the river

Often as I walk along the Rio Tomebamba going into El Centro, I reach for my phone to take a picture. You see, the river is ever-changing, and because there’s been a lot of rain every single day during the month of March, the river looks mighty powerful. 

People flock to the river for different reasons . . . there are young lovers head-to-head enjoying each other’s company; a few people sitting on benches facing the river are deep in conversation; some folks are reclining on the grass with a book in their hands; teenagers are happily practicing walking on a rope tied to two trees; there are people simply watching the river while slowly licking an ice cream cone; sometimes people are washing their clothes and placing them neatly out to dry in the sun; children are playing and laughing in the water; bicyclists are pedaling by; always there are people meandering with their dogs; police are strolling along the sidewalk; and across the narrow road from the river are people sitting on their terraces, grateful to have a river view. I pay attention to the activity, noticing that down by the Rio Tomebamba, no one ever seems to be in a hurry. 

  This is a photo of Rio Tomebamba in a more isolated area during a quieter time in February. Do you see a woman relaxing on the edge of the water?

The Rio Tomebamba is an important part of life in Cuenca. As I walk along the river, I sometimes wonder about the people who lived here centuries ago, and what their relationship to this well-loved river was.

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“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it, always work with it, not against it.” – Eckhart Tolle

that gut feeling

I’ve been in Cuenca, Ecuador a while, and I can say that it’s a nice lifestyle. The city is alive with culture, there are festivals of all kinds, music, restaurants, new foods to taste, inexpensive, sometimes hair-raising, bus rides to north, south, east, west, people eager to meet people, there’s a lot of support, a good medical system in place, lots of possibilities to learn Spanish either with a tutor or at a school, it’s a marvelous walking city, the big mercados are filled to the brim with fresh fruits and vegetables at unbelievable prices, there always seem to be a number of spacious homes and apartments to buy or rent, and, listen to this . . . that’s not all.

Sometimes though one’s heart says it’s time to move on. And as strange as that sounds after just listing the delights of living in Cuenca, that just might be the case. The Quito/Otavalo/Cotacachi area is beckoning. Every time I read or hear about that land north of Cuenca, I imagine what it would be like to live there. It was my original destination before I second-guessed myself, and that says something for listening to one’s gut feeling. Though, Cuenca, thank you, you have been so good to me. Perhaps at heart I’m a vagabond – at least for now.

IMG_1596-3.JPG An invitation to join in the festivities.

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“Just stop! Go in the heart. You can change reality that way. Move from brain to your heart. You can do this very fast. Tune into heart.” – Hira Hosen
tantraoftheheart.com

bumps on the road of life

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Cuenca’s Rio Tomebamba. It’s well-loved and a perfect setting for strolling.

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There are times in our lives when we need to find a way to bring us out of a bump on the road of life. Otherwise, staying too long with that bump can damage our entire day.

Those securely anchored bumps can play havoc with our thoughts, and when that happens, returning to a calm mind can be a full-time job. Uh-Oh!

When a bump on the road of life is strangled in its path without too much delay, we quickly regain our equanimity. A passage in a book, a chance conversation with a stranger, a wise teacher, even tapping into our own wise selves, can snap us out of a bumpy situation.

Ram Dass has written about one such bumpy issue. In lieu of another way, his way makes great sense, and can be used time and again. Because, let’s face it, in today’s world, bumps on the road of life happen, and a quick resolution so that we can get on with creating wonderful lives, is indeed an awesome thing to know.

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www.ramdass.org

“If somebody is a problem for you, it’s not that they should change, it’s that you need to change. If they’re a problem for themselves that’s their karma, if they’re causing you trouble that’s your problem on yourself. So, in other words when Christ is crucified, he says “forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing”, they’re not a problem for him, he’s trying to get them out of being a problem for themselves, because he’s clear. Your job is to clear yourself. In ideal situations you would clear yourself within the situation, but very often it’s too thick and you can’t do that. Now, what you do then is you pull back and you do the stuff you do in the morning or at night before you go to work, you do the stuff on weekends, you do the stuff that quiets you down and then each time you go into the situation to where you have to work, you lose it again. And then you go home and you see how you lost it, and you examine it, and then you go the next day and you lose it again, and you go home and you keep a little diary “how did I lose it today”, and you saw that, and then you go and you do it again, and after a while as you’re starting to lose it you don’t buy in so much. You start to watch the mechanics of what it is that makes you lose it all the time.
If I’m not appreciated, that’s your problem that you don’t appreciate me. Unless I need your love, then it’s my problem. So my needs are what are giving you the power over me. Those people’s power over you to take you out of your equanimity and love and consciousness has to do with your own attachments and clingings of mind. That’s your work on yourself, that’s where you need to meditate more, it’s where you need to reflect more, it’s where you need a deeper philosophical framework, it’s where you need to cultivate the witness more, it’s where you need to work on practicing opening your heart more in circumstances that aren’t optimum. This is your work. You were given a heavy curriculum, that’s it. There’s no blame, it’s not even wrong, it’s just what you’re given. You hear what I’m saying? It’s interesting. Can you all hear that one?”
-Ram Dass, Summer 1989
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Let’s make it a grand day in however way we can.

a cleanse, or bread and ice cream?

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My son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Alicia, are doing a cleanse. I see their Facebook pictures and read their comments about the weight flying off of them, so to speak. I can imagine the delicious juicing going on in their kitchen.

And I am in Cuenca, Ecuador gaining weight from doing what seems to be a favorite pastime here – eating bread and ice cream. Oh, dear, the temptations are great . . . rarely can you walk down a block without seeing people eating, usually ice cream. Then there’s the passing of one bakery after another on almost every block. Additionally, and unfortunately for me, I met a gringo who told me about Maria’s Alemania at Hermano Miguel 809 y Sucre – it’s all about delicious bread! I could have done very nicely without that information. And to boot, Ecuador has an abundance of luscious fruits, and fruits have their own calories that can add up unless mindful eating is taking place. Ha! – hardly at the moment. So, I’ll say this, right now it’s okay, the enjoyment is nice, and I know how to change it at a moment’s notice . . . when I’m ready.

So, Michael and Alicia, enjoy losing all those toxins and seeing the weight flying off your bodies. Good for you!

As for me, well . . .

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I hope you’re having the kind of day that makes your heart sing.

Living in cuenca

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July 2013 was a month of packing, and taking care of all the loose ends that come with a move. And it was a month of consciously remembering to stay calm and to trust myself. And it was a month of goodbyes, and not allowing myself to second guess my decision. I think that one of the most important things I had to do was to see this move as another experience in the game of life,
And so I tried and am now in Cuenca, Ecuador. The above photo is a view from my window.

Before moving here, I couldn’t quite zero in on what life would be like for a gringo in Ecuador. Reading and researching another person’s experience is like everything else in life. We bring ourselves, and we’re all different, and so our experiences will be unique to us. It makes me think of the book Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabut-Zinn.

Sumi, thank you for agreeing to be a single working mom for a week as hubby Toshi departed with me to give assistance. It was twelve days ago that I left JFK with my son-in-law. The first stop was a night spent in Panama City, Panama at the lovely Riande Aeropuerto Hotel which is five minutes from Tocumen Airport. When we arrived, the night was still young, and we had a relaxing, tasty dinner surrounded by plants, palm trees, and other happy guests. Nearby the hotel’s large pool shimmered in the soft lights.

Early the next morning the hotel’s van took us to Tocumen Airport for a fairly short flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador. There we surveyed our options for the last leg of the journey – Cuenca. We decided that the four-hour bus ride would be scenic – as in up, up the mountain we would go. It was! We saw incredible views. Steep, steep it was though.

And though I was in Ecuador in 2004, I’ll say that at this moment I’m undergoing what’s called “culture shock” because . . . visiting a place and deciding to live there are two entirely different things.

I’ll close for now by saying thank you dear family of mine for all the love and support that came my way. I knew I could leave because you all know how to be happy, you’re all healthy, and you’re all a rather independent bunch.

And I love you all very much.

twitter

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My daughter, Emi, is trying to teach me how to use twitter. I’m beginning to be aware that, to many people, using twitter is almost as easy as breathing. I, on the other hand, see that twitter page with an entirely different pair of eyes and mindset. To me twitter is like learning a foreign language, without benefit of being able to practice.

What’s the difference between “Home” and “Discover” and “Connect” and “Me”? And what’s this all about D .@ RT # +? And where to use? When to use? How to use? Why use? All the tweets I see on favoritodotcom make for exciting, inspiring, and chock-full-of delicious information. Tweeting though, not just reading, is a whole different ballgame.

I bought a book about the how-to of twitter. The next day I returned it. And when the woman at the register saw that twitter book, she said, “Don’t bother with all this social media stuff. You don’t need it. Nobody really does.” I think seeing that book somehow touched a sensitive spot in her. I didn’t ask. I have my own questions to deal with.

Along the way, you might say that I’m teaching Emi the fine art of patience because I know she’s completely baffled by the number of twitter questions I come up with. You’re welcome, Emi. LOL!

Stuart Wilde

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There are those times when you’re going along your merry ole way, and something stops you in your tracks, and you forget what you were thinking or doing a second ago. That’s what happened to me when I read of Stuart Wilde’s passing. I remember many years ago when I first read his book, WHISPERING WINDS OF CHANGE, and was completely taken in by his wisdom, great sense of humor, openness, and teachings. How I wish I had managed to get to one of his workshops, but I’m grateful for his emails, newsletters in physical form (before personal computers), website, for all the insights from his wonderful books – for how to think differently about life and beyond.

I’ve read many times that’s there’s a fine veil between life and death, and so I’ve no doubt that Stuart knows about the many loving messages that are being sent his way. With a touch of sadness and lots of gratitude I want to add my name to the millions of names wanting to say: Stuart, thank you, thank you, thank you.

www.stuartwilde.com

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“Life was never meant to be a struggle, just a gentle progression from one point to another.” – Stuart Wilde

joel osteen

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Did you read about the preposterous spam: “Joel Osteen Hoax: Man Allegedly Behind Ploy To Discredit Leader Wants Televangelist To Change His Message”? It had Joel Osteen abandoning his faith, and fleeing his congregation. And I ask myself, does the spammer have nothing else to do than to waste that amount of time doing what he did by sending biting words – supposedly from Joel Osteen’s mouth, along with pictures seeming to agree with the words – around the online world?

The following was Joel Osteen’s response to this pretend headline: “I’m really not angry; I don’t feel like a victim. I feel too blessed; life is too short to let things like this get you down.” Now that’s a perfectly simple response – one that we might want to memorize, and say with gusto, whenever we feel like a victim. Because we, in the modern world, tend to get offended rather easily.

When all was said and done, it was reported that the spammer said: “Joel doesn’t talk enough about the environment and poverty. He’s just too positive and smiley.” You gotta laugh; what else is there to do? Though the question that comes to mind for the spammer is: Why did you spend so much time doing what you did when there’s a call for ALL OF US to do our share, in whatever way works for us, to fix what’s been called, “our broken down” world.

Upon hearing the words: “he’s just too positive and smiley,” I thought, and what a different world it would be if we were all “just too positive and smiley.” Maybe we could all give it a try just to see what would happen.

When I had a TV, I enjoyed seeing Joel Osteen’s contagious smile and listening to him, because he has a talent for getting his message across with stories and laughter. What’s not to like?

I suppose the spammer thinks Joel Osteen came into this world just as he is. Think again, he’s had an interesting development, and chances are he continues to expand on it. Oh, yes.
www.joelosteen.com
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“Why are you unhappy? Because 99.9% of everything you think, and of everything you do, is for yourself, and there isn’t one.” Wei Wu Wei

“Joy is not in things. It is in you. – Richard Wagner

“As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world . . . as in being able to remake ourselves.” – Mohandas K. Gandhi

“We choose our joys and sorrows before we experience them.” – Kahlil Gibran

where would you go?

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Because I read Kathleen Peddicord’s newsletters, and International Living, too, read travel books, watch travel documentaries, and tend to meet people who travel the world . . . I was thinking about where would I choose to live . . . so many beautiful places . . . where would I go . . . if I decided it was time to go? – it’s a wonderful question. I’ve actually narrowed it down to: France, somewhere in Ecuador, Uruguay perhaps, maybe Thailand, or Italy. And, yes, there’s also sacred and ancient India and its magnificent rich history. Though as far as India is concerned, I hear a little voice in the back of my head saying: however will you make that happen? And then there are the pictures I’ve seen of people profusely sweating and mopping their faces and necks with handkerchiefs, and documentaries of foreigners doing the same and looking as hot as hot can be. I’m not sure I could take that amount of humidity and remain sane. The other side of the coin is, when people talk of India they don’t complain of the humidity. And I’m beginning to think that it has to do with learning acceptance and simply loving and appreciating what India has to offer. The movie The Story of India by Michael Wood is a powerful, exciting, and marvelous documentary that can easily have a viewer thinking, I want to be there, too.

Now I have a question for you: Are there places in this beautiful and fascinating world you would happily move to in a heartbeat? And if you say yes, where and why?

Finding a place where there are like-minded people of all ages, a place that inspires and offers plenty of beauty, a place where nature has remained intact for the most part, a place having quality of life, and organic farms would be just about ideal.

Some people see the whole world as their home, and are comfortable anywhere with anybody, and I’m inching toward that mindset. The longer I live the more I understand that we humans are capable of changing . . . we’re always changing – we just don’t realize it. When we want the BIG changes to come and focus to the extent that most everything else becomes secondary . . . no doubts, anxiety, negative thoughts, no fear thoughts, allowed . . . a “single mindedness” until we’re where we want to be . . . that includes in any area of life . . . when that happens . . . we can expect change – the kind we want.

The way I prepare is to hobnob with the Mystic Power Emmet Fox so beautifully understood and wrote about. Mystic Power has many names, and we need to find the name that resonates with us. It’s a total belief that Mystic Power is our perfect senior partner.

Now I have a question for you: Are there places in this beautiful and fascinating world you would happily move to in a heartbeat? If yes, where would you go? And why?

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The evening is lovely. Autumn is signaling that it’s right around the corner. For me saying goodbye to a very, very hot and humid summer will be easy. Although I know of people who feel sad about summer’s ending. If you’re one of those people, cheer up, it’ll be back.

I hope you had a wonderful day.

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It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare;
It is because we do not dare that they are difficult. – Seneca

Foster Gamble and Lilou Mace

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Lilou mace certainly knows the right questions to ask when she interviews, and she manages to interview people from around the world who have a lot of interesting things to say. For instance, she asked all the right questions of Foster Gamble, and he spoke honestly about his life (his thoughts on being an heir to the Proctor & Gamble fortune – not what you think – though very refreshing), and he said that the things he’s involved in “move my spirit and thrill my heart” such as he and his wife’s movie, THRIVE WHAT ON EARTH WILL IT TAKE which was eight years in the making, and can be viewed in ten languages. Of course, there’ll always be people who disagree, as with the movie, which tends to make for interesting discussions. For a preview of the film, check out: www.thrivemovement.com If we wish to join in the movement, we can click the “solution section” on the website.

Lately I find that the movers and shakers say things that take my breath away. They are the ones who are focused on finding ways to save us and the planet, and have a burning desire to change certain systems so that they work for everyone and not for just a few. Do you agree that we’re living in a fascinating world?

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As for the interview with Foster Gamble, click on Lilou Mace’s website: www.juicylivingtour.com . I don’t think you’ll be bored, and there’s always a chance of coming away a bit wiser and smarter from having watched and listened.

Good night. Make sure your dreams are sweet.