June 6, 2020: Morning Haiku

freshest morning light

brightening the clouds at dawn

puddles of songbirds

Watching dawn move on a cloudy morning, light comes through the clouds slowly, gently. The firs brighten, birds wake, yet humanity’s quiet.

The world still convulses, desperate for justice. A new day, an opportunity for change, for hope, for peace.

June 5, Haiku : Trampled Trust

empty, hollow words

unable to find healing

trust that’s been trampled

June 4, 2020: Reflexes of Pain

human reflexes

to inflict pain upon those

we believe hurt us

A cycle of destruction that threatens to consume us all.

Rain in the Moonlight

rain atop the roof

calm, staccato memories

droplets of moonbeams 

What makes a good life?

This TED Talk was just sent to me: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | Robert Waldinger. I’ve seen this video before and greatly appreciate the insights brought to light.

Here’s the basic framework. Harvard started a study around 80 years ago looking at what makes us happy and healthy in life. Having a study like this last this long is very significant. Dr. Waldinger is the 4th director of this study. It gives us a rare glimpse into positive living, one that hasn’t existed before.

In my youth, I believed, like so others that wealth and fame were the keys to an awesome life. There are many studies showing that a majority of people think the same. Turns out, that’s wrong.

“Good relationships keep us happier and healthier”. Social connection is life-giving, loneliness kills. This isn’t the number of friends, etc, but the quality. Also, living in conflict is destructive. The people who were the most satisfied at age 50 have the best health in their 80s. And good relationships are not only good for our bodies but also our minds. Ultimately, having people in your life that you KNOW have your back, that will be there when the times go bad, this is what will make your life satisfying.

I’m glad to have the benefit of the wisdom from this study without having to have lived a full lifetime, to use this knowledge to make a better life, not simply reflect back. And I want the same for you. Take a few minutes out of your day and go watch this video.

June 2, 2020 Haiku

a springtime moment

some cat holding a sparrow 

blood on its whiskers


These are troubling times, aren’t they? I wonder what it would take for humanity to seek connection instead of division. Perhaps I’m naive to think that such a thing is possible. Perhaps. Yet I’ll cling to my hope. 

Haiku, May 30, 2020

a day filled with rain

I avoid the damp puddles

circles flow outwards

A day of rain and thunder, such an abnormally in Seattle. Well, not the rain; that’s still quite common. Yet today I opted to forgo my evening walk. Just wasn’t in the mood to be soaked, cold and shivering. 

Thunder in the Morning : A Haiku

rolling with the rain

there’s thunder in Seattle

the crows now silent

I wasn’t expecting thunder and lightening this morning. That’s rather atypical for Seattle. It brings back many memories for me, though. Life in the tropics had many joys.

A Morning Song

Most every day, a song echos in my mind as I wake. The universe often speaks to me in song.

This morning I woke to U2’s “40” and the line “how long, to sing this song?”

My heart troubled by the world’s rage soaked violence, by another bloody day. Will humanity expand out of it’s ego before the world’s burned into obliteration by hubris? Will I get to see that day? How long, my friends. How long?