i have cleaned and fixed up the downstairs of my son’s house. He really liked it when he saw it. This is his future Investment for his family down the line.
We are also trying to sort thru family photos and putting them in picture frames and albums which is a big project! We are also stewards of all the family collection of ancestry passed down from my father.
Buying this land
and this house
included a commitment
to be a good steward of them both,
but it didn’t really change much
the way I have lived . . .
no matter where I have lived,
from a fish house on the coast of Maine,
a dive in a rundown part of Chicago,
a mill factory shack in Colorado,
an Air Stream trailer home,
a cabin on Migunticook lake,
the ‘garden’ in an old, historic mansion,
a ski cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains,
to a ramshackle home on Mobile Bay . . .
(I could go on and on)
I have always felt
it was my responsibility
to beautify wherever my nest was.
It’s been an absolute joy
to restore this home that we have purchased.
It’s as if
I’ve spent my whole life practicing my skills
to bring this property
back to life,
and in spite of the aches and pains
it’s been
and continues to be
a labor of love.
I can feel the house itself
sighing with relief
when I do something good for it,
whether it be putting in new windows
or repairing a water-stained wall,
The gardens sing
when I work in the beds,
plants stretching their feet out
as I pull out the weeds
and smiling
when I bring a new plant in
to join the family.
It nourishes me
to care for my own good fortune,
and I am doing my best
to leave this place
better than I found it
when the time comes.
I pray
that after I I am no longer a living part of this planet,
someone else
will find value in my legacy
and be inspired
to build on it themselves
and to keep it going
with love. ♥
My mother-in-law introduced me to the idea that a house likes being taken care of. It stuck. The house we’re in now was loved by its previous owners, and is a good house to us. It’s a feeling. Once the previous owners came by and wanted to peak inside to see what we’d done with it, and they brought up so many of their beloved memories. I realized that the house’s feeling was based in all the time humans had spent inside, caring for each other and the house.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle has been my way of life for a long time now. I live lightly. I Have great respect for Mother Earth & all she provides.
I can do better and will continue to do so.
🕊️❤️
A few things: Recycle. Be conscientious of my use/consumption of air, water, and land (soil) resources. Support parks and public lands. Support all levels of public education. Support public health initiatives/policies. Support organizations that specifically work to serve underserved individuals and communities and promote a more balanced (re)distribution of resources.
My first thought when I read today’s daily question about being a good steward of something I value to ensure it will also be available to future generations was the importance of personally growing in self awareness. My behavior, how I relate to others, plants seeds in them and the seeds we plant in others are so important because they will rise in their behavior. There is so much anger in our nation and our world, so much inability to use the energy it stirs in inappropriate ways. When I read Richard Rohr’s Weekly summary of the topic:True Self/false self, it lifted quotes from this weeks daily posts and then offered an exercise from Tara Brach that I found helpful.
Seeing Behind the Mask
Buddhist teacher Tara Brach tells a story to awaken us to the ways we confuse our true self with the masks we wear:
There’s a joke I like to tell my classes when we’re looking at the question of identity: A man arrives at work one morning, late for an office meeting. “Where’ve you been?” his boss asks. The man answers, “I just saw a clown outside in front of the building.” One of his colleagues asks: “Well, was it a real clown, or just a person dressed up as a clown?”
When I share this in a class, there’s usually a brief pause—I can hear the wheels turning—and then laughter. We all get it. There’s the mask and there’s the person behind the mask, and sometimes they get conflated.
The word “person” is derived from the ancient Greek term persona, which referred to the masks actors wore to represent certain humans, animals, or gods. In our daily lives, we habitually put on our own personas to suit particular situations. But unlike the actors and audience in ancient Greece who knew these were masks to be removed after the performance, we often get identified with our personas. We might routinely present the knowledgeable, capable mask or the anxious, insecure mask. A coworker might be wearing the judgmental, angry mask. Our core personas are made up of our deepest fears and earliest defenses, and rather than knowing how to put them aside, we often come to believe they are who we really are.
If we move through life trapped behind these masks, we miss out on connection and intimacy with our world. In relating to ourselves and others, we forget the awareness and love that animates our true being.
The blessing of remembering comes with mindful awareness as we witness the changing thoughts, feelings, and emotions that live through us. In the stillness and clarity of presence, we see our masks for what they are: temporary (and sometimes useful) personas but not our essential Being. And with presence we see past the masks of others to the consciousness looking out through their eyes, the tenderness residing in their hearts.
Reference: Tara Brach, Trusting the Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness (Sounds True, 2021), 135–136
Thank you, Carol Ann. Tara Brach writes and speaks so much truth about human behavior. As I have read many times on this site; a work in progress, I am.
I think
it’s a lifelong task,
dear Carol Ann,
finding our true selves . . .
we know when we are born,
but governed my ego and/or id,
and somehow
learn to temper our thoughts and behavior
to ‘fit in’.
I think it’s a shame
to never discover who we really are.
Thank you for this reflection. ♥
You are most welcome, Sparrow. I think we are born into radical insecurity and we spend the first half of our life doing every thing in our power to deny that. That builds a lot of masks. We compete and compare ourselves to others. We fight life instead of letting it flow. We are a slave to whatever our culture tells us is success. We tell ourselves, “I’ll be ok when” but when never comes until we realize “we don’t have anything to prove.” I think that is when we can start removing the masks and start being truly creative in all our relationships. It’s like a reconciliation with our true Self. Poet Robert Lax said to the monk Thomas Merton, “Don’t you believe that God will make you what God wants you to be of you will consent to let (Him/Her/It) do it?”
I’m thinking of a conversation I was in recently with someone who said that we only really change when we change the story we tell about ourselves. Perhaps that’s taking the mask off.
Barb, I think it is the beginning of taking the mask off. I’m afraid most of us live and die without totally taking the mask off because even though I think taking the mask off makes one free. It also makes one very vulnerable.
Love this amazing planet we get to live on. Walk lightly. Use wisely. Radiate love and light – as some have mentioned, support the community that you’re in. Give books to the little free libraries on the side of the road. Pick up trash. Say hello to people!
I have many answers to this. As others have said, taking care of our Mother Earth because we can’t live without her bounty, and supporting and voting for candidates whose values align with mine. I also love Drea’s answer about libraries.
A couple of different topics that came to mind as I thought about it some more–
Community life and spirit: I live in a friendly town with lots of events and activities. When I smile at people and say hello as I walk or bike past, I’m stewarding that spirit. When my improv troupe performs, we’re adding humor. When I attend an event, I’m telling the organizers I appreciate their effort to put it together and people cared enough to show up. If I want to live in a warm community that welcomes new arrivals, which I was six years ago, I need to contribute my warmth.
Knowledge that helps people change and move beyond old habits: In my work, my team and I are changing how our agency approaches transportation. I’m leading a learning plan to help them all take care of themselves and also become more effective colleagues and leaders of change. They’re writing new guidance, holding workshops, speaking at conferences. As we make sure we develop, record and transmit new ideas, we’re stewarding that knowledge.
Today, as usual, I will walk as lightly as I can, on this earth. I will pay attention to the resources that I use and try to be as efficient as possible. I will also practice kindness and attempt to spread that energy to whomever I encounter. I will also show my support for people and organizations that protect and defend all of our natural resources. Keeping in mind that the air, water, minerals, forests, and farmland, really belong to all of us and especially future generations.
I value books and the libraries that tend to them. Our libraries do so much for the community in general. I haven’t signed up for the local library foundation, but this prompt has me thinking I should, and do some volunteering to help ensure that future generations can take refuge in libraries and books as much as I have.
Books
are one of my great loves,
dear Drea . . .
I don’t know how I missed your post yesterday.
Like you,
and so many other people
I have taken refuge in books
for as long as I can remember. ♥
I love this answer, Drea. I’ve been a voracious reader all my life. I still remember doing the summer reading program at the library when I was a kid. We lived outside of town and Mom had to drive us there. Such a thrill to load into the car with all the books I’d read and look forward to choosing a new batch.
Drea, I read a lot of Vietnamese books from my mom and the people of her generation. I know that feeling all too well of valuing something that’s only becoming more rare.
Martin and I talked last night. We’ll be doing YouTube recordings for my “Loc Gets Straight to the Point” bran. There was a 2016 version. Those songs were wild with a bunch of swear words, but we’ll still leave the channel public. It’s to show how people change over time.
Those who have a relationship with Christ are forgiving. People have short memories. And beside, 10 years is a huge difference as mentioned yesterday. The truth eventually comes out. We must be patient with context. Moving forward is the best way to protect our reputations. We all did dumb things when we were young, and it’s good to be able to laugh along with them.
I live in the US; many people live in the US. However, there are families who have a surplus of food, while others are dealing with hunger. I value supporting people in need of food, as well as minimizing food waste in my family. One family doing this alone would not be as helpful to starving people, but I hope that what we’re doing sends a friendly message to the families we know so that they can join us in saving food and sharing it with others.
Much too much waste of food. What we do not eat, or Pooch and the barn cats will not eat is either scattered in the fields for the winged beings or incorporated back into the soil of the garden plot. Our small part to not waste. On a side note, this edition of the garden has produced well. I have been able to take a bit better than 2 bushels of salad greens and vegetables to the food bank of the San Luis Valley.
People in my neighborhood have started big, thriving community gardens, and some leave canned and packaged food out for others, for example in their little libraries. I know much more needs to happen, but those visible efforts also inspire me to do more.
There’s a community garden in our area with a small shed where people leave nonperishable food, along with seeds or plants others might want. I’ve left food there before and have also given away excess through our Buy Nothing group.
Well, I’m not writing out what I just wrote again – it didn’t post most likely bc I referenced organ,tissue,eye,blood donation links/sites… hopefully the Grateful Team will see it and know it was not AI and post it.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Michele, your “un-answer” makes me think about how I take care of my body, which makes it more likely that some of my organs might be useful after I’m gone. That’s one of my directives to my family: Use anything that’s worth using.
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i have cleaned and fixed up the downstairs of my son’s house. He really liked it when he saw it. This is his future Investment for his family down the line.
We are also trying to sort thru family photos and putting them in picture frames and albums which is a big project! We are also stewards of all the family collection of ancestry passed down from my father.
Buying this land
and this house
included a commitment
to be a good steward of them both,
but it didn’t really change much
the way I have lived . . .
no matter where I have lived,
from a fish house on the coast of Maine,
a dive in a rundown part of Chicago,
a mill factory shack in Colorado,
an Air Stream trailer home,
a cabin on Migunticook lake,
the ‘garden’ in an old, historic mansion,
a ski cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains,
to a ramshackle home on Mobile Bay . . .
(I could go on and on)
I have always felt
it was my responsibility
to beautify wherever my nest was.
It’s been an absolute joy
to restore this home that we have purchased.
It’s as if
I’ve spent my whole life practicing my skills
to bring this property
back to life,
and in spite of the aches and pains
it’s been
and continues to be
a labor of love.
I can feel the house itself
sighing with relief
when I do something good for it,
whether it be putting in new windows
or repairing a water-stained wall,
The gardens sing
when I work in the beds,
plants stretching their feet out
as I pull out the weeds
and smiling
when I bring a new plant in
to join the family.
It nourishes me
to care for my own good fortune,
and I am doing my best
to leave this place
better than I found it
when the time comes.
I pray
that after I I am no longer a living part of this planet,
someone else
will find value in my legacy
and be inspired
to build on it themselves
and to keep it going
with love. ♥
My mother-in-law introduced me to the idea that a house likes being taken care of. It stuck. The house we’re in now was loved by its previous owners, and is a good house to us. It’s a feeling. Once the previous owners came by and wanted to peak inside to see what we’d done with it, and they brought up so many of their beloved memories. I realized that the house’s feeling was based in all the time humans had spent inside, caring for each other and the house.
I so much feel the same way,
dear Drea,
that a house has a soul.
Thank you for sharing this story . . .
it resonates. ♥
Your good vibes/energy will most definitely carry on.
I hope so,
dear Michele . . . ♥
Caring people abound, dear Sparrow, your legacy will be cared for. Of that, I am certain.
You are right,
dear Joseph . . .
I have to keep in mind
that the world is full of caring people.
I lose sight sometimes. ♥
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle has been my way of life for a long time now. I live lightly. I Have great respect for Mother Earth & all she provides.
I can do better and will continue to do so.
🕊️❤️
A few things: Recycle. Be conscientious of my use/consumption of air, water, and land (soil) resources. Support parks and public lands. Support all levels of public education. Support public health initiatives/policies. Support organizations that specifically work to serve underserved individuals and communities and promote a more balanced (re)distribution of resources.
My first thought when I read today’s daily question about being a good steward of something I value to ensure it will also be available to future generations was the importance of personally growing in self awareness. My behavior, how I relate to others, plants seeds in them and the seeds we plant in others are so important because they will rise in their behavior. There is so much anger in our nation and our world, so much inability to use the energy it stirs in inappropriate ways. When I read Richard Rohr’s Weekly summary of the topic:True Self/false self, it lifted quotes from this weeks daily posts and then offered an exercise from Tara Brach that I found helpful.
Seeing Behind the Mask
Buddhist teacher Tara Brach tells a story to awaken us to the ways we confuse our true self with the masks we wear:
There’s a joke I like to tell my classes when we’re looking at the question of identity: A man arrives at work one morning, late for an office meeting. “Where’ve you been?” his boss asks. The man answers, “I just saw a clown outside in front of the building.” One of his colleagues asks: “Well, was it a real clown, or just a person dressed up as a clown?”
When I share this in a class, there’s usually a brief pause—I can hear the wheels turning—and then laughter. We all get it. There’s the mask and there’s the person behind the mask, and sometimes they get conflated.
The word “person” is derived from the ancient Greek term persona, which referred to the masks actors wore to represent certain humans, animals, or gods. In our daily lives, we habitually put on our own personas to suit particular situations. But unlike the actors and audience in ancient Greece who knew these were masks to be removed after the performance, we often get identified with our personas. We might routinely present the knowledgeable, capable mask or the anxious, insecure mask. A coworker might be wearing the judgmental, angry mask. Our core personas are made up of our deepest fears and earliest defenses, and rather than knowing how to put them aside, we often come to believe they are who we really are.
If we move through life trapped behind these masks, we miss out on connection and intimacy with our world. In relating to ourselves and others, we forget the awareness and love that animates our true being.
The blessing of remembering comes with mindful awareness as we witness the changing thoughts, feelings, and emotions that live through us. In the stillness and clarity of presence, we see our masks for what they are: temporary (and sometimes useful) personas but not our essential Being. And with presence we see past the masks of others to the consciousness looking out through their eyes, the tenderness residing in their hearts.
Reference: Tara Brach, Trusting the Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness (Sounds True, 2021), 135–136
Thank you, Carol Ann. Tara Brach writes and speaks so much truth about human behavior. As I have read many times on this site; a work in progress, I am.
I think
it’s a lifelong task,
dear Carol Ann,
finding our true selves . . .
we know when we are born,
but governed my ego and/or id,
and somehow
learn to temper our thoughts and behavior
to ‘fit in’.
I think it’s a shame
to never discover who we really are.
Thank you for this reflection. ♥
You are most welcome, Sparrow. I think we are born into radical insecurity and we spend the first half of our life doing every thing in our power to deny that. That builds a lot of masks. We compete and compare ourselves to others. We fight life instead of letting it flow. We are a slave to whatever our culture tells us is success. We tell ourselves, “I’ll be ok when” but when never comes until we realize “we don’t have anything to prove.” I think that is when we can start removing the masks and start being truly creative in all our relationships. It’s like a reconciliation with our true Self. Poet Robert Lax said to the monk Thomas Merton, “Don’t you believe that God will make you what God wants you to be of you will consent to let (Him/Her/It) do it?”
I for one,
do not want to be a slave to my culture,
dear Carol Ann,
and am happy
that others feel the same way. ♥
I’m thinking of a conversation I was in recently with someone who said that we only really change when we change the story we tell about ourselves. Perhaps that’s taking the mask off.
Barb, I think it is the beginning of taking the mask off. I’m afraid most of us live and die without totally taking the mask off because even though I think taking the mask off makes one free. It also makes one very vulnerable.
♥
Love this amazing planet we get to live on. Walk lightly. Use wisely. Radiate love and light – as some have mentioned, support the community that you’re in. Give books to the little free libraries on the side of the road. Pick up trash. Say hello to people!
I guess my writing talent so my triplet nieces can read my work when they’re older women.
That sounds
like a wonderful thing to do,
dear Christina. ♥
I have many answers to this. As others have said, taking care of our Mother Earth because we can’t live without her bounty, and supporting and voting for candidates whose values align with mine. I also love Drea’s answer about libraries.
A couple of different topics that came to mind as I thought about it some more–
Community life and spirit: I live in a friendly town with lots of events and activities. When I smile at people and say hello as I walk or bike past, I’m stewarding that spirit. When my improv troupe performs, we’re adding humor. When I attend an event, I’m telling the organizers I appreciate their effort to put it together and people cared enough to show up. If I want to live in a warm community that welcomes new arrivals, which I was six years ago, I need to contribute my warmth.
Knowledge that helps people change and move beyond old habits: In my work, my team and I are changing how our agency approaches transportation. I’m leading a learning plan to help them all take care of themselves and also become more effective colleagues and leaders of change. They’re writing new guidance, holding workshops, speaking at conferences. As we make sure we develop, record and transmit new ideas, we’re stewarding that knowledge.
I like your concept of stewarding the spirit, Barb. I try to do that on trails and outside in general as well.
I can be a good steward by using the resources I have it responsible manner.
Today, as usual, I will walk as lightly as I can, on this earth. I will pay attention to the resources that I use and try to be as efficient as possible. I will also practice kindness and attempt to spread that energy to whomever I encounter. I will also show my support for people and organizations that protect and defend all of our natural resources. Keeping in mind that the air, water, minerals, forests, and farmland, really belong to all of us and especially future generations.
I value books and the libraries that tend to them. Our libraries do so much for the community in general. I haven’t signed up for the local library foundation, but this prompt has me thinking I should, and do some volunteering to help ensure that future generations can take refuge in libraries and books as much as I have.
Books
are one of my great loves,
dear Drea . . .
I don’t know how I missed your post yesterday.
Like you,
and so many other people
I have taken refuge in books
for as long as I can remember. ♥
It’s amazing how the book refuge starts in childhood, and it never goes away, does it? Such a joy.
I love this answer, Drea. I’ve been a voracious reader all my life. I still remember doing the summer reading program at the library when I was a kid. We lived outside of town and Mom had to drive us there. Such a thrill to load into the car with all the books I’d read and look forward to choosing a new batch.
Yes, the library is a thrill for kids and adults! Nothing like picking out a fresh book.
Drea, I read a lot of Vietnamese books from my mom and the people of her generation. I know that feeling all too well of valuing something that’s only becoming more rare.
Loc, those Vietnamese books must be a treasure, I imagine they’re not easy to come by in the US.
I can keep paying kindness forward- through acts, words and sometimes just a smile.
Martin and I talked last night. We’ll be doing YouTube recordings for my “Loc Gets Straight to the Point” bran. There was a 2016 version. Those songs were wild with a bunch of swear words, but we’ll still leave the channel public. It’s to show how people change over time.
Those who have a relationship with Christ are forgiving. People have short memories. And beside, 10 years is a huge difference as mentioned yesterday. The truth eventually comes out. We must be patient with context. Moving forward is the best way to protect our reputations. We all did dumb things when we were young, and it’s good to be able to laugh along with them.
I live in the US; many people live in the US. However, there are families who have a surplus of food, while others are dealing with hunger. I value supporting people in need of food, as well as minimizing food waste in my family. One family doing this alone would not be as helpful to starving people, but I hope that what we’re doing sends a friendly message to the families we know so that they can join us in saving food and sharing it with others.
Much too much waste of food. What we do not eat, or Pooch and the barn cats will not eat is either scattered in the fields for the winged beings or incorporated back into the soil of the garden plot. Our small part to not waste. On a side note, this edition of the garden has produced well. I have been able to take a bit better than 2 bushels of salad greens and vegetables to the food bank of the San Luis Valley.
People in my neighborhood have started big, thriving community gardens, and some leave canned and packaged food out for others, for example in their little libraries. I know much more needs to happen, but those visible efforts also inspire me to do more.
There’s a community garden in our area with a small shed where people leave nonperishable food, along with seeds or plants others might want. I’ve left food there before and have also given away excess through our Buy Nothing group.
My Ngoc, the amount of food distributed here sounds polarizing. It’s either you have far too much or far too little.
Well, I’m not writing out what I just wrote again – it didn’t post most likely bc I referenced organ,tissue,eye,blood donation links/sites… hopefully the Grateful Team will see it and know it was not AI and post it.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Michele, your “un-answer” makes me think about how I take care of my body, which makes it more likely that some of my organs might be useful after I’m gone. That’s one of my directives to my family: Use anything that’s worth using.