lash\, river’s \ndash from peak to sea\, pleased to meet \nyou\, travel through you\, be lost\, ghost \nin your shape\, rain cape descending\, \nsending my battalions over islands\, \nstorm stallions stamping feet of lace\, \ndawn song\, small saint\, clear paint\, \nface dressed\, soul blessed\, best taste\, \nnot much\, a healing touch\, and gone. \n  \n—Kim Stafford\, from As the Sky Begins to Chang \n(forthcoming as a print book from Red Hen Press\, April 2024\, and also as an audiobook) \n  \n \n(QR code for “Water Song” poem by Kim Stafford) \n* \n  \nJ Kahn sent a link to “Nature’s Mystery: Watch the Hypnotic Dance of a Starling Murmuration”: \n  \n \n  \nHe says: “I personally believe it is an example of meta-consciousness.” \nCheck it out! \n* \nHonesty \n  \nMirroring one another \nthe herb pale and round \nas the moon is pale \nand round shows in the house \nof light that all favors \nhave been showered upon us. \n  \nThe object\, barred by the dragon\, \ncinnabar\, sulphur\, and mercury \njoined to find salt\, we’re keeping \nthe wax warm for the inscription. \n  \nThe rhythm of hymns \nprotects us from the snake. \nThe tree\, branches \nthrough each state\, \nvapor rises as the eagle rises \nthe serpent held aloft eats his tail. \n  \nNature is one substance \nin different forms\, \nthe very last thing left behind.   \n  \n—Elizabeth Domike \n* \n  \nThere is a ribbon \nso deep in shadowed rubble \nit is colorless. \n  \n—Alex Tretbar \n* \n  \nIf we could read the secret history of our enemies\, we should see sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. \n  \n—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  \n  \n(quoted by Jack Kornfield in The Art of Forgiveness\, Lovingkindness\, and Peace\, p. 32) \n  \n There is no statistical evidence that harsh punishment\, including the death penalty\, acts as a deterrent to crime—(109 countries have abolished the death penalty). On the international level\, the idea that the world can be improved by war has long been a popular one. The results so far are not encouraging. Twenty-five hundred years ago\, Buddha said: \n  \nIn this world \nHate never yet dispelled hate. \nOnly love dispels hate. \nThis is the law\, \nAncient and inexhaustible. \n  \n—Dhammapada\, translated by Thomas Byrom \n  \nAnd as Tiny Tim says: \nGod Bless Us\, Every One! \n  \n—Johnny Stallings
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-12-7-23/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231203T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231203T170000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20231203T191707Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231203T195232Z
UID:4241-1701615600-1701622800@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  12/3/23
DESCRIPTION:“The School of Athens\,” by Raphael\n\n\n  \n  \n  \n\n\n\nBeloved Bibliophiles!\n\n  \nOur theme for today’s Bibliophiles Unanimous! is Wisdom. \nWhat is it? How do you get it? Where would you look? \n  \nThe Zoom gathering starts at 3 pm (PDT). Here’s the link: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \nI hope to see you there. \n  \n  \npeace\, love & happiness \n  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-12-3-23/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/did-you-know-The-School-of-Athens-Raphael.jpg.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231115
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231215
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20231120T190428Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231120T190923Z
UID:4224-1700006400-1702598399@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Meditation & Mindfulness  11/15/23
DESCRIPTION:etching by Alan Larkin \n  \nOpen Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue \n  \nNovember 15\, 2023 \n  \nWhere…do universal human rights begin? \nin small places\, \nclose to home— \nso close and so small \nthat they cannot be seen \non any map of the world. \n  \n—Eleanor Roosevelt (shared by Jill Littlewood \n* \n  \nOctober 23\, 2023 \n9:40 a.m. \nDear Johnny \n  \nThe weather is getting ready to change & the leaves are all changing too. Within the frame of my window all of the spiders are spinning their winter webs. I watch them & soon the birds will find them & two feet from my eyes I will see the winter feast of the birds. I find these things in life to be what polishes my mind\, the simple functions of all the life of all things around me. The moss growing on the rocks\, the autumn leaves falling off the tree\, the longing of love reciprocated with every beat of my heart. \n  \nI long to share all of this with the ones I love in life. To see the world in each other’s mind & eyes without the walls between any of us. We will all discover new wonders that will really be old ones\, but new to us. \n  \nDo you remember when your eyes first opened to see a redirection of your life? Was there a scene of contrast in the cloth you thought you were cut from & did you find you were truly made from something altogether different? For me it was a casting away of tools and hooks\, and a soul-cleansing rain that washed away a lifetime of blood\, bruises & filth. Once I simply “let go” my eyes opened\, and something like a waterfall poured into my mind\, flooded me inside. After that\, well…breathing & balance was needed. It’s a strange thing that the only way I can explain my transformation is with elemental references—which is unintentional. \n  \nLove You\, Love Me! \n  \n—Rocky Hutchinson \n* \n  \nI was on the University of Michigan campus last Thursday (11/9/23). I visited one of Ashley Lucas’s classes there. All the students in the class go into prison every week and teach workshops in theater\, creative writing\, or visual art. They had watched Bushra’s film “A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison.” We talked about Love. \n  \nWhen I think of “meditation & mindfulness\,” the first thing that comes to mind is quietly enjoying the the beauty and miraculousness of my human life on Earth. Out the window\, where I’m sitting right now\, in South Bend\, Indiana\, an old maple tree is dropping some of its bright yellow leaves. The Open Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue tries to be uplifting and is mostly intended to be inspirational\, to nurture peace\, love\, happiness\, beauty and goodness in our minds and hearts. This does not mean we ignore the violence\, the injustice\, and suffering that are always present in the world. When we read or listen to the news\, we are reminded of terrible ongoing tragedies in the Middle East\, in Ukraine\, Sudan\, and many other places. The suffering is real. The beauty is also real. The sorrows of the world do not negate the Love and Joy that are our birthrights. \n  \nAs Ashley and I were crossing the campus\, more than a hundred people lay on the ground. Many of them had small signs with someone’s picture on it. A woman in a hijab read the names of people in Gaza who have been killed. The list of names was very long. \n  \nIt felt to me like a real peace demonstration. No one was shouting. Jewish participants held signs that said: JEWS SAY CEASE FIRE NOW. Another sign said: NOT IN OUR NAME. To see some of the faces of those killed\, and to hear the names read\, was deeply moving to me\, and to Ashley\, and to many others I’m sure. \n  \nMy own position on the violence in the Middle East is simple. I’m against the killing of children. Always. Everywhere. At my age\, soldiers are children too. (The subtitle of Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse Five is: “The Children’s Crusade.” It’s about World War II.) \n  \nRecommended listening: “Road to Peace\,” from Tom Waits’ 2006 “Orphans” album. \n  \nMay all people be happy. \nMay we live in peace & love. \n(Even if some people are making other choices.) \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \n                Big Eddy \n  \nIt’s where we camped as kids— \nthe Clackamas River fresh from \nfast water waves breaking boulders \nin long runs of rapids met a cliff \nthat turned its brawny rush to swirl \nback on itself under a lid of glass \nso you could see green stones deep \ninside their secret room where all \nthat rain slowed in thought to \nreconsider\, before going on. There  \nour river learned to retrace its steps\,  \nto ponder\, to reconcile\, restore itself\,  \nbecome young again. Oh\, my country. \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nOh\, dear ambulance \nhigh above the hospital: \na sheer\, blue-white dust. \n  \n—Alex Tretbar \n* \n  \nStill \n  \nThere are possibilities \nmaybe less of them \nBut still \n  \nAs long as there is water \nsome nourishment \nheat \n  \nA cool breeze \nperhaps \nYou know; the basics \n  \nThere can be a moment \nthat shines \nbright skin on a piece of fruit \n  \nA flash of light \nas a bird wings away above \n  \nThe sound of a song \nsung in unison \nthe hum of it bearing \nthe weight of our well used bones \n  \n—Elizabeth Domike \n* \n  \nAs we approach the holiday season with Thanksgiving almost upon us\, this lovely poem by Gary Snyder is always a touchstone for me. In my hierarchy of values\, Gratitude and Kindness stand out as primary. Certainly aspirational even when I fail to meet the mark. Here is the poem: \n  \nPrayer for the Great Family  \n  \nGratitude to Mother Earth\, sailing through night and day—\nand to her soil: rich\, rare and sweet\nin our minds so be it. \n  \nGratitude to Plants\, the sun-facing\, light-changing leaf\nand fine root-hairs; standing still through wind\nand rain; their dance is in the flowering spiral grain\nin our minds so be it. \n  \nGratitude to Air\, bearing the soaring Swift and silent\nOwl at dawn. Breath of our song\nclear spirit breeze\nin our minds so be it. \n  \nGratitude to Wild Beings\, our brothers\, teaching secrets\,\nfreedoms\, and ways; who share with us their milk;\nself-complete\, brave and aware\nin our minds so be it. \n  \nGratitude to Water: clouds\, lakes\, rivers\, glaciers;\nholding or releasing; streaming through all\nour bodies salty seas\nin our minds so be it. \n  \nGratitude to the Sun: blinding pulsing light through\ntrunks of trees\, through mists\, warming caves where\nbears and snakes sleep—he who wakes us—\nin our minds so be it. \n  \nGratitude to the Great Sky\nwho holds billions of stars—and goes yet beyond that—\nbeyond all powers\, and thoughts\nand yet is within us—\nGrandfather Space.\nThe Mind is his Wife.\nso be it. \n  \n—Gary Snyder \n  \n—Jeffrey Sher \n* \n  \nFrom One to the Other \n  \nLips touch first\, \nnot a kiss\, not desire \nor response\, \nbut a gateway\, \nopen breath and movement\, \nenergy  \nfrom being to being\, \nfrom another wanderer \nsharing his deepest home\, \ndust on the pathways\, \ncold nights under stars\, \nyouth that wakes each morning\, \nage’s knowing acceptance\, \nthe ceaseless renewal of \natoms and smaller storms\, \neach one saying: \nThis moment\, \nthis exact place\, \nendlessly. \n  \n—Deborah Buchanan \n* \n  \n#79 Releasing Our Cows \n  \nOne day the Buddha was sitting in the forest with a number of monks when a peasant came by. He had just lost his cows; they had run away. He asked the monks whether they had seen his cows passing by. The Buddha said\, “No\, we haven’t seen your cows passing through here; you may want to look for them in another direction.” \nWhen the farmer had gone\, the Buddha turned to his monks\, smiled\, and said\, “Dear friends\, you should be very happy. You don’t have any cows to lose.” \nOne practice we can do is to take a piece of paper and write down the names of our cows. Then we can look deeply to see whether we’re capable of releasing some of them. We may have thought these things were crucial to our well-being\, but if we look deeply\, we may realize that they are the obstacles to our true joy and happiness. \n—from Your True Home by Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \nI come from a long line of conservers. We all were reduce\, reuse\, and recyclers long before that catchy phrase appeared on the scene. Duct tape\, needle and thread\, Elmer’s glue\, needle-nose pliers were good friends and always close at hand. \n  \nOne of the best Christmas presents I ever got was one of my dad’s specially tended and cultivated compost piles. He named all three of them that year\, and I received the W A Mozart Compost Pile. Black gold\, they call it in the nurseries\, and that it is. \n  \nI save and reuse aluminum foil\, and plastic produce bags\, and sandwich bags\, and storage bags—for years!  Why not?! They’re all perfectly good when washed and hung to dry. My daughter gave me a wooden mobile with a dozen or so small clothespins attached to strings for hanging washed plastic bags. (The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.) One of her early boyfriends gave me one dozen washed\, dried and smoothed out sheets of aluminum foil he’d saved from deli sandwiches. Now that’s a thoughtful gift! \n  \nI darn and mend socks multiple times. Again—why not?!?! Ninety five percent of the sock is perfectly good. I have a friend who works at REI and she gives me all of her hole-y Smartwool socks. I mend them like new and give them back to her. She is ecstatic.  \n  \nGoodwill is my go-to luxury shopping spot; the Bend Goodwill has any and all of the best sports clothing\, barely worn and just my style. But. I’m really not even a shopper\, so any ‘come hither’ shopping sales are lost on me.  \n  \nSpeaking of camping\, I am never happier than when I am going to sleep in my cozy tent. I’ve turned it into a small home for a few days\, and often I genuinely believe that I could live in nothing bigger than a tent with a campfire and meadow nearby.  \n  \nOne of my husband’s first observations about me was: “You are the lowest maintenance woman I’ve ever known!” I like to believe it was said in admiration\, but I think the tone was more one of exasperation. \n  \nSo it’s not about cows and peasants and monks\, I know that\, but the thought is there: I can be happy with few “cows.” \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \nThere’s a lot of suffering in the world\, some feeling it closer to our hearts than usual. There is also the abundance of life changing before our eyes\, as the sky fills with a rush of yellow leaves in the wind. Impermanence\, filled with joy of birch\, and ginkgo\, and fig passing into their next stage. Is a fig tree still a tree without its leaves? \n  \nI’ve been reading The Book of Joy\, a conversation between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu\, about lasting happiness in a changing world. They are discussing eight pillars of joy\, beginning with Perspective. Here’s an excerpt: \n  \nIf we are suffering\, the Dalai Lama suggests that we get a wider perspective\, to see the bigger picture. Scientists call this practice “self-distancing\,” and it allows us to think more clearly about our problems\, as well as to reduce our stress response. The ability to go beyond our own self-interest is essential for any good leader\, whether of a nation\, an organization\, or a family. The Dalai Lama suggests that by shifting our perspective to a broader\, more compassionate one\, we can avoid the worry and suffering of further pain.  \n  \n“Then\, another thing\,” the Dalai Lama continued. “There are different aspects to any event. For example\, we lost our own country and became refugees\, but that same experience gave us new opportunities to see more things. For me personally\, I had more opportunities to meet with different people\, different spiritual practitioners\, like you\, and also scientists. This new opportunity arrived because I became a refugee.  If I had remained in the Potala in Lhasa\, I would have stayed in what has often been described as a golden cage.  \n  \nSo personally\, I prefer the last five decades of refugee life. It’s more useful\, more opportunity to learn\, to experience life. Therefore\, if you look from one angle\, you see\, ‘Oh\, how bad\, how sad.’ But if you look from another angle at that same tragedy\, that same event\, you see that it gives me new opportunities. So\, it’s wonderful. That’s the main reason that I’m not sad and morose. There’s a Tibetan saying: ‘Wherever you have friends that’s your country\, and wherever you receive love\, that’s your home.’ “  \n  \nI have found this reading helpful\, along with the colorful leaves and the star-filled night skies of Autumn\, and conversing with my dear friends\, to keep centered and compassionate and joyful.   \n  \nI hope this season finds you well and thankful for life! \n  \n—Katie Radditz
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/meditation-mindfulness-11-15-23/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231030
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231207
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20231030T172247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250718T135604Z
UID:4212-1698624000-1701907199@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  11/2/23
DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \n  \nNovember 2\, 2023 \n  \nPeople who love are happy. \n  \n—Yogi Tea bag wisdom \n* \n  \nMy friends and I have been talking about the ongoing violence in the Middle East. Kim wrote: \n  \nI lie awake at night thinking about Gaza. I have a friend there. She has fled her home and is camped in a house near Rafah with six families. \nBombing happens there\, too. \nHence\, today’s (10/26) poem… \n  \n      Other Laws of War \n  \nWhere anger flares\, wisdom withers. \nWhere death thrives\, truth dies. \nBoth sides are the bad guys. \nAs with weather\, no one is in charge. \nEven precision kills children. \nWar funds the hate school. \nDead soldier\, mourning mother. \nStrategic advantage limits thought. \nYour vengeance vow is a trap. \nLocal victory\, regional defeat. \nKilling gives killers secret wounds. \nA war wounds a generation. \nEasy to start\, hard to end. \nMunitions makers always win. \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nMark Danley reminded me about Mark Twain’s “The War Prayer\,” written in 1905. When asked if he intended to publish it\, Twain said: “No. I have told the whole truth in that\, and only dead men can tell the truth in this world. It can be published after my death.” Mark Twain died in 1910. “The War Prayer” was first published in 1923. \n  \n  \nThe War Prayer \n  \nIt was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms\, the war was on\, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism. On every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun. Nightly\, the packed mass meetings listened\, panting\, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts\, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause\, the tears running down their cheeks the while. In the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country\, and invoked the God of Battles—beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. \n  \nSunday morning came. Next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there\, their young faces alight with martial dreams—visions of the stern advance\, the gathering momentum\, the rushing charge\, the flashing sabers\, the flight of the foe\, the tumult\, the enveloping smoke\, the fierce pursuit\, the surrender Then home from the war\, bronzed heroes\, welcomed\, adored\, submerged in golden seas of glory! The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said. \n  \nThen came the “long” prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was\, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers\, and aid\, comfort\, and encourage them in their patriotic work. \n  \nAn aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle\, his eyes fixed upon the minister\, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet\, his head bare\, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders\, his seamy face unnaturally pale\, pale even to ghastliness. He ascended to the preacher’s side and stood there waiting. \n  \nThe stranger touched his arm\, motioned him to step aside—which the startled minister did—and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes\, in which burned an uncanny light. Then in a deep voice he said: \n  \n“I come from the Throne—bearing a message from Almighty God!” \n  \n“God’s servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No\, it is two—one uttered\, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications\, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this—keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself\, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it\, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor’s crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it. \n  \n“You have heard your servant’s prayer—the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it—that part which the pastor\, and also you in your hearts—fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: ‘Grant us the victory\, O Lord our God!’ When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory–must follow it\, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen! \n  \n“O Lord our Father\, our young patriots\, idols of our hearts\, go forth to battle—be Thou near them! With them—in spirit—we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God\, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded\, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst\, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter\, broken in spirit\, worn with travail\, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it. For our sakes who adore Thee\, Lord\, blast their hopes\, blight their lives\, protract their bitter pilgrimage\, make heavy their steps\, water their way with their tears\, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it in the spirit of love\, of Him Who is the Source of Love\, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid\, with humble and contrite hearts. Amen. \n  \n(After a pause.) “Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it\, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!” \n  \nIt was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic\, because there was no sense in what he said. \n  \n—Mark Twain \n* \n  \nOn YouTube you can find a film version\, adapted by Marco Sanchez and directed by Michael Goorjian. \n* \n  \nfrom CNN’s website on October 27th: \n  \nSari Beth Rosenberg was teaching a high school history class in New York City recently when a student interrupted her with a question: “Are you Team Israel or Team Palestinian?”…. \n  \nRosenberg\, who is Jewish\, feared that getting into a conversation on the complexities of the conflict could alienate some of her students with ties to the Middle East. So she tried to turn the question into a learning experience. \n  \n“I told them I’m ‘Team Humanity\,’” she says. She told her students that she thought both the deadly Hamas terror attacks in Israel and Israel’s ongoing bombing of Gaza are horrific. \n* \n  \nWhen I was a young man it was against the law to not join the military. I refused to obey that law for the simple reason that I didn’t want to kill anyone. Instead of going to Vietnam\, I went to India and studied with yogis. \n  \nI am against all present and future wars. Our problems can be solved with words\, instead of violence. Wars represent a failure of dialogue\, of intelligence\, of empathy\, of good will\, of love\, of imagination. All children are our children.  \n  \nOn the Fields of Peace website (fieldsofpeace.org) we learn that in World War I\, one civilian was killed for every 9 soldiers. In World War II\, the ratio was one to one. In modern warfare\, one soldier is killed for every 9 (unarmed) civilians—most of whom are children. From the perspective of people my age\, soldiers are children. Here’s my latest version of the Metta Prayer: \n  \nMay all people be happy. \nMay we live in peace & love. \nEven if some people are making other choices. \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nThich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who advocated for peace and refused to take a side in the war. He taught meditation & mindfulness to people throughout the world. He published many books\, including Being Peace\, Creating True Peace and Peace is Every Step. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King. Here is his poem “Please Call Me by My True Names\,” followed by an account of how he came to write it: \n  \nPlease Call Me by My True Names \n  \nDo not say that I’ll depart tomorrow— \neven today I am still arriving. \nLook deeply: every second I am arriving \nto be a bud on a Spring branch\, \nto be a tiny bird\, with still-fragile wings\, \nlearning to sing in my new nest\, \nto be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower\, \nto be a jewel hiding itself in a stone. \nI still arrive\, in order to laugh and to cry\, \nto fear and to hope\, \nthe rhythm of my heart is the birth and death \nof all that are alive. \nI am the mayfly metamorphosing \non the surface of the river\, \nand I am the bird which\, when Spring comes\, \narrives in time to eat the mayfly. \nI am the frog swimming happily \nin the clear water of a pond\, \nand I am the grass-snake \nthat silently feeds itself on the frog. \nI am the child in Uganda\, all skin and bones\, \nmy legs as thin as bamboo sticks. \nAnd I am the arms merchant\, \nselling deadly weapons to Uganda. \nI am the twelve-year-old girl\, \nrefugee on a small boat\, \nwho throws herself into the ocean \nafter being raped by a sea pirate. \nAnd I am the pirate\, \nmy heart not yet capable \nof seeing and loving. \nI am a member of the politburo\, \nwith plenty of power in my hands. \nAnd I am the man who has to pay his \n“debt of blood” to my people \ndying slowly in a forced labor camp. \nMy joy is like Spring\, so warm \nit makes flowers bloom all over the Earth. \nMy pain is like a river of tears\, \nso vast it fills the four oceans. \nPlease call me by my true names\, \nso I can hear all my cries and laughter at once\, \nso I can see that my joy and pain are one. \nPlease call me by my true names\, \nso I can wake up \nand so the door of my heart can be left open\, \nthe door of compassion. \n  \n  \nAfter the Vietnam War\, many people wrote to us in Plum Village. We received hundreds of letters each week from the refugee camps in Singapore\, Malaysia\, Indonesia\, Thailand\, and the Philippines\, hundreds each week. It was very painful to read them\, but we had to be in contact. We tried our best to help\, but the suffering was enormous\, and sometimes we were discouraged. It is said that half the boat people fleeing Vietnam died in the ocean; only half arrived at the shores of Southeast Asia. \n  \nThere are many young girls\, boat people\, who were raped by sea pirates. Even though the United Nations and many countries tried to help the government of Thailand prevent that kind of piracy\, sea pirates continued to inflict much suffering on the refugees. One day\, we received a letter telling us about a young girl on a small boat who was raped by a Thai pirate. She was only twelve\, and she jumped into the ocean and drowned herself. \n  \nWhen you first learn of something like that\, you get angry at the pirate. You naturally take the side of the girl. As you look more deeply you will see it differently. If you take the side of the little girl\, then it is easy. You only have to take a gun and shoot the pirate. But we can’t do that. In my meditation\, I saw that if I had been born in the village of the pirate and raised in the same conditions as he was\, I would now be the pirate. There is a great likelihood that I would become a pirate. I can’t condemn myself so easily. In my meditation\, I saw that many babies are born along the Gulf of Siam\, hundreds every day\, and if we educators\, social workers\, politicians\, and others do not do something about the situation\, in twenty-five years a number of them will become sea pirates. That is certain. If you or I were born today in those fishing villages\, we might become sea pirates in twenty-five years. If you take a gun and shoot the pirate\, you shoot all of us\, because all of us are to some extent responsible for this state of affairs. \n  \nAfter a long meditation\, I wrote this poem. In it\, there are three people: the twelve-year-old girl\, the pirate\, and me. Can we look at each other and recognize ourselves in each other? The title of the poem is “Please Call Me by My True Names\,” because I have so many names. When I hear one of the of these names\, I have to say\, “Yes.” \n  \n—Thich Nhat Hanh
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-11-2-23/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231022T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231022T170000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20231021T174432Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231021T175513Z
UID:4201-1697986800-1697994000@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  10/22/23
DESCRIPTION:Grinnell Lake in Glacier National Park \n  \nBeloved Bibliophiles! \n  \nOn Sunday\, October 22nd\, our theme is Peace & War. \nWhat have you read–books\, essays\, poems–that illuminates this subject?  \nThe conversation will not be limited to what we’ve read\, but will also include what we’ve experienced and Will’s question: “How do you feed your soul in difficult times?” \n  \nThe Zoom gathering starts at 3 pm (PDT). Here’s the link: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \nI hope to see you there. \n  \npeace\, love & happiness  \n  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-10-22-23/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231015
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231115
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20231018T183906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231215T210653Z
UID:4194-1697328000-1700006399@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Meditation & Mindfulness  10/15/23
DESCRIPTION:  \nOpen Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue \n  \nOctober 15\, 2023 \n  \n  \nWalk beautifully\, talk beautifully\, live beautifully. \nLet your heart speak to other hearts. \n  \n—wisdom from Yogi Tea bags \n* \n  \nBe joyful\, though you have considered the facts. \n  \n—Wendell Berry \n* \n  \nSome excerpts from a recent letter (8/31/23) from Rocky: \n  \nToday was a good day for me here. Almost everything ran smoothly. My dog Nelly is programming well & so am I. I’m on my way to being one of the primary trainers. That means I will also be training another A.I.C. [Adult In Custody]! Real work! All of this is going well. \n  \nMy mind has been wondering & thinking about what we have been talking about in the whole relationship department. I’m not sure how all of that will happen. “Organically” I hope. But you do not have to worry about me trying to save anyone! I might be the one that needs to be saved. LOL. I’m getting out to a whole new world\, one that I do not know too much about. \n  \nHonestly\, I want someone I can admire and appreciate and muse over. A simple\, kind love that is fun & sweet. That would be really…nice. Hummm…we will see how it goes! It should be hard to find her I think. LOL. I would like to know & love someone completely & be known & loved by them. Kind & gently & with happiness. I don’t feel I am damaged any longer. I can only feel the scars\, which is really good. It took a long time for them to heal. \n  \nWhen I was 22 or 23 years old\, I was working as a “cedar maggot.” We did not cut down living trees\, but cut up and cleaned up what the old time pioneers left on the forest floor. You see\, bugs don’t like cedar wood too much & cedar does not really rot too fast. The old timers would cut only the “clear” wood\, from the stump to where the branches started\, and leave the rest to rot. That’s where we came in. We cut all that left over stuff and we turned it into cedar bolts for shakes & shingles. \n  \nOne morning I climbed up on a tall cedar stump to sharpen my saw. There\, stuck in the stump\, was a rusted old wedge & the head of an axe with a splintered handle! There were also five pieces of yellow glass and an aluminum ring laying in a pile of rust—the remains of an old time lantern! All that stuff had been there for a long time. \n  \nAll of these moments we all have in our lives are what we are made of—strands of our hearts\, links in our minds\, reflections in our souls. I\, in my mind\, have returned to that stump\, the smell of the woods\, many times over the many years I’ve been in prison. My place of peace & solace when the weight of correction becomes much too much. \n  \nThe place in the woods\, the stump\, wedge\, axe & lantern glass are all lost\, as they should be. Magic does not just linger in one place. Maybe I took it in my soul & that is a good thought & it’s true? I go there often & I could have captured it that day so long ago all for myself & that is a good thought. It makes me smile to think it’s all mine\, & now yours too. \n  \n—Rocky Hutchinson \n* \n  \n#363   Why Wait to be Happy? \n“Many people in our society are not happy\, even though the conditions for their happiness already exist. Their habit energy is always pushing them ahead\, preventing them from being happy in the here and now. But with a little bit of training\, we can all learn to recognize this energy every time it comes up. Why wait to be happy?”  \n—from Your True Home by Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \nWhat makes me happy? What brings me joy? I’ll tell you\, for me\, it’s opening to love. Letting love in. \n  \nI have to admit\, sometimes I have episodes of resentment\, judgment\, selfishness\, defensiveness…more often than not\, though\, these episodes are brief and they just—melt away. The other day we were discussing Thanksgiving. I’d already offered to have Thanksgiving at our house\, for ‘my side’ of the family\, and then in passing\, I offered and invited David’s sister and others on ‘his side.’ When Mary called to confirm\, she breezily\, albeit apologetically\, announced that ‘everyone’ wanted to come\, like fourteen people!  ‘My side’ includes only five people. I had the distinct physical sensation of my heart balling up like a tight fist. ‘Fourteen\,’  I kind of gasped. Did I gasp\, or bellow? I’m not sure. I struggled for a bit with all those big negative feelings: resentment (pretty nervy to descend with fourteen people!)\, selfishness (‘my side’ will be engulfed!)\, judgment (they are not ‘my kind’ of people). But then the miracle happened: just as precipitously as my heart clenched into that hard fist\, it spilled open and…love…poured out. I just relaxed into love and happiness. “Well\, I think that will just be fine\,” I said. And I meant it. To have all those people\, young and old\, want to come up to our home on the mountain all of a sudden was a wonderful thing. I felt such love and happiness and joy at the thought of twenty family—‘my side’ or ‘his side’—spending the day of Thanksgiving together in our warm\, cozy home\, fire in the fireplace\, maybe even with a dazzling mountain view\, or maybe with a few snowflakes drifting down… \n  \nThis happens often; one moment I’m feeling a little ‘grrrr\,’ the next moment I’ve dissolved into love\, and happiness. Don’t ask me the formula\, the key to unlocking—I don’t understand it myself. I sure recognize it every time it comes up\, but don’t understand the radical nature of it. All I know is that I am in wonder of it myself and never fail to feel blessed. \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \npast parentage or gender \nbeyond sung vocables \nthe slipped-between \nthe so infinitesimal \nfault line \na limitless \ninteriority \n  \nbeyond the woven \nunicorn   the maiden \n(man-carved   worm-eaten) \nGod at her hip \nincipient \nthe untransfigured \ncottontail \nbluebell and primrose \ngrowing wild   a strawberry \nchagrin   night terrors \npast the earthlit \nunearthly masquerade \n  \n(we shall be changed) \n  \na silence opens \n  \n—excerpt from “Silence” by Amy Clampitt \n  \nMay we be at peace \nMay all be healed \nMay we be a source of healing for all beings. \n  \nlove\,  \n—Katie Radditz \n* \n  \nLast Thursday\, when friends had gathered for coffee and conversation\, Will Hornyak asked: “What do you do to feed your soul in difficult times?” I passed that question along to some friends\, and here is what they sent me: \n  \nThree poems from Kim for Gaza and Israel: \n  \n     War for the Holy Land \n  \nYou could say it’s Biblical\, this fury \nbetween the children of Yahweh and Allah\, \nthis frenzy of rockets and bombs opening \nthe gates of hell for fire to take and take \nwhere hungry Death stalks the streets. \n  \nWeak leaders need war\, or else we would \nrequire them to be wise and kind. Instead\, \nthis fury allows them to say\, “We wage war \nbecause it’s the anniversary of war\,” and \n“We wage war because they wage war\,” \n  \nand everyone else goes along with it\, \nan eye for an eye\, a child for a child. \n  \n  \n     Peacenik\, War-nik \n  \nWhen there are two sides\, \nand one side starts shooting\, \nwhat are the rest of us to do? \nPeace-mongers may run and hide\, \n  \nwhile war gives warriors a certain \nclarity: be the implement between \ncommand and death. Hawks seek \nprey\, while doves sort seed. \n  \nFlower child\, thistle child—when \nwe hear an angry leader speak \nof vengeance\, of human animals\, \nthen it’s up to all of us. \n  \n  \n     Armor \n  \nWhat armor can our hearts put on \nwhen facts and photos find us\, far war \nhunting us from hiding? Now news \nbecomes an implement to pry us open \nso we\, too\, carry children through smoke \nand rubble. We bury victims of atrocity\, \nflee with only what we can carry. We find \nour kinfolk heaped. We are the massacre. \nWe try to keep the beating drum from \ngiving in\, giving up. We guard our capacity \nfor hurt\, each wound proving we feel\, proving \ndivisions are a lie\, proving our complicity. \nOld heart\, let suffering prove we are kin. \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nNavigation \n  \nIn early morning dark\, I could meditate. \nI have done. 40 mornings. Sa Ta Na Ma. \nThe fingers of both hands in rhythm. \nAwkward\, fumbly. Good for the brain \n  \nThey say. Integration of the hemispheres. \nInstead\, I feed the cat. Fend off the worst \nof the arthritis with small movements \nuntil I can sit upright at a keyboard. \n  \nNo\, not music. That would be lovely\, \na little Chopin. A laptop. Precious tool\, \ndictation. I close my eyes. And talk. \nIf I look\, I want to edit\, dangerous walk \n  \nThis revision thing. More conversational \nthis way. The petty indignities\, frets from \ndays before\, get out all the surface stuff\, \nthe annoyances\, so the sweet stuff \n  \nHas room to grow into the day. \nAn unexpected bloom of affection \nor engagement with something \nabsurd and wonderful. \n  \nDid you know that if you smell \nThe inside of your elbow \nIt clears the nasal palate for all \nThe aromas the next encounter will bring? \n  \nElizabeth Domike \n* \n  \nIn answer to Will’s question… \n  \nThe times are always difficult. There is still the urgent question: How do you feed your soul? I try to nurture peace\, love\, happiness and understanding within myself. Without them\, I don’t have much to offer my fellow mortals that might be helpful. And I enjoy them for their own sake. I try to live a life that is rich in meaning. Life is short. Each day\, each moment\, is precious. I try to pay attention. And not forget to say thank you thank you thank you. \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nI write. That takes many forms. Novel\, screenplay\, song\, essay\, memoir. Just whatever I’m currently doing\, that has a world I can dive into\, and let everything else fall away. If I’m too brain-tired to do any of that\, I’ll do a crossword puzzle\, and if that’s too much\, I’ll go for Wordle. I lose myself in words\, and if I’m doing a song\, the music is extra bonus points. \n  \n—J Kahn \n* \n  \nHow to cope with a calamity\, of which there seem to be a surfeit? I started to add “right now” but that is not true…there is always a surfeit of despair. One necessary action is to be involved in preventing or ameliorating the disaster. Often you can help others. It sustains all of us to mutually better situations and solve problems.  \n  \nHow else do we come to terms with difficulties? For me both music and poetry are deep sources of consolation. I started to list poems and then realized the list is endless. Follow your own loves and you will find many poems that speak to the heart. A good starting one is Wendell Berry’s: \n  \nThe Peace of Wild Things \n  \nWhen despair for the world grows in me\nand I wake in the night at the least sound\nin fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be\,\nI go and lie down where the wood drake\nrests in his beauty on the water\, and the great heron feeds.\nI come into the peace of wild things\nwho do not tax their lives with forethought\nof grief. I come into the presence of still water.\nAnd I feel above me the day-blind stars\nwaiting with their light. For a time\nI rest in the grace of the world\, and am free. \n  \nAnd\, yes\, being in the wild\, whether a city park or untrammeled mountains\, is a deep source of nurture. Not consolation. Nature can be wild and destructive but not cruel. It is a vital reminder of the nurture and persistence of the world.  \n  \nOliver Sacks said that music is the one art that is both abstract and emotional\, it can elevate and reassure us\, deeply touch the place where we have no words. That is certainly true\, and my music may be very different than yours but both are the endless world of sound and silence that envelop us. \n  \nBut above all: find what you love\, give yourself to it\, work through reward and pain and frustration. Give yourself to it. Your immersion will carry you through so many griefs. Don’t do it all alone. We need one another\, we need community and its irreplaceable links. As the poet June Jordan often reminded us\, we are a community in fact and in aspiration. \n  \n—Deborah Buchanan \n* \n  \nJill sent this poem: \n  \nThe Red Wheelbarrow \n  \nso much depends \nupon \n  \na red wheel \nbarrow \n  \nglazed with rain \nwater \n  \nbeside the white \nchickens \n  \n—William Carlos Williams \n  \n—Jill Littlewood
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/meditation-mindfulness-10-15-23/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231014T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231014T210000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20231003T004040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231003T004204Z
UID:4172-1697311800-1697317200@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:SILENCE written and performed by Johnny Stallings
DESCRIPTION:painting of Johnny by Nancy Scharbach \n  \n  \nSILENCE \na theatre piece about meditation \nwritten & performed by \nJohnny Stallings \nSaturday\, October 14th\, at 7:30 pm \nat PAUSE *  133 SW 2nd\, #300
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/silence-written-and-performed-by-johnny-stallings/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/0-2.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231008T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20231008T170000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20230921T014540Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231007T000810Z
UID:4155-1696777200-1696784400@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous! Mythic Ireland with Will Hornyak  10/8/23
DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nBeloved Bibliophiles! \n  \nOn Sunday\, October 8th\, at 3 p..m. (PDT)\, legendary storyteller WILL HORNYAK will be our SPECIAL GUEST! \nHere’s the link: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \n  \n  \nMythic Ireland  \n  \nTales\, Legends\, Songs and Lore From the Emerald Isle \n  \nIreland is deeply layered with the myths and tales of many peoples. The landscape is a living manuscript of the doings of countless gods and goddesses\, hags\, heroines\, sorceresses and saints. According to the mythologist Michael Dames\, “Each successive Irish culture seems to become mesmerized by the myths of the previous one. Nothing is rejected. Everything is synthesized.”  So\, over time the stories and plots have mixed and mingled infusing Ireland with a kind of psychic charge and a rich and soulful oral and written storytelling tradition.  We’ll take a stroll through a few tales and ideas. \n  \n–Will Hornyak
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-10-8-23/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/unnamed.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231005
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231102
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20231006T234331Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250718T135356Z
UID:4181-1696464000-1698883199@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  10/5/23
DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nOctober 5\, 2023 \n  \n  \nMy friend\, I am going to tell the story of my life\, as you wish; and if it were only the story of my life I think I would not tell it…. \nIt is the story of all life that is holy and is good to tell\, and of us two-leggeds sharing it with the four-leggeds and the wings of the air and all green things; for these are children of one mother and their father is one Spirit…. \nNow that I can see it all as from a lonely hilltop\, I know it was the story of a mighty vision given to a man too weak to use it; of a holy tree that should have flourished in a people’s heart with flowers and singing birds\, and now it is withered; and of a people’s dream that died in bloody snow. \nBut if the vision was true and mighty\, as I know\, it is true and mighty yet; for such things are of the spirit… \n  \n—Black Elk Speaks by Black Elk\, transcribed and edited by John G. Neihardt\, pp. 1-2 \n* \n  \nBlack Elk (Heháka Sápa) was born on December 1\, 1863 near the Little Powder River in the Montana Territory. He was a holy man of the Oglala Lakota people. He was second cousin of Crazy Horse\, fought in the Battle of Little Bighorn\, participated in the Ghost Dance movement\, survived the Wounded Knee Massacre and toured Europe with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. He is best known for the account of his life he gave to John G. Neihardt\, which was first published in 1932\, and remains in print to this day.  \nAt the age of nine\, Black Elk got a fever\, and remained lying as if dead for twelve days. While absent from this world\, he had a great vision. Here’s a brief excerpt: \n  \nAll the universe was silent\, listening; and then the great black stallion raised his voice and sang. The song he sang was this: \n  \n“My horses\, prancing they are coming. \nMy horses\, neighing they are coming; \nPrancing\, they are coming. \nAll over the universe they come. \nThey will dance; may you behold them. \n                                                             (4 times) \nA horse nation\, may you behold them.  \nMay you behold them.” \n                                                              (4 times) \n  \nHis voice was not loud\, but it went all over the universe and filled it. There was nothing that did not hear\, and it was more beautiful than anything can be. It was so beautiful that nothing anywhere could keep from dancing. The maidens danced\, and all the circled horses. The leaves on the trees\, the grasses on the hills and in the valleys\, the waters in the creeks and in the rivers and the lakes\, the four-legged and the two-legged and the wings of the air—all danced together to the music of the stallion’s song. \nAnd when I looked down upon my people yonder\, the cloud passed over\, blessing them with friendly rain\, and stood in the east with a flaming rainbow over it. \nThen all the horses went singing back to their places beyond the summit of the fourth ascent\, and all things sang along with them as they walked. \nAnd a Voice said: “All over the universe they have finished a day of happiness.” And looking down I saw that the whole wide circle of the day was beautiful and green\, with all fruits growing and all things kind and happy. \nAnd a Voice said: “Behold this day\, for it is yours to make. Now you shall stand upon the center of the earth to see\, for there they are taking you.” \nI was still on my bay horse\, and once more I felt the riders of the west\, the north\, the east\, the south\, behind me in formation\, as before\, and we were going east. I looked ahead and saw the mountains there with rocks and forests on them\, and from the mountains flashed all colors upward to the heavens. Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all\, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world.* And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit\, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle\, wide as daylight and as starlight\, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father.  And I saw that it was holy. \n  \n*Black Elk said the mountain he stood upon in his vision was Harney Peak in the Black Hills.” But anywhere is the center of the world\,” he added. \n  \n—Black Elk Speaks by Black Elk\, transcribed and edited by John G. Neihardt\, pp. 41-43 \n* \n In his vision six grandfathers who were “old like hills\, like stars” blessed him and told him that he must save his people. He said: “I knew that these were not old men\, but the Powers of the World.” \nAs a nine-year-old boy\, he was unable to tell his people about his vision. By the time he was 17\, his tribe re-enacted much of his vision. This was a very important event in Black Elk’s life. As an old man\, he was heart-broken by what he had lived through and what had happened to his people. He was sad that he had been unable to make real the vision of peace and harmony that had been granted to him. At the end of his life he was a practicing Catholic. He also continued to perform the sacred rites of the Lakota people. \nIn 1947\, Joseph Epes Brown met Black Elk. Concerned that his sacred tradition not be lost\, Black Elk gave him an account of the seven sacred rites of the Oglala Sioux. In 1953\,  Brown published The Sacred Pipe. It is a treasure trove for indigenous peoples and for the rest of us\, whose ancestors were surely indigenous at some point. John Trudell used to say: “We all come from tribes.” \nBlack Elk died in 1950. His vision and his wisdom live on. \n* \n  \nKim Stafford was Oregon’s Poet Laureate from 2018-2020. \n  \nAll My Relations \n  \nI want to thank all my relations \nfor this chance to be on Earth \nin her time of flourishing; to thank \nthe First People of this place\, the \nthe Multnomah people\, the Clackamas\, \nMolalla\, Tualatin\, and Chinook\, to honor \ntheir sovereignty in long and continuing \nrelation\, still teaching us how we might \nbe here together; to thank my mother and father\, \nmoon and sun\, for setting me forth before \ntheir own passing on; to thank my grandmother \nwho listened to me so eloquently I learned \nto listen to my own heart and mind\, to find \nstories and songs there; to thank my family \nand friends\, and all citizens and travelers \nwho study and work for deeper kinship \nin this place\, with one another\, and with \nall creatures\, one Earth\, visible\, palpable\, \nfragile\, intricate\, resonant\, in need of our \nbetter stories. I want to thank you \nwho have gathered to receive what I have \ncarried here—in hope that something \nI have may meet something you need\, \nso all our relations may be strengthened \nfor the life we live together. \n  \n—from Singer Come from Afar by Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nJoy Harjo is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She was Poet Laureate of the United States from 2019-2022. She said about her work: \n  \n“I feel strongly that I have a responsibility to all the sources that I am: to all past and future ancestors\, to my home country\, to all places that I touch down on and that are myself\, to all voices\, all women\, all of my tribe\, all people\, all earth\, and beyond that to all beginnings and endings.” \n  \nMy House is the Red Earth \n  \nMy house is the red earth; it could be the center of the world. I’ve heard New York\, Paris\, or Tokyo called the center of the world\, but I say it is magnificently humble. You could drive by and miss it. Radio waves can obscure it. Words cannot construct it\, for there are some sounds left to sacred wordless form. For instance\, that fool crow\, picking through trash near the corral\, understands the center of the world as greasy strips of fat. Just ask him. He doesn’t have to say that the earth has turned scarlet through fierce belief\, after centuries of heartbreak and laughter—he perches on the blue bowl of the sky\, and laughs. \n  \n—from Secrets from the Center of the World by Joy Harjo \n* \n  \nJohn Trudell (1946-2015) was a member of the Santee Dakota tribe. \n  \nGrandfathers Whispering \n  \nGrandfathers whispering \nIn the wind \nRejoice at the life \nYou are a part of \nNatural energy \nBound to natural laws \nYou will survive this \nTemporary madness imposed upon you \nNatural life is longer \nThan oppressors illusionary insanity \nSpirits experience human deeds \nBut need not end \nThis is just one place of changes \n  \nSpirit life is forever if you want \nThe universe is your home \nYou can survive here \nDo not let them kill you \nKeep your spirit strong \nFor distant stars and distant drums \nAre the memories of spirit infancy \nChildren of earth let the spirit live \nSo you can grow in your place \n                                    In the universe \n  \n—from Lines from a Mined Mind by John Trudell \n* \n  \nGary Snyder won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1975. \n  \nMOTHER EARTH: HER WHALES \n  \nAn owl winks in the shadows \nA lizard lifts on tiptoes\, breathing hard \nYoung male sparrow stretches up his neck \n                     big head\, watching— \n  \nThe grasses are working in the sun. Turn it green. \nTurn it sweet. That we may eat. \nGrow our meat. \n  \nBrazil says “sovereign use of Natural Resources” \nThirty thousand kinds of unknown plants. \nThe living actual people of the jungle \n             sold and tortured— \nAnd a robot in a suit who peddles a delusion called “Brazil” \n             can speak for them? \n  \n             The whales turn and glisten\, plunge \n                     and sound and rise again\, \n             Hanging over subtly darkening deeps \n             Flowing like breathing planets \n                   in the sparkling whorls of \n                           living light— \n  \nAnd Japan quibbles for words on \n             what kind of whales they can kill? \nA once-great Buddhist nation \n             dribbles methyl mercury \n             like gonorrhea \n                            in the sea. \n  \nPère David’s Deer\, the Elaphure\, \nLived in the tule marshes of the Yellow River \nTwo thousand years ago—and lost its home to rice— \nThe forests of Lo-yang were logged and all the silt & \nSand flowed down\, and gone\, by 1200 AD— \n  \nWild Geese hatched out in Siberia \n                    head south over basins of the Yang\, the Huang\, \n                    what we call “China” \nOn flyways they have used a million years. \nAh China\, where are the tigers\, the wild boars\, \n                    the monkeys\, \n                        like the snows of yesteryear \nGone in a mist\, a flash\, and the dry hard ground \nIs parking space for fifty thousand trucks. \nIS man most precious of all things? \n—then let us love him\, and his brothers\, all those \nFading living beings— \n  \nNorth America\, Turtle Island\, taken by invaders \n             who wage war around the world. \nMay ants\, may abalone\, otters\, wolves and elk \nRise! and pull away their giving \n             from the robot nations. \n  \nSolidarity. The People. \nStanding Tree People! \nFlying Bird People! \nSwimming Sea People! \nFour-legged\, two legged\, people! \n  \nHow can the head-heavy power-hungry politic scientist \nGovernment         two-world         Capitalist-Imperialist \nThird-world          Communist        paper-shuffling male \n               non-farmer         jet-set        bureaucrats \nSpeak for the green of the leaf? Speak for the soil? \n  \n(Ah Margaret Mead…do you sometimes dream of Samoa?) \n  \nThe robots argue how to parcel out our Mother Earth \nTo last a little longer \n                      like vultures flapping \nBelching\, gurgling\, \n                       near a dying Doe. \n  \n“In yonder field a slain knight lies— \nWe’ll fly to him and eat his eyes \n                       with a down \n          derry derry derry down down.” \n  \n             An owl winks in the shadow \n             A lizard lifts on tiptoe \n                          breathing hard \n             The whales turn and glisten \n                           plunge and \n             Sound\, and rise again \n             Flowing like breathing planets \n  \n             In the sparkling whorls \n  \n             Of living light. \n                                                  Stockholm\, Summer Solstice 40072 \n  \n——from Turtle Island by Gary Snyder \n* \n  \nIn his old age\, Black Elk saw no contradiction between his traditional beliefs and those of Christianity: \n  \nWe have been told by the white men\, or at least by those who are Christian\, that God sent to men His son\, who would restore order and peace upon the earth; and we have been told that Jesus the Christ was crucified\, but that he shall come again at the Last Judgment\, the end of this world or cycle. This I understand and know that it is true\, but the white men should know that for the red people too\, it was the will of Wakan-Tanka\, the Great Spirit\, that an animal turn itself into a two-legged person in order to bring the most holy pipe to His people; and we too were taught that this White Buffalo Cow Woman who brought our sacred pipe will appear again at the end of this “world\,” a coming which we Indians know is now not very far off. \nMany people call it a “peace pipe\,” yet now there is no peace on earth or even between neighbors\, and I have been told that it has been a long time since there has been peace in the world. There is much talk of peace among the Christians\, yet this is just talk. Perhaps it may be\, and this is my prayer that\, through our sacred pipe\, and through this book in which I shall explain what our pipe really is\, peace may come to those peoples who can understand\, an understanding which must be of the heart and not of the head alone. Then they will realize that we Indians know the One true God\, and that we pray to him continually. \nI have wished to make this book through no other desire than to help my people in understanding the greatness and truth of our own tradition\, and also to help in bringing peace upon the earth\, not only among men\, but within men and between the whole of creation. \nWe should understand well that all things are the works of the Great Spirit. We should know that He is within all things: the trees\, the grasses\, the rivers\, the mountains\, and all the four-legged animals\, and the winged peoples; and even more important\, we should understand that He is also above all these things and peoples. When we do understand all this deeply in our hearts\, then we will fear\, and love\, and know the Great Spirit\, and then we will be and act and live as He intends. \n  \n—from Black Elk’s Foreword to The Sacred Pipe\, recorded and edited by Joseph Epes Brown
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-10-5-23/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230924T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230924T170000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20230921T013128Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230923T022623Z
UID:4151-1695567600-1695574800@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  9/24/23
DESCRIPTION:Black Elk \n  \nThe leaves on the trees\, the grasses on the hills and in the valleys\, the waters in the creeks and in the rivers and the lakes\, the four-legged and the two-legged and the wings of the air—all danced together to the music of the stallion’s song. \n–Black Elk \n  \nBeloved Bibliophiles! \n  \nOn Sunday\, September 24th\, Johnny Stallings reads from:  \n  \nBlack Elk’s Great Vision \n  \nFollowed by a dialogue\, of course. \n  \nThe Zoom gathering starts at 3 pm (PDT). Here’s the link: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \nI hope to see you there. \n  \npeace\, love & happiness  \n  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-9-24-23/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230917T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20230917T210000
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20230913T044711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230913T044744Z
UID:4134-1694977200-1694984400@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:GOLDFINCHES!: a theatrical monologue by Johnny Stallings  9/17/23
DESCRIPTION:  \nGoldfinches! \n  \na theatrical monologue \nby \nJohnny Stallings \n  \nat PAUSE \nPAUSE is a meditation studio—133 SW 2nd Ave.\, Suite 300 \nSunday\, September 17th\, 7 p.m.
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/goldfinches-a-theatrical-monologue-by-johnny-stallings-9-17-23/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230915
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231015
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20230917T003740Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250717T162557Z
UID:4139-1694736000-1697327999@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue  9/15/23
DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nOpen Road Meditation & Mindfulness Dialogue \n  \nSeptember 15\, 2023 \n  \nIf the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is\, infinite. \nFor man has closed himself up\, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern. \n—William Blake\, from THE MARRIAGE of HEAVEN and HELL\n* \n  \n#103  A Garden of Poems \n  \nOne day in New York City\, I met a Buddhist scholar and I told her about my practice of mindfulness in the vegetable garden. I enjoy growing lettuce\, tomatoes\, and other vegetables\, and I like to spend time gardening every day. \nShe said\, “You shouldn’t spend your time growing vegetables. You should spend more time writing poems. Your poems are so beautiful. Everyone can grow lettuce\, but not everyone can write poems like you do.” \nI told her\, “If I don’t grow lettuce\, I can’t write poems.” \n  \n—from Your True Home by Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \nThis one really made me laugh. For me\, it’s playing music\, or drawing\, or writing. If I don’t do these things it is difficult for me to think correctly in my day-to-day life. Everything is out of tune & I don’t feel right. One of the counselors here asked me about my drawings. I told her that I did not have time to draw anymore. She said\, “NO! You must find the time to draw & express yourself\, so you feel right!” \n  \nSo I found the time & she was right. I can in fact think better now. My tasks run smoother and I just feel better. So I do get what Thich Nhat Hanh is saying here. We must do the things that we are passionate about & we must do the things that feed our being so we’re capable of doing all of the things we need & want to do. \n  \nLove you all so much. \n  \n—Rocky Hutchinson \n* \n  \n#10    “Lotus in the Mud”       \n  \n“The goodness of suffering is something real. Without suffering\, there cannot be happiness. Without mud there cannot be any lotus flowers. So if you know how to suffer\, suffering is okay. And the moment you have that attitude\, you don’t suffer much anymore. And out of suffering\, a lotus flower of happiness can open.” \n—from Your True Home by Thich Nhat Hanh \n  \nBefore I ever read this\, I believed this. Going back to my first marriage of thirteen years in an abusive\, alcoholic relationship\, I suffered in such a way that my mind and body simply shut down. I stopped talking\, I stopped eating\, I stopped feeling. It was the only way I could keep living—by not living. I suffered internally and externally\, not understanding either condition.  \n  \nIt was only when I escaped the marriage that I was released from suffering and moved—no\, vaulted\, catapulted\, jetted!—into joy\, into happiness. Into gratitude. I had plenty of scars\, physical and emotional\, but I came to understand and rejoice in what I had lived through. I rejoiced in the suffering\, because I was now living life. Getting unstuck from the mud of suffering is how I came to be grateful for the suffering. So to happiness\, I would add gratitude as an ingredient that blossoms from the mud.  \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \n                         Holy Land \n  \nWhere the angel gave black stone to the prophet\, \nwhere the old man woke under a tree\, where \na king killed a worthy friend\, first there is silence\,  \nthen singing\, chanting\, sweet smoke\, and visions. \n  \nWhere the bones of a frail saint lie\, where a newborn \nslept in straw\, where a father did not slay his son— \npilgrims have passed by places without stories  \nby the thousands to be here weeping and praying. \n  \nIt’s all in how you see it\, how you tell it.  \nOn this rocky hill\, a peasant met a virgin girl. \nOn that one\, he did not. Here a cathedral\,  \nthere only the wind twitching dry grass.  \n  \nUnder the sky in a burning world\, how can  \nwe choose what is holy and what is not? \n  \n—Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nI have already seen red leaves on a tree! Autumn is lulling in even during this hot summer day. I think of this poem\, as the beauty and sorrows in the world unfold together. And it helps me feel the expansive wonder of it all.   \n  \nThree Times my Life has Opened \n  \nThree times my life has opened.\nOnce\, into darkness and rain.\nOnce\, into what the body carries at all times within it and\nstarts to remember each time it enters the act of love.\nOnce\, to the fire that holds all.\nThese three were not different.\nYou will recognize what I am saying or you will not.\nBut outside my window all day a maple has stepped\nfrom her leaves like a woman in love with winter\, dropping\nthe colored silks.\nNeither are we different in what we know.\nThere is a door. It opens. Then it is closed. But a slip of\nlight stays\, like a scrap of unreadable paper left on the floor\,\nor the one red leaf the snow releases in March. \n  \n—Jane Hirshfield\, from The Lives of the Heart: Poems \n  \n—Love and Peace\,  Katie Radditz \n* \n  \nOde to things (Oda a las cosas) \n  \nI have a crazy\, \ncrazy love of things. \nI like pliers\, \nand scissors. \nI love \ncups\, \nrings\, \nand bowls— \nnot to speak\, of course\, \nof hats. \nI love \nall things\, \nnot just \nthe grandest\, \nalso \nthe \ninfinite- \nly \nsmall— \nthimbles\, \nspurs\, \nplates\, \nand flower vases. \n  \nOh yes\, \nthe planet \nis sublime! \nIt’s full of \npipes \nweaving \nhand-held \nthrough tobacco smoke\, \nand keys \nand salt shakers— \neverything\, \nI mean\, \nthat is made \nby the hand of man\, every little thing: \nshapely shoes\, \nand fabric \nand each new \nbloodless birth \nof gold\, \neyeglasses\, \ncarpenter’s nails\, \nbrushes\, \nclocks\, compasses\, \ncoins\, and the so-soft \nsoftness of chairs. \n  \nMankind has \nbuilt \noh so many \nperfect \nthings! \nBuilt them of wool \nand of wood\, \nof glass and \nof rope: \nremarkable \ntables\, \nships\, and stairways. \n  \nI love \nall \nthings\, \nnot because they are \npassionate \nor sweet-smelling \nbut because\, \nI don’t know\, \nbecause \nthis ocean is yours\, \nand mine: \nthese buttons \nand wheels \nand little \nforgotten \ntreasures\, \nfans upon \nwhose feathers \nlove has scattered \nits blossoms\, \nglasses\, knives and \nscissors— \nall bear \nthe trace \nof someone’s fingers \non their handle or surface\, \nthe trace of a distant hand \nlost \nin the depths of forgetfulness. \n  \nI pause in houses\, \nstreets and \nelevators\, \ntouching things\, \nidentifying objects \nthat I secretly covet: \nthis one because it rings\, \nthat one because \nit’s as soft \nas the softness of a woman’s hip\, \nthat one there for its deep-sea color\,  \nand that one for its velvet feel. \n  \nO irrevocable  \nriver \nof things: \nno one can say \nthat I loved \nonly \nfish\, \nor the plants of the jungle and field\, \nthat I loved \nonly \nthose things that leap and climb\, desire\, and survive. \nIt’s not true: \nmany things conspired  \nto tell me the whole story. \nNot only did they touch me\, \nor my hand touched them: \nthey were \nso close \nthat they were a part  \nof my being\, \nthey were so alive with me \nthat they lived half my life \nand will die half my death. \n  \n—Pablo Neruda\, from Odes to Common Things\, edited & illustrated by Ferris Cook\, translated by Ken Krabbenhoft \n  \nlove to all\, \n—Johnny Stallings
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/meditation-mindfulness-dialogue-9-15-23/
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LAST-MODIFIED:20230921T013237Z
UID:4116-1694358000-1694365200@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Bibliophiles Unanimous!  9/10/23
DESCRIPTION:Old Mother Hubbard’s dog playing the flute (19th Century illustration) \n  \nBeloved Bibliophiles! \n  \nOur theme for Sunday\, September 10th is:  \n  \nMother Goose & Friends \n  \nWhat are your favorite nursery rhymes\, poems for children\, children’s folklore\, nonsense & children’s literature? The Zoom gathering starts at 3 pm (PDT). Here’s the link: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058 \n  \nI hope to see you there. \n  \npeace\, love & happiness  \n  \nJohnny
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-9-10-23/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230907
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231005
DTSTAMP:20260425T072550
CREATED:20230909T235237Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230909T235602Z
UID:4105-1694044800-1696463999@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  9/7/23
DESCRIPTION:One Happy Man (Rocky Hutchinson) with Eight Puppies (two are black) \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nSeptember 7\, 2023 \n  \nIf you help one person\, you help humanity. \n—Ai Weiwei \n  \nKen Margolis sent this poem by Ai Qing\, who is the father of the artist Ai Weiwei: \n  \nYARKHOTO \nIt’s almost as if a caravan is wending its way through town \nA clamor of voices mingling with the tinkle of camel bells \nThe markets bustling as before \nAn incessant flow of carts and horses \nBut no—the splendid palace \nHas lapsed into ruin \nOf a thousand years of joys and sorrows \nNot a trace can be found \nYou who are living\, live the best life you can \nDon’t count on the earth to preserve memory \n  \n—Ai Qing  (1980) \n* \n  \nA letter from Abe Green: \n  \nIt’s early morning \n          I’m sitting in my backyard acquainting myself with the \nrichness of this new day \n          The sun bright and warm \n          The air intoxicatingly fresh           [small feather taped to the page] \n          I gulp it with delight \nA hundred thoughts clamor for my attention but I deny all in \nanticipation of the song birds arrival at my feeder \n          I am patient \nSuddenly a single wren swoops in alighting on the small \ntable next to my chair \n          Next to my arm \n          We both seem surprised and take cautious appraisal of  \none another \n          She inspecting this mysterious land-bound creature \n          I observing her intricate feathering \n          Her tiny yet powerful legs and feet \n          And most of all her dark probing eyes \n  \nGazing into those ebon portals I was confronted with the \nfull creative power of life \n          Did she see the same in mine? \n          Did she see the earth song in my heart? \n  \nHow beautiful those few heartbeats were for me and \n          How beautiful was her perfection \n  \nThen with three resonant chirps as if clarifying an essential \ntruth with this benign human \n          She took wing to be about further business \n  \n          How astonishing is creation in its continual \n          bursting forth with life \n  \n          And how wonderful is the human experience to be \n  \n                    Astonished! \n  \n—Abe Green \n* \n  \nDear Johnny \n  \nHey there\, my friend. It’s been quite some time now since I’ve written you a letter. But you know that I’ve just been really busy. My skills that I’ve been obtaining the last few years have been shining through the last few weeks in my work. It’s an amazing thing to see all you can accomplish when you really apply your heart\, mind & soul into life. The truth is\, is that for me the difficulties are worth the accomplishments. \n  \nMy lesson with the dog today went surprisingly well. The things I’m doing now are so hard to do\, but my trainer is very good at this & is helping me to be better too. As I performed all the “get help” cues with the dog\, I got to do them by the flowers I planted this Spring. As I gave direction to the dog with cues\, my eyes took in the beauty of the gladioluses\, brown eyed daisies\, foxgloves & a rose bush. It was an enchanted few seconds\, sacred in the pause of the mind. My hope is that my life will be this way once I’m out of here. I’m happy & wish to stay so. \n  \nWe got to take pictures with the puppies & you’ll be getting some soon. As luck would have it\, my favorite one\, “Unique\,” a 9 lb female black lab has moved into my cell “for a short stay.” She is a lot of work!! She is 41 days old & knows her name\, comes\, sits & potties on the pad. She will be doing rides & hills by 60 days old. They are an amazing litter…. \n  \nI wanted to let you and Nancy know about a movie I caught a few days ago. It’s called “Maudie”! It’s about a Canadian folk artist that had arthritis badly. Very good movie…very humble life. When I see such things…it gives me a sense of calmness\, knowing that the best lives are full of difficulties & that makes the joy we find in them all the sweeter for us\, and maybe for those we touch. \n  \nWell\, you can use this whole letter in the Open Road newsletter if you’d like. It’s all good & beautiful. I love you & miss you & hope to hear from you soon. \n  \nBeautiful things on the Golden path are like finding the best rocks in the river on a Summer’s day. The best things we all have in life are the joys we give & get & the love we let shine from our hearts that grow all the good things. It feels like I’ve got raven wings to fly on\, shiny\, strong and true\, for carrying all the love I have to all the ones I love so true. \n  \n—Rocky Hutchinson  (8/13/2023) \n* \n  \nPrairie Radio \n  \nWay out on open hills we get \nno reception—no news or message \ngets through\, so we listen to birds \nexplain existence\, and by scent of dust \nand flowers apprehend our chance. \n  \nBack home in cities\, signals bombard \nour tender minds with wars and other \ntroubles\, air around us thick with \nwarnings and sorrows\, light around us \nthick with poisons for heart and mind. \n  \nBut anywhere\, if you turn your head\, \nwind delivers light across prairie hills \nfrom far to inform your ancient soul. \n  \n—from Beauty So Intense You Shield Your Eyes by Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nScott Teitsworth recently read this inspiring passage from Brian Doyle’s essay “The Final Frontier” to some of his friends: \n  \n….I began\, slowly and dimly\, to realize that humble was the only finally truly honest way to be in this life. Anything else is ultimately cocky\, which is either foolish or a deliberate disguise you refuse to remove\, for complicated reasons perhaps not known even to you. \n  \nOf course you do your absolute best to find and hone and wield your divine gifts against the dark. You do your best to reach out tenderly to touch and elevate as many people as you can reach. You bring your naked love and defiant courage and salty grace to bear as much as you can\, with all the attentiveness and humor you can muster. This life is after all a miracle and we ought to pay fierce attention every moment\, as much as possible. \n  \nBut you cannot control anything. You cannot order or command everything. You cannot fix and repair everything. You cannot protect your children from pain and loss and tragedy and illness. You cannot be sure that you will always be married\, let alone happily married. You cannot be sure you will always be employed\, or healthy\, or relatively sane. \n  \nAll you can do is face the world with quiet grace and hope you make a sliver of difference. Humility does not mean self-abnegation\, lassitude\, detachment; it’s a more calm recognition that you must trust in that which does not make sense\, that which is unreasonable\, illogical\, silly\, ridiculous\, crazy by the measure of most of our culture. You must trust that you being the best possible you matters somehow. That trying to be an hones and tender parent will echo for centuries through your tribe. That doing your chosen work with creativity and diligence will shiver people far beyond your ken. That being an attentive and generous friend and citizen will prevent a thread or two of the social fabric from unraveling. And you must do all of this with the certain knowledge that you will never get proper credit for it\, and in fact the vast majority of things you do right will go utterly unremarked. Humility\, the final frontier\, as my brother Kevin used to say. When we are young we build a self\, a persona\, a story in which to reside\, or several selves in succession\, or several at once\, sometimes; when we are older we take on other roles and personas\, other masks and duties; and you and I both know men and women who become trapped in the selves they worked so hard to build\, so desperately imprisoned that sometimes they smash their lives simply to escape who they no longer wish to be; but finally\, I think\, if we are lucky\, if we read the book of pain and loss with humility\, we realize that we are all broken and small and brief\, that none among us is ultimately more valuable or rich or famous or beautiful than another; and then\, perhaps\, we begin to understand something deep and true about humility. \n  \nThis is what I know: that the small is huge\, that the tiny is vast\, that pain is part and parcel of the gift of joy\, and that this is love\, and then there is everything else. You either walk toward love or away from it with every breath you draw. Humility is the road to love. Humility\, maybe\, is love. That could be. I wouldn’t know; I’m a muddle and a conundrum shuffling slowly along the road\, gaping in wonder\, trying to just see and say what is\, trying to leave shreds and shards of ego along the road like wisps of litter and chaff. \n  \n—One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle\, pp. 58-59
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-9-7-23/
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