turning to thich nhat hanh: "your arms are available: hugging is possible"
looking for the wholeness
May you bathe slowly, appreciating your oneness with water.
May you have support with something that you usually do alone.
Art: Baños Medicinales by Diego Isaias Hernandez (Maya; Guatemala), from the Maya Spirituality Collection
The Good News - Tin vui
by Thich Nhat Hanh
The good news –
they neither publish nor discuss it
in their newspapers.
The good news is published by us.
We have a special edition every moment
and we need you to read it.
The good news is that you are alive.
And the linden tree standing out front
has blossomed,
has braved the whole icy winter.
The good news is that a child is standing before you
and your arms are available:
hugging is possible.
They only print what is wrong.
But look at each of our special editions—
we always offer the things that are not wrong.
We want you to benefit from them
and help protect them.
We know you can do something to preserve
the greater happiness of all who live.
The dandelion is out there by the sidewalk,
wearing a half-smile,
singing a song.
Listen! You have ears that can hear it.
With your ears and your attention,
hear it and get free.
You have Buddha-nature inside:
happiness, stability,
and peacefulness to share with others,
to bring forth right now.
Listen to that singing voice.
Rise above as a free person.
The latest good news
is that you can do it.
Note: I read three different English translations of the poem “Tin Vui,” which Thich Nhat Han published in Vietnamese. I created a new version based on those three translations. ~Abriel
Friends,
I share this poem not to quiet the urgency, but to support the nervous system. When there is so much urgent news, we can get knocked off center. Coming back to center,
to the deathless/eternal, to the truths we touch and feel, the goodness inside us, allows our community to be strong.
Share every little victory.
Celebrate being alive.
Gather with loved ones.
Touch the Earth.
Look for new pathways.
Nurture alternatives.
What did you see or touch this week that was beautiful, that liberated you, that gave you energy?
xo,
Abriel
I saw my goddaughter's glossy, black hair carefully braided in Dutch braids on her day off from working at the grocery store.
Sunlight on the birch trees outside my window, the snow on the roof so bright.