First the good news . . .
Monday, April 20, 2026
It's the Moon's day . . .Moderate Southerlies are to maintain sunny skies and upper 70's today in Green Country. A few clouds are likely this afternoon over TulseyTown.
Conscious navigation in The Way requires curiosity and courage, in that order, until you find yourself swimming with both at the same time.
Today is the birthdate of Joan Miró. The abstract/surrealist painter was born in 1893 Barcelona, Spain.
Jessica Lange is 77 today. The Triple Crown awarded actor was born in 1949 Cloquet, Minnesota.
And now the rest of the overstuffed mailbox...
Today in 2021 Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
Sixteen years ago – in 2010 – an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig owned by British Petroleum—located in the Gulf of Mexico – created the largest marine oil spill in history. The rig was approximately 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana.
The Columbine High School shooting occurred today in 1999. The tragedy galvanized national attention around the issue of school violence in a way other incidents had not.
And, it was on this day in 1914 that the Ludlow Massacre occurred. It was the bloodiest event in labor history. Ludlow, Colorado, is just over the border between New Mexico and Colorado near Trinidad.
The news just keeps on coming. – Joyce Vance in Civil Discourse.
What can you do now? – Robert Reich, posted this morning on substack.
Mark your calendar: On May 1st across the country, workers are planning to call off, students are organizing walkouts, and families are committing to stop spending for the day to make one thing clear: this country does not belong to billionaires.
The biggest myths are the ones we believe about ourselves. We all live inside a self-created box of limitations, with the vastness of possibility just outside. The cure is courage combined with curiosity. We are all stronger, braver, and more capable than we may believe. All it takes is one small step. Prove to yourself you are more than you may have thought. – David Stewart
History translates silence . . .
Sunday, April 19, 2026. It's Sol's day . . . A lovely Spring day is at hand for Green Country and TulseyTown. Moderate Southerlies bring sunny skies and mid 70's to the afternoon. The New Moon is taking on its wax-job.
Love is the extremely difficult realisation that something other than oneself is real. – Iris Murdoch
Do you think Mother Mary did not wish her baby boy did not have to suffer and die under Roman occupation? Whether or not she consoled herself with the understanding that this was his sacred contract, it couldn't not hurt to witness his persecution and his excruciating death. Of course she wished things could be otherwise.
Do you think the goddess Kali does not desire the liberation of all her children, that is, every human soul? This is the source of her ferocity, the fuel for her wild dance of destruction. She destroys every obstacle that keeps us from union with God. She will not drop her sword until we – all – are free.
My point is simply that it is ridiculous to expect ourselves to be above wanting. We want intoxicating kisses and hand-squeezed fruit juice. We want our kids to find something they love to do and are good at. We want certain countries to stop bombing the shit out of certain other countries. We want a thriving planet for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.
The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences, proclaims the Third Zen Patriarch. But we misunderstand. This does not mean we must not thirst for justice, are not permitted to crave bagels with cream cheese, are expected to allow selfish friends and relations to trample our boundaries. The invitation is to open our hearts and dare to let love guide us. She will not lead us astray. Mirabai Starr, 4.14.26
There are no words for the present moment. It has never before occurred. It can be experienced, only. Enlightenment cannot be expressed in words or evaluated conceptually. Whenever we impose language or thought on an experience, feeling, or phenomenon, we are no longer entirely present. – Rebecca Li, writing in Tricycle, “Translating Silence.” Dr.Li has both an academic/professional role in bioethics and a substantial Buddhist teaching role.
One of those singular moments occurred 251 years ago today in Lexington and Concord Massachusetts with “the shot heard 'round the world.”
So That Others Do Not See Our Love – after Rilke
We kneel and make pious gestures,
build domes of gold, sing and worship
a blue-sky god, meanwhile
practicing ignorance of Indra's net
connecting us to our earthly origins
our roots shared by mushrooms and stars.
— jab
Everything is never finished . . .
Saturday, April 18, 2026. It's the Satyr's day . . . moderate Northerlies are forecast for Green Country today, bringing a cool, sunny afternoon to TulseyTown. Mid 60's are indicated. The winds are to ease and become Southerly overnight, bringing Spring warmth for the next ten days, at least. Some rain chances are in that long term forecast.
When I am, I am not.
When I am not, I am.
– Rumi
Today in 1906 an earthquate destroyed most of San Francisco, California.
It's the birthday of Albert Einstein, born in 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany.
And, in 1775 Paul Revere took his famous ride.
Sorting out the facts . . . Iranian officials’ interpretation of events continues to be quite different from Trump’s characterization of “a deal.” Iran rejected Trump’s claim that it had agreed to hand over its uranium stockpile, and also said that the strait was open for commercial vessels—not military ships—but would close again if the U.S. blockade continued. Iran’s top negotiator, speaker of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted on social media that Trump had made seven claims in an hour, and all seven of them were false. – Heather Cox Richardson, in
We make the world around us resemble the world within us. Based on our focus, ugliness is everywhere or beauty abounds. – Brian McLaren, “An Inward Migration,” Meditations, at The Center For Action and Contemplation.
What Work Is
. . . this small thing I think of as my work,
this homely piecemeal borrowing of words,
does nothing, and has not to date diminished
the price of every business hour I shirk,
and its rewards
are long delinquent, and it’s never, never finished.
– Matthew Buckley Smith, “What Work Is,” from The Soft Dark Stars, 2025 Rattle Chapbook Prize Winner.