When your physiological and biological rhythms are in sync with nature’s—the movement of the earth, sun, moon, and stars; the cycle of the seasons, and the pull and push of the ocean tide—sleep becomes effortless.
―Deepak Chopra
Sleep is not over-rated; rather, its under-rated among most of us.
ZZZ
Note: credit to “wallpaperhi.com” for the lovely manga drawing.
Heard Diana Nyad’s interview with Michael Krazny on KQED, a public radio station in SF-Bay Area few days ago – it’s live in the morning and replays at 7pm in the evening and now available on podcast. Wow. I mean… Wow. I especially heard the wisdom when she talked about this single mother of 3 who is organizing a food bank for their neighbor – putting yourself out there need not be as dramatic as her’s (the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage, 110 mi or 180 km, over 50 hours of swimming…), as she talks about being humbled by someone who makes a quiet difference in other people’s lives.
She seems to be saying that, it need not be all about “self” “Self” but caring for others is just as meaningful – as what goes around, comes around – I say like a “boomerang”! Indeed, a personal triumph can take many shapes and forms. My cousin just saw her mother through the ordeal of cancer treatments and hospice care – visiting her nearly everyday, cheering her up everyday, being her health advocate everyday – As a caretaker, she had her own struggles but put her mother’s care to the forefront…I respect her for that and I know there are many out there with similar struggles – it’s just not so easy to die or write your own script for your own end these days – to transform what feels so impoverished, to something that empowers – there’s so much beauty and courage in that. Here it is – prepare to be inspired as she says, it does not have to be her “way”, in each person’s way, we each “find the way”.
Every human being on this planet has their pain and their heartache and it’s up to all of us to find our way back to the light.
– Diana Nyad
“Everything we do is infused with the energy with which we do it. If we’re frantic, life will be frantic. If we’re peaceful, life will be peaceful. And so our goal in any situation becomes inner peace.”
― Marianne Williamson
And this…
“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.”
A gallery at St. Lukes Hospital, Tokyo.
“According to ancient Asian philosophy, life is not a circle but a spiral. Every life lesson that has ever been presented to you (which means everything you have ever been through) will come back again, in some form, until you learn it. And the stakes each time will be higher. Whatever you’ve learned will bear greater fruit. Whatever you’ve failed to learn will bear harsher consequences. Whatever didn’t work in your life before this point was a reflection of the fact that you hadn’t yet integrated the different parts of yourself. Where you didn’t yet accept yourself, you attracted a lack of acceptance in others. Where you hadn’t yet dealt with your shadows, you manifested shadowy situations. Broken parts of you encountered broken parts of others. So now you know! That was then and this is now.”
― Marianne Williamson, A Year of Miracles: Daily Devotions and Reflections
Calligraphy sign by Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, age 104 and still making the rounds to meet and greet patients at St. Lukes hospital, Tokyo. My grandparents long gone were under his care at one time – he’s often asked what is the secret to his longevity… His answer may surprise you.
Age is not a number designation of years lived; age is … read on.