February 17, 2021

02

Wes Nesker said,
"Nature, like play,
has no purpose or consequence
other than itself."

What do we do that is like that?

Eating and sex might be it
for most of us.

Watching birds.
And clouds.
And sunrises and sets.

How long is your list?

How often do you do
something on it?

Work to increase the length
of the list,
and to work more things on it
into each day

Things you do for no reason
beyond the simple joy 
of doing them.

–0–

01

Wait for the mud to settle
and the water to clear.

Everything becomes clear in time.

Wait. 
Watching.
Looking.
Listening.
Trusting
the impulse of your nature
to know what action to take
when the time is right.

What's the hurry?
Why the rush?
Where are you going?
How do you know?

Master the art of not-doing.
Wu-wei is the Taoist term.
"Not forcing."
Waiting for the appropriate time
to do the appropriate thing.

I carry the camera
and wait for the picture
to appear before me.

I look 
and wait to see.
I listen
and wait to hear.
I cannot hurry seeing/hearing.
Neither can you.

No one can
"hurry up and be there,"
or even know where "there" is.

Is it better to win or to lose?
To be first or to be last,
or somewhere in between?

"Divinely superfluous beauty"
is Robinson Jeffers' phrase
for the wonder upholding the world.
It is everywhere,
all around.
It only takes looking to see.
It only takes listening to hear.
It only takes time to tell
what is essential to know.
Wu-wei.
Take the time to tell
what is called for,
where and when and how.

Wake up!
Be amazed!
By the wonder
of "divinely superfluous beauty"
everywhere.