Author Archives: jimwdollar

Each of us sees things in ways unique to us. The way we see things is how they are to us, and they are not that way to other people. My guess is that the way we see things is as distinctive to us as our fingerprints. And, we are not in charge of theContinue reading “June 14, 2023 -A”

We live with what there is to do, with what we will do with it, with what we have done, and what we have failed to do. The ultimate doing is making our peace with all things. Balance and harmony require us to make our peace with all things. “This is the way things are,Continue reading “June 13, 2023 -A”

“The path that can be discerned as a path is not a reliable path” (Martin Palmer/Lao Tzu). We know the path that is our path, the way that is our way, only by way of hindsight, and by way of being open to the here/now through emptiness– as empty as the space between breaths– stillnessContinue reading “June 12, 2023 – A”

Jesus raised the dead and left the dead to bury the dead. He forgave a guilty woman and cursed an innocent fig tree. He forbade praying on street corners and said, “Let your light shine before others.” He said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and told a parable aboutContinue reading “June 11, 2023 – A”

The 13th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is “After sobriety what?” After sobriety is remarkably the same as Before Addiction. We couldn’t handle it then, how do we handle it now? What has changed between then and now? Sobriety is about the right kind of perspective/perception. Addiction is the path to seeing appropriately. Which is toContinue reading “June 10, 2023 – A”

The craziest people I’ve known were entrenched in their craziness. I left them the way I found them, and walked on. They could not come to terms with life as it is. One of them couldn’t handle road kill. Went into deep mourning every time they came upon it. One of them couldn’t handle whatContinue reading “June 09, 2023 – A”

“The path that can be discerned as a path, is not a reliable path” (Martin Palmer/Lao Tzu). Which begs the questions: “How good is a path that cannot be discerned?” “What does ‘discerned’ mean?” “How do we find our way, looking for a path that cannot be discerned?” “Where does this leave us?” “What doContinue reading “June 08, 2023 – B”

Experience and reflection on experience lead to associations and connections, trains of thought and streams of inquiry, examination and realization, all of which form another level of experience, and the cycle repeats endlessly over time– unless we interrupt it by refusing to ask the questions that beg to be asked, or say the things thatContinue reading “June 08, 2023 – A”

Getting, acquiring, amassing, owning, having, possessing, doing, achieving, winning, etc., add noise, complexity, drama and trauma to our life, disrupts our balance and harmony, increases turmoil, bedlam, chaos and uncertainty, and has us where we are. Everything has to serve balance and harmony, integrity, sincerity, spontaneity, spirit, energy and vitality– in the service of ourContinue reading “June 07, 2023 -A”

How many people do you know who talk without saying anything worth thinking about or remembering? Social chatter consumes our lives. Hair salon talk. Bar talk. Church talk. Family reunion talk. Dinner party talk. The list is long. We spend a lot of time saying nothing. Hearing nothing. Wasting our life on things that don’tContinue reading “June 06, 2023 – A”

Nature, virtues, vitality. These are the three aspects of our life that have to be in sync for our life to be what it is capable of being. Notice that our external circumstances matter not one mote. We are capable of living anywhere, with anything as those who are true to their original nature, theirContinue reading “June 05, 2023 – A”

It occurs to me from time to time that we alone are responsible for our safety and well-being throughout what remains of the time that is ours upon the earth. We make the decisions/choices that produce the future that is ours to live, one decision/choice at a time. We each know–or could know, if weContinue reading “June 04, 2023 – A”