July 19-24
During these mid-July days, there are a few things I can mention beside our usual activities: rain and mud puddles for one. It is so great to have rain and I make the most of the mud puddles.
I have noticed how oddly shaped some of the trees are. Aspens in particular, usually gracefully straight-trunked in their growth pattern are sometimes not, and some pines have an unusual curvature of the trunk. This calls to mind a very interesting thought by Ram Dass (sent to me by my sister, as we are both tree lovers).
When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.
The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are. Ram Dass
So, I have two thoughts in relationship to this: For all these months (309 days to be exact) that I have been doing the Higher Vibration Photo series, I have been seeing trees and flowers as people – singing, dancing, having families, smiling at me, being wise and patient teachers of wisdom. What an interesting turn-about to see people as trees.
The other thought is Ram Dass’ use of ALLOWING. I have been learning that in allowing something to be as it is or someone to be as they are, I move beyond tolerating, which I’ve always been good at, but which still has a negative energy about it. Allowing means having no emotional hangups or mental judgment in regard to a situation or person. This can be a very difficult move to make, since tolerating is a habit but allowing requires thoughtful letting go, releasing. This is not to say one should let go of awareness and discernment, but these states of mind and emotions need to be approached with deliberate intent.
The other unusual thing these days is an unexpected trip to town after dark, as the camera monitor in the house is picking up an unusual sound and we need to check it out. Cows, deer, and headlights make it a not-fun trip down the mountain. The house is fine. The noise was apparently fireworks, delayed from having no fireworks on the 4th, allowed this evening because of the rain a couple of days ago. We are certainly relieved that there is no problem at the house!
