You need the right tool and some patience to get to the literal root of the matter. Dandelion roots are really, really, long, and entrenched. You need to be able to dig deep, feel around with your fingers, and get some leverage. Being able to actually get ALL of the root out is kind of a rare thing, so it feels like a little victory when you do. If feels good to get your hands dirty, and so does the satisfaction of feeling the release of the plant coming loose from the soil.

At first I was sorry to see the jolly yellow flowers go. And I had the experience once of questioning why I was even doing this. But having dandelions in their yard is pretty much inevitable, so I was comforted that I wasn’t banishing them all from my yard forever. But it seems like the proper thing to do to go through and harvest them so they don’t absolutely take over. Also, as if I needed another reason, my grandmother did this. She had a wonderful lawn at her European home, weed-free and green between the fruit trees, raspberry bushes, and strawberry patches. And so did generations upon generations of our ancestors; spending significant effort digging roots out of the ground — to eat!

Even though I am not going to start devouring dandelion salads (although extremely healthy, dandelion greens are very very bitter, I can appreciate doing this activity for the sake of simply doing this activity. If this is what human beings evolved doing, then it seems like it would be a very healthy thing to do for our bodies. Indeed, the Eastern yogis inform us, because they know from comparison, that Westerners are more stiff in the hips and less flexible in the ankles because we sit on chairs and not the floor. Well here, to counteract all the time I sit in chairs and walk around doing very modern, civilized things, is our chance to squat and bend and interact with the ground.

It is what I end up doing when I am pulling weeds. If you have some training in yoga, you can do this too! The first pose I do when I pull weeds, is uttanasana. Forward bend. To do this pose while gardening, you should be able to comfortably touch the ground when doing this pose on its own. Stand about shoulder-width with your feet, pull your kneecaps up with your quads, stretch your hammies and release your low back as you dig in the dirt. Most of the time you will have your sternum lifting and your head up looking at what you are doing, but make sure you hang your head all the way when you finish your weeding session later on.

This forward bend, like any yoga pose, inevitably gets tiresome. So then I squat. Bear weight on both heels evenly, and draw your tailbone towards the ground and lengthen your lower back while pulling out some more dandelions. This is a big hip-opener. And when I’ve had enough bearing of this posture, I shift my weight onto the ball of one foot, and kind of sit on that heal, while I make a right-angle with the other leg, and try to balance my weight evenly there. Then I switch. I also switch which hand I have my weeding tool in and which one I am grabbing the plant with. Every once in a while, carefully not to get a head rush, I reach for the sky, after looking down so long at the earth. And it feels good to walk the weed can receptacle to and from the garbage can.

Another reason why I do this, is that it’s like a Zen garden, but a macrocosm. The real thing. It is a chance to empty your head and be with your body in the natural world. Hearing the birdsong and the punctuation of neighborhood dogs barking, and the wind rustling through the trees, in the perfume of spring blossoms, it is a perfect, simple pleasure. Being simply what I am, with my thoughts, creating space for new ideas and the resolution of puzzles, with the elements, the plants and the animals and the sun on my face.

Today I was even lucky enough to get a little sprinkle of rain.

Do you have that little (or big) thing that sets you off and makes you angry?

I do. We’ve all experienced anger, or frustration. To me it feels like an angular rigidity, and it does not feel good.

I want to be able to practice fluidity, like water meeting obstacles and just flowing around them, singing and bubbling and gurgling all the while (The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff). Taoists and the like say it’s all perfect, just the way it is. Something may be perceived as bad, but yields something positive in the end; and something perceived “good” may lead to something unpleasant in the long run.

Ahhh, the ease that comes with the idea, that everything is somehow perfect.

When life’s a struggle and I find myself not being able to stand something, when I find myself making a statement like “I hate X,” for example, I have to stop and consider. X is perfect, just the way it is? Sloppiness is perfect, just the way it is??? If it is, and if addiction is, if injustice is, I can accept the situation as a lesson, or a test.

I don’t just roll over and give up. I can relax into love, into gratefulness of being able to receive the test or lesson, in order to practice love, and peaceful noncooperation with whatever it is. Like what Gandhi did in the face of brutal injustice. Gandhi loved the brutal oppressors, all the while bringing truth to light, indeed, on the world stage. He glided over and around his obstacles with grace.

In Tao Te Ching, Hoff tells us, Lao-tse describes that the earth is a reflection of heaven, and that heaven and earth are run by the same laws. Incidently, are not the laws of men. Everything is what is, and having it’s very own nature and way of operating, contains within it a natural balance. “According to Lao-tse, the more man interfered with the natural balance produced and governed by the universal laws, the further away the harmony retreats into the distance,” writes Hoff. The more we try to force things, the bigger the trouble. This truly does appear to be true, at least in my experience. One finds a way to understand that by doing without doing, everything gets done, and this offers an opportunity for a sigh of relief!

Taoism, as explained in this book, offers a way to see the world as not a place full of traps, but as a place full of opportunities from which to learn valuable lessons (ahem, such as Taoism, or the Way). The outlook that is then expressed is a characteristic of Taoism, or “happy serenity.” So how to achieve this happy serenity? Not by force, say the Taoists. The Tao of Pooh explains the Tao and obstructions to the Way through scenes from the Hundred Acre Wood and choice Taoist allegories. We learn the value in making space to connect to our own Inner Nature,

How did I feel after reading this book? Well, let’s just say that I felt happy, serene, and definitely much more at ease in the World and the Way it Is. Read on to hear about Inner Nature, the Bisy Backson, and how Nothing is actually Something.

Uncarved Block

For Hoff, Pooh represents the Uncarved Block. For “things in their natural simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed.” I feel that this is true for people, who have been so cut off from the natural world with offices, cities, and cars. Technology has isolated us from the elemental forces of nature – from the dirt, and the sun, and the water; even the plants and the animals that we used to sustain us. Our lives have indeed become more complicated. Life is very simple for Pooh, a symbol of the Uncarved Block. It serves us to remember this “natural, simple, plain, and honest” simpliciy of things in their natural state.

In Taoism, this principle is applied to the mind. “It’s rather significant that that the Taoist ideal is that of the still, calm, reflecting “mirror-mind” of the uncarved block.” The challenge to find serenity in life is to find what YOUR natural state is. In yoga, mental ideal is achieving a state where the mind is still, like a calm pool of water, undisturbed by a bunch of inner dialogue sending ripples of disturbances that obscure the essence of our true nature, which is revealed underneath all of the rationalizations, justifications, ruminations, schemes, plans, and explanations. Underneath all of that, is, well, … you tell me …

Inner Nature

Another principle that is touched on in this book is Inner Nature, and how to avoid conflict. Tao is the special way that things get done without doing, when we are aligned with our own unique Inner Nature.

Busy, Back Soon!

The part of the book that touches me the most is when Hoff introduces us to the “Bisy Backson,” a character that is always on the go, rushing back forth, with always someplace to be with something to do. His way of being-in-the-world is that he thinks he will progress by fighting, struggling, and overcoming. Contrarily, the Way that is the Tao, which describes real progress as occurring by changing something inside. “The urge to grow and develop, present in all forms of life, becomes perverted in the Bisy Backson’s mind into a constant struggle to change everything… and everyone… This, is something that wears us out! And Pooh realizes that, as should we.

Our culture glorifies the Bisy Backson. Getting ahead is achieved through fierce competition, saving time, being beautiful and appearing successful on the outside; because money equals freedom equals happiness, so money equals happiness. The way society is set up discourages any practice that isn’t tangibly useful in some way or mindlessly entertaining. We are constantly distracted from looking inward and discovering our Inner Nature, from simply BEing (like our exemplar, Pooh). For in that moment of stillness, a joy abides that is infinitely greater than could come from anything money could buy, if one only lets it come through.

Nothing is Something

Taoist values include Emptiness and Nothingness, because a mind that is overstuffed with chatter (Buddhists call this the monkey-mind), can’t see what is in front of it. Have you ever passed your exit on the highway because you were lost in deep thought about something completely unrelated to what you are doing? “Like silence after noise, or cool, clear water on a hot, stuffy day, Emptiness cleans out the messy mind and charges up the batteries of spiritual energy.”

Hoff encourages us that this does not have to be a lonely emptiness, and says it so well:

Many people are afraid of Emptiness, however, because it reminds them of Loneliness. Everything has to be filled in, it seems, — appointment books, hillsides, vacant lots — but when all the spaces are filled, the Loneliness really begins…. Then the Groups are joined, the Classes are signed up for, and the Gift-to-yourself items are bought. When the Loneliness starts creeping in the door, the Television Set is turned on to make it go away. But it doesn’t go away. Some of us do instead, and after discarding the emptiness of the Big Congested Mess, we discover the fullness of Nothing.

So in the end I say, this book is about Nothing, but a wise sort of nothing. It’s definitely about something that makes life better, and is, in my opinion, an essential read.

Taosim balances out the weight on the reasoning intellect, which only gets us far in life. We are always bombarded with thoughts and things and doing and doing, that we must be reminded to make some Space, Space that makes us sane, and whole.

I was driving down Santa Fe boulevard, on my way to work, in heavy traffic, about to merge onto the highway. There was mad construction all around, and if you didn’t get into the right lane way in advance, you were pretty much at the mercy of the kindness of the strangers within the boxes of cars around you to let you in. Here I was in my lane, observing the different ways people merged into the lane that lead to the on-ramp. Said lane was crammed full of a long line of cars, most of which had waited patiently for about a mile as the line crept along. I used to be one of the people who coasted along in the middle lane, passing many slower cars, and then gracefully merged in to fill a gap in the right lane, after traffic began to move again as the last stoplight before the on-ramp turned green. But traffic has gotten much thicker, and I noticed how rude that could be, as a van jerked into the lane in front of me. How rude! I have been patiently in the right lane all this time and then this jerk… Then another car coasted up next to me with his blinker on, and I let him in. I knew from experience how awful it was to be barricaded from the lane I needed to be in, to then have to drive on up the boulevard to stew in the traffic at the next stoplight. So I let the guy in, and appreciated the wave he gave me. I waved back. I felt good after being nice. But then, another car tried to torpedo in front of me, just as I was speeding up. OH NO, I thought, and continued my gradual acceleration, I had done my part and already let TWO cars in who should have been in this lane long ago. The car swerved in a little and then back out when I didn’t let him in (because he was rude and all my other justifications for holding my ground), and then I felt bad.

I analyzed the scenario and concluded that I should have let the last rude guy in. Again, because I know how horrible it is to miss the on-ramp. It would have extended my drive time by mere seconds. I was too blinded by ideology to just go along with it: I had already done my part and I was not going to let up on a guy who was being rude. That’ll teach them to drive aggressively, right? Probably not. It probably just made the driver want to be even more aggressive. But it’s not about the others, it is about me. I would have done better by practicing love and compassion. Getting mad in a fighting stance felt bad, and it did not do anyone any good.

It serves us all to practice overcoming our instincts for survival, which is all my reaction really was. It was all ego. It was definitely not a matter of life of death, which is the crucible in which our instincts evolved. In such trivial matters, what furthers our evolution now is giving up the fight, and the illusion of separateness. What I do to another is actually what I do to myself, especially when I spew anger and defensiveness (and also, when I cultivate love and compassion). And sometimes, what someone does that bothers you immensely, is something you actually do yourself.

Thus, you can either see these unpleasantries as something done TO you, or you can see them as something done FOR you. If you see things as something done TO you, then you see the world in survivalist, instinctual terms, i.e., it’s me versus the world, or the world versus me, and you get defensive, and want to fight. On the other hand, if you can apply some wisdom to the situation, see it from another’s point of view, and have compassion, the situation becomes an opportunity to practice a better way of being, to have love even though, and maybe even an occasion to get a glimpse at what you may be doing that you don’t realize.

So, I practice not staring someone down, who has done something “stupid” on the road. I may call them names, (I just react that way!) but then I reflect on how I could open my heart. Long after their four tires and taillights are long gone, I send them apologies and well-wishes. In this way, I hope to enhance my peace of mind, reduce my stress, and retain my joy. I practice releasing negativity, which in the end serves us all.

This is my favorite discovery as of late. Whole grain and low carb, flavorful delight!

I usually have some steel cut oatmeal on hand – I make a bunch of it at a time in a crock pot since it takes maybe an hour to get nice and soft and is a pain in the butt to make it on the stove. (1 cup oats to 4+ cups water. Make sure you stir!) Steel cut oats are an amazing whole grain not only good for breakfast foods (with a mashed half banana, yogurt and a drizzle of agave nectar – AMAZING!) To my surprise, they are also good made SAVORY style, almost like a whole-grain risotto. They have the benefit of the white grain taste with all the amenities of a whole grain. Anyway, I make sure I have some on hand for this dish. When I have cooked oats on hand I can just pull some out anytime – I just put it back on the stove and add a little water.

This recipe actually scratches my craving for pizza in a healthy way, it is rich in flavor as well as nutrition. It is kind of like an Italian risotto, with spaghetti squash, giving it a nice noodle-y heartiness as well. All ingredients in approximate quantities. Flavor your dish according to taste! I found prosciutto to be a nice addition, if there happens to be any on hand, which luckily for me is sometimes the case at my house. Sometimes I get it for breakfasts to substitute for bacon, which always has sugar in it. (Prosciutto is sugar free.) The morning of making this dish, I make sure I make extra kale or chard, so I have enough for this dish at lunch or dinner.

So, for two servings of Pizza Rizotto:

Saute some onion in olive oil, until the onion is transparent. Add a diced tomato, a touch of minced garlic – dried, raw, or roasted, two cloves’ worth. Add a dash of oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add chunks of prosciutto as well, as tasty option.

Simmer until the tomatoes start to cook a bit, then add about a cup of oats, which may be all congealed. Just add a little bit of water, break apart the oatmeal with a wooden spoon and bring to a simmer, and it will melt nicely into the pot. Add about a cup of baked, buttered and salted spaghetti squash.

Taste to make sure you have enough salt and herbs and spices. Stir in a dash of balsamic vinegar or even tamari or soy. Stir in a couple tablespoons of yogurt for creaminess, and some shredded white cheese. Mozzarella is what makes it taste more pizza-y, but hard white cheese is yummy also.

Stir in the chopped steamed greens for color, texture, and alkalinity.

Enjoy wellness and deliciousness. It’s as good as something out of a box, but way, way, better.

When I was searching for this image for this post, I came upon The Galactic Free Press where many enlightening things and delightful passages were posted. It is so perfect that I found these words, which go exactly with the phenomenon that I would like to convey. I’d like to quote from the site:

~ Now is a very crucial time for clearing energy patters, we are moving into a new… Era of Time, where we should not bring with us the old; Angels are clearing us now in meditation and in dreams, and Angels are showing us souls, who can assist us in our clearing process ~

By paying attention to what is going wrong in my life, I’ve learned to pick out that which is not serving me. It usually stems from inner dialogue that is not aligned with love and gratitude, or from me stifling the voice of my heart. By shifting my consciousness, I learn to let go, love, trust, and align my heart with my actions. In this way I am lifted out of the bog that has held me; I feel lighter and more free.

I have never doubted the existence of angels. I’ve experienced beings who bring much needed change, and much-needed support and wisdom along the way. I am so grateful.
Image: galactic free press

Pictured with Chef Salad: lettuce, ham, turkey, cheddar, jack, hard boiled egg, carrot, cucumber, green pepper, tomatoes, onion… deliciousness.

Who really wants to eat a bunch of artificial flavors and preservatives? Have you looked at the label on store-bought ranch dressing, lately?

Um, scary! Modified food starch? Polysorbate 60? Tartaric Acid? Phosphoric acid? Calcium disodium EDTA? “Artificial flavor”? What are these things??? Monosodium glutamate, mmm hmm, I know that one, and know I don’t want it. What am I? A human being or a science experiment?

Well I love a good, creamy, savory dressing on salad sometimes, and since ranch is supposedly the new # 1 condiment in America (citation needed), I bet you do too. So I ventured to make my own. It really isn’t hard and doesn’t take that long. All you really need is the ingredients on the label that you actually recognize:

I use one egg, one cup of vegetable oil, 1 tbs. white vinegar, 1/2 tsp. sweetener (honey or agave nectar), 1/4 tsp. mustard powder, a few pinches of salt, some pepper, and a couple shakes of powdered garlic. For convenience’s sake I use yogurt instead of buttermilk. A mixer comes in quite handy; no chemistry set needed. What you want to do is start with a basic mayo recipe. Crack an egg into a mixing bowl, and gradually beat in one cup of vegetable oil. This is called emulsification, and it combines two ingredients that normally don’t combine so easily. While mixing the egg with a whisk or a kitchen aide or egg beaters, slowly drizzle in the cup of oil. This process should take about one minute. Then add mustard powder, vinegar, sweetener, salt, and pepper. This recipe lasts about a week in the fridge without the preservatives.

For the ranch part, I add yogurt to taste, maybe about one part yogurt to two parts mayo. I add a bit of lemon juice or a touch more vinegar, some more salt, the garlic powder, maybe a bit more sweetener. And voila! Ranch dressing as pure as an angel’s soul.

Perceived injustice is a big one for conjuring up anger. I, for instance, find myself getting angry when I think that my partner has failed in respect to our partnership. Don’t get me wrong; we are deeply in love and he is wonderful and proactive in many ways. However, when it comes to food prep and timely clean-up, he is simply not there. Now, if I were like him, I wouldn’t mind eating out daily, consuming things that are fast and convenient out of a box or a wrapper, without the need for pots and pans and much of any clean-up. We would have no issue. But I’m not that way; I can’t be that way, because I have a very apparent health issue that requires vegetables, alternative bread that I have to make myself, unprocessed meat… and this requires a lot of food prep, clean-up, and time. This alone is no big deal. I love cooking, I love sharing healthy food, and I am thrilled that my mate loves the food that I make. He is appreciative of me for cooking for him, for doing things that he otherwise wouldn’t do for himself. I am glad to nurture him alongside me, to take good care of our bodies, which in turn takes good care of our souls. But it has been a big fight to get him to help clean up after our shared meals, for whatever reason.

A part of me feels like I should do all this and not ask for anything in return, because he gives me so much also in other ways. But, when my man just stands by or sits on the couch as I cook and clean for us, it makes me so mad! Here the story, the drama, the dialogue, starts to activate in my mind.

The justifications for my feelings: I have been taught that whomever doesn’t cook, cleans. This seems only fair. If I were a housewife, I tell myself, it would be no big deal. The man would make the money, I’d take care of the other stuff. But I am a working woman! I also work to provide for this household financially. I have limited time to do all that I want to do, just like everyone else. Since my mate and I are partners in business, we should also be partners in nourishing ourselves and cleaning up after ourselves, no?!

The difference between what is and what should be, in my opinion, is maddening.

Enter the urge to partake in some problem-solving.

But my anger and my conviction that I am right leads to bickering, fussing, and arguing. And then, nothing changes.

In this state, I feel powerless. As Jung wrote: emotions are not something we do. They are something that happen to us. And this is not necessarily a bad thing. Anger is a very effective tool at inspiring change.

Some say it is easier to change how you relate to the situation than changing the situation itself. There will always be things that can make you mad. So either learn not to get angry, or accept that you will keep getting mad. People don’t change, right? At least not overnight. One could cultivate the ability to recognize his or her triggers, and then decide to act, not react to something. Maybe changing how you relate to the situation changes the situation itself.

My answer is not to give up the fight for justice. It is not to fight your own feelings. Trying to not be mad when you are, is a disservice to the real you. What I’m saying is that we can continue to work towards better relationships in a way that is more positive and effective than knee-jerk reactions done in the momentary blindness of anger. Don’t get caught up in negative feelings — choose to vacate that maze of dialogue that justifies them. Instead, focus on intention and love.

For instance, in my situation, my intention is to make my husband aware of what is happening in a way that is loving and light. This approach in infinitely more pleasant, and probably, more effective. I do love him, after all!

So when you are consumed by anger, see if you can shift your focus on an intention instead. You can be pissed off at social injustice, and that is a big waste of energy until you decide that you will do something about it, if only to be as honest and fair as you can be in all of your dealings. This is where the power lies.

When you are absorbed in rationalization, when you are convincing yourself why you are right to be pissed off, remember to love. We are all humans, making human mistakes. What do you do yourself that is unjust, that you may be unaware of?

This process is a facet of somthing called centering, and it is a very powerful thing.

Anger, frustration, and injustice are not going to go away. But when you center yourself, they can’t get the best of you. They can serve to bring out the best in you — action, forgiveness, patience.

I am lucky to have a sweet, energetic dog, and to have the practical understanding that she needs to get out into the world. Daily. As do I. I think we all do!

We have evolved in such a way that it is natural for us to have the sun on our face, the wind in our hair; to have our heart, hands, and legs pumping out of doors. When we do not have this, when we are nose to the grind-stone in the modern, fast-paced lifestyle, when we are cooped up, occupied, and confined, it is no wonder that we get depressed, weak, and ill.

I have learned that when the sun shifts toward afternoon, and I have put in a lot of hours sitting around inside, I become melancholy. I listened to that melancholie. I heard my yearning to get some movement, and to enjoy the magic of the slanting sun. To go out, decompress, and ventilate my soul.

I found the perfect spot. I drive to a close-by path by a creek with lots of old cottonwood trees. The doggie and I go through the dog park where she gets to socialize for a bit (dogs need other dogs, just like people need other people), and then we wind down the rest of the path to the Platte River. I even venture to jog a little bit, just a block or so at a time (I’m no long-distance runner. Little sprints are fine by me.)

After a good stretch there is the perfect bench to sit and soak in the sun. I sit there, with the rays on my face, the rustling leaves all around, the sound of the birds and the hum of some city trucks, until I have cleared my mind, or at least until I have let my mind ride the waves of consciousness that come, without grasping on to any one thought. My stream of consciousness floats by like the wispy clouds above. I stay until I have let go of all ‘should have’s and ‘have to’s and ‘will do’s, and I am totally at peace.

Like airing out the stale old laundry. See it flapping free in the breeze…

If he doesn’t, and if you don’t, pretend that he did, and that you did.
See it and hear it on a stage in your mind.
Give forgiveness, and receive love.