01

My mule and my cow go with me wherever I go. I thought it would be cute to call my mule "Bessy," and my cow, "Jake," but they would have none of it. "I will be Bessy," said the cow. "And make mine Jake," said the mule. And that's how I got Bessy and Jake. Bessy and Jake are metaphors of who I am really. They remind me of that, and keep me grounded in the reality of my original nature. As long as I do not stray too far from "the farm," I can find my way through whatever comes my way. Everything I do effects my balance and harmony, and my energy, spirit and vitality. Bessy and Jake monitor those things and keep me in touch with them. Being reminded of my background, remembering the farm, I am centered in who I am and live to maintain my contact with that through the ebbs and flows of time and chance, in a "Okay, now what?" kind of way. When we are in accord with our original nature and displaying "the face that was ours before our grandparents were born," and aligned with the Tao of time and place, we flow in harmony with our circumstances, in tune with energy, spirit and vitality. When we try to find our way through the wasteland of wondering where our advantage lies, what's best for us short term and long term, and how to avoid the losses and secure the gains, through all the oughts and musts, past the bribery and extortion, distractions and diversions of life away from the farm, our original nature and our grounding orientation are the first things to go. It helps to have your mule and your cow as traveling companions to keep you in touch with the Source and in sight of the farm.
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02

We stand between our circumstances and our original nature and work to integrate, to balance, to harmonize, to steady and stabilize the mixture of Yin and Yang in each situation as it arises. That is our work, our task, through all eternity. This is what we are here for. We make the peace and serve the unity of the whole. Our task is to get the ratios right. How well we do it tells the tale. It helps to do it consciously, compassionately, with awareness and patience, looking for what needs to happen and doing what needs to be done about that, when it needs to be done, how it needs to be done, because it needs to be done, with nothing but the joy of doing it and the satisfaction of having done it to motivate us in our Sisyphean task of integrating, balancing and harmonizing Yin and Yang forever. And ever, amen, may it be so!
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03

Too often, acceptable outcomes are beyond our control. This leaves us with accepting the fact that acceptable outcomes are beyond our control, and letting the situation be what it is, seeking out what needs to be done about that-- about the fact that we are stuck with an unacceptable situation we can do nothing about. Now what? When nothing can happen until something else does, we wait it out. We are waiting for something to shift in our circumstances, or in our attitude about our circumstances. Nobody move! Wait for something to shift! For something to occur to us. For some light to shine. For something unimaginable to happen. For revelation. For realization. For motivation... We have to be where we are before we can be somewhere else instead. There are times when anywhere else would be better than this. When those times are upon us, anywhere else will do, at least for the duration. Heidi-ho! Here we go!
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Thank you, Jim. This is really helpful right now. Gonnaook around today & see if I can find my cow and my mule!
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