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@lightbeamadventures
Dance Dance Dance
Dear Reader,
As you know my favourite activity is dancing dancing and more dancing. You can shake your sillies out! Wiggle your waggles away!
I'm going to be dancing regularly with my tribe Move to Shine :) come Join me!
Letter # 11- Two Leggeds: Stay In Your Body
Dear Reader,
I know it has been quite some time since my last letter and oh the adventures and places I have been. I have met chiefs and Lions, Tigers and Bears, Leopards and Panthers, Bison, Elk, Horse, Wolf and Deer. I have spoken with Owl, Raven, Magpie and Eagle. I have met different tribes and danced together as one nation. I have been in deserts, caves, forests, wells, and wardrobes, on cliffs, rivers and seas, up mountains and wow there is still so much more to see! What have you been doing as the seasons have circled around and around?
One of the most important things I learned from my latest adventures- my number one rule of thumb, the hardest to remember but the most important travel advice of all I’ll share with you now- that is if you have two feet, and are a brother and sister of the two leggeds- STAY GROUNDED IN YOUR BODY.
I used to ask myself,
Why oh why can’t I just float up off and away in the sky?
Out of my body there’s no more-
I should do this or I must do that
Nor I ought to go here or I have to go there.
I can leave behind everything that’s a chore.
I’m really quite good at this-
This leaving my body thing.
I can do it now without even thinking.
But me oh my,
I have two legs and I don’t actually want to LIVE in the sky.
The Bird can live there because she takes her body with her when she goes out to fly.
My body (though it can jump real high)
Has to stay here when I float up into thoughts above the world so high.
This means my two-legged body is left behind.
How sad if there’s nobody in it to feel the warm sand, taste the juicy pineapple, and shake from a good belly laugh.
When I don’t stay up in my body but float away,
I can’t cry all my tears to make me feel better,
Or love all my heartbeats,
Or feel my cat purr when I pet her.
When we stay in, connected to the ground
We get all the support from our Earth Mother
Supporting and holding us as we circle round.
I’ve learned a nice little trick that I’m happy to pass to you.
Next time you notice you can’t feel your knees,
Just wiggle your toes- one, two, three
Then remember the Earth Angels are playing,
Sliding down roots coming from your feet,
Going down, down, down- like you are a tree.
It’s much much better to be in your body, just try it and see.
Lots of love,
Smiles Truth
Meditation- The Light of Smiles
Hello my dearies!
Here is a little meditation that is sure to make you smile by Paramahansa Yogananda :)
I will light the match of smiles. My gloom veil will disappear. I shall behold my soul in the light of my smiles, hidden behind the accumulated darkness of ages. When I find myself, I shall race through all hearts with the torch of my soul-smiles. My heart will smile first, then my eyes and my face. Every body-part will shine in the light of smiles.
I will run amid the thickets of melancholy hearts and make a bonfire of all sorrows. I am the irresistible fire of smiles. I will fan myself with the breeze of God-joy and blaze my way through the darkness of all minds. My smiles will convey His smiles and whoever meets me will catch a whiff of my divine joy. I will carry fragrant purifying torches of smiles for all hearts.
-Metaphysical Meditations, Self-Realization Fellowship
Lots of love and smiles :)
Smiles Truth
Song: Going back to my roots
Artist: Lucky Dube
To purchase: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/captured-live-live/id212930250
Letter #10- Brown Eyed Susan and Red- a Love Story
Dear Reader,
When is your birthday? I would like to know because I love all birthdays, mine, yours, a stranger I just met, they are all fun because people get to do exactly what they like. Can you remember one fun birthday? What did you do?
You can trust me when I tell you that birthday wishes really do come true. On my last birthday I spent the day floating on my new raft in the river, and soaking up the sun. We had an all day barbecue followed by my favourite activity-Dancing! When I blew out my candles I asked the Great Grandmothers and Grandfathers to pretty please send me on another adventure. The next morning after my birthday, I was up at Lily’s River, drying off on the rocks, when up swam an enormous rainbow trout. He glistened with all the colours of the rainbow, and sparkles shot out from him as he poked his head out of the water to speak with me.
“I am the Great Grandfather of the South, the place you are always facing.”
I looked down at my shadow and sure enough I was facing the South.
He continued, “There is a place in the South that has lost the power to grow. I need you to go there, walk as a relative, and with this cane I give you, where you find the people’s heart, you shall plant it and I will give you the powers to make it blossom.”
I took the long stick that the Great Rainbow Trout pushed on the bank next to me, and climbed onto his back. I wrapped the cane under him and held on with all my strength, then with a swish left and then right, he jumped into the clouds with me on his back, leaving a trail of water droplets and sparkles.
We landed in a little pond at the edge of a big meadow. He told me when I had planted the cane, face South and call his name three times, then he jumped away again.
In the middle of the meadow there was a beautiful girl, pretty as a flower, sitting on a marble step in the front of a little thatched cottage. She had her head in her hands, and as I got closer I could see tear drops falling and mixing with the morning dew that glistened next to her bare feet. She had a wilted clover woven into her braided hair, and as I approached she lifted her eyes to mine.
I’ll be! Her eyes were a deep brown and were surrounded not by normal lashes, but instead by long thick yellow petals.
“Hello. My name is Susan,” she stood up, and kissed me lightly on each cheek, “and I’m a member of the sunflower tribe of the large family Asteraceae.”
I replied, “my name is Smiles Truth, and I come from the Light Beam tribe, of the large family Mendonesia.”
She was a slight thing, barely a meter tall. She invited me in for a cup of jasmine tea. On the walls were wooden shelves lined with glass jars filled with dried flower buds, and hanging from the low rafters were bundles of dried of flowers, so I had to watch my head as I made my way inside.
“I couldn’t help but noticing that you were crying when I arrived. I am here to listen if there is anything that you would like to share to lighten your heart,” I told her.
“Come here to this window, and I’ll show you all I have left of my happiness,” she pointed to one strong Hollyhock blushed pink, standing firmly along the side of the cottage.
She then preceded to tell me the story of how she put all her happiness in the palm of another.
It all began last summer when all was well here in the meadow where Susan lived. It was a vast meadow that stretched north to the Great Ice Lakes and South to the Forest Firs, West to the Sycamore Stream and East to the valley of the Rising Star. Susan and her family would dance across the meadow playing music to the Lavender, Meadow Sage, and Lily of the Nile. The would mix the Fennel, Anise and Wormwood into laughing potion and nurse any sad creatures or plants back to full grace. They would keep away colds with the purple coneflowers Echinacea. Her sister was the best weaver and would make Michaelmas Daisy and Chrysanthemum chains. One of their favourite games was to creep along the grass filling their bellies on the smell of buttercups.
Susan was the oldest and her family left her in charge for the autumn and winter while they went south to make an arrangement with the Honeymakers. Susan was left behind to sprinkle the water around the meadow at dawn, collect flower seeds when they wilted in the cold, and care for all the flowers.
One day while she sat facing south, because that is where we always face, she heard a snap of a twig. Glancing to the west, her gaze stopped on the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He was taller than any tree, strong with dark density and light filled hair. He moved slowly and breathed a majestic air.
Susan batted her long petal eyelids, and flirted the day away with Red from the Sequoia tribe. He swung her in his big arms, and she climbed on his shoulders and could see all the way to the Valley of the Rising Star.
Susan forgot all about how much fun she had with the flowers in the meadow and believed her bliss could only come from being with Red. When the sunlight began to dry his skin, Red knew he had to return to the misty cloud cover by the coast in the West. He didn’t want to let go of brown-eyed Susan so he asked her to come with him. Believing all she needed to be happy was Red, she took his hand and went west.
Red is such a good man with a noble heart, and he did everything he could think of to make his precious Susan feel loved and cherished. For the first few months in the forest playing with Red, lounging on the moss, playing hide-and-go-seek in the roots of fallen trees, fanning each other with ferns all made Susan giddy with fun loving butterflies in her stomach.
Then one day Red had to attend a council of Elders because his family Sempervirens had been around since the dinosaurs and were considered the wisest family on the planet. Without him to play with Susan felt a huge hole in her heart.
Even after he returned the hole remained, and then it continued to grow bigger. She missed the fields of Goldentufts to skip in and Poppies to blow on. As much as she loved the elves of the wood, the flowers she loved the most were the full sun perennials that would come back year after year. No matter how kind Red was, he could not make her heart complete.
Red was very wise and saw too that Susan was wilting, and this made him sad. So he accompanied her back to the edge of her meadow, and let her go.
The winter had come and gone and all the meadow was bare, waiting for the Sunflower tribe to breathe life back into it. However, since Susan hadn’t collected the seeds in the fall to scatter in the wind, the only flower strong enough on its own to make it was the Hollyhock. This my dear friend was why Susan was crying when I found her, and why the Great Grandfather of the South had sent me to her.
“Well worrying about a problem does no good,” I told her, “just like chewing bubble gum does not solve an Algebra equation.”
After we drank our jasmine tea, we wrote a letter to her family at the Honeymakers, and a letter to Red and his family asking for advice, and sent those off with the postal pigeon. Next, we scoured the cottage high and low for any old flower seeds stored in the attic, jars, pots, nooks and crannies. We filled two big baskets full of seeds.
I planted the cane in the middle of the meadow, and Susan got her smile back as we started planting. We danced in spirals, working our way out. As we skipped and sprinkled, this was the song we sang:
I love you. You love me.
You love you. I love me.
I’ll pour tea for you.
You pour tea for me.
Each of us drinks from our own cups.
We now know is the only way to be.
The hole in Susan’s heart healed as she did what she loved with flowers- helping them grow. When it was whole, I gave her my address to let me know how things continued to grow, faced South and called the Great Grandfather of the South’s name three times.
As luck would have it, I just got a letter from Susan with all her updates, arrived with the postal pigeon this morning. She said that after a few days Susan’s family and friends had returned with bushels of seeds because they had received her letter and the Honeymakers had loads to share. They also surprised her with a great gift of Manuka honey to sweeten their days as they worked.
Also Red had returned with a flock of Snow Geese who had carried flower seeds from all over the world to help her replant her meadow. Those Snow Geese are so nice!
Susan and Red built a little cabin at the top of a nearby hill. They made a little garden so Susan can look out on her meadow, and Red can be surrounded by the cool shade of the forest. Each morning Susan skips down to the meadow to play and Red meditates in the forest getting wiser day by day.
What about you dear Reader, what do you have to do to take care of yourself in order to be healthy and happy? Miggs has to play music on his variety of instruments (some big and some small). I have to do yoga, sing, and dance. We both have to spend time with family and friends, exercise in nature, write, cook healthy food, and meditate.
Lots of love,
Smiles Truth
Song: Fireflies
Artist: Owl City
Album: Ocean Eyes
Here to purchase: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/owl-city/id264481094
Letter #9- Cherry Blossoms and the Mussel Inn
Dear lovely Reader,
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you traveled East at sunrise and followed the daybreak star? Would you end up where the sun continually shines?
I am very pleased to report to you that I recently had another adventure. I can tell you the exact week because it was when the cherry blossoms were blooming, and they only last for one week each year. Miggs and I had planned the night before to go for a long hike into Deerland. When we met in the morning, we had to hide at the bottom of the Orange Farmer’s grove, and help each other over his big fence. We know the Orange Farmer doesn’t like other people in his grove, but there was no way around it to get into Deerland.
You might be wondering, what is so special about Deerland that we would go to all sorts of trouble just to get into a place that we weren’t supposed to be. Well dear Reader, for one week of cherry blossoms it turns into the most enchanting kingdom, where fairies dance, and wisps of light beams circle and sing. It is worth any hollering the Orange Farmer will give out if he by chance catches you. You see, the trees are covered with delicate pink and white dollops of silky lace that flutter down like snow drops on the wind’s breath. The ground is covered in this fragile silk, and when you breathe in you inhale nothing but light sparkles even if the sky is cloudy. For this week in Deerland the veil is lifted between the seen and unseen and any wonder can arise.
After we made it over the fence and into our sanctuary, Miggs and I hopped from log to log and rock to rock, catching floating petals on our noses. Eventually we stopped for a break and sat on a rock under a cherry tree, trying to make as little noise as possible. We were trying to listen to the petals float in the air, and my toes started to tickle when we out of the blue we saw a beautiful Deer. She had been watching us for quite some time before she made herself appear to us.
“I am the Great Grandmother of the East and I have the power to awaken all the beings of the earth with roots, legs and wings,” she whispered to us.
Miggs and I both stood up and bowed to this beautiful doe.
“How can we help you dear Great Grandmother?” I asked.
“I have many grandchildren, who live in the East, and they have become sick with an eye disease. They have lost their vision. Take this Peace Pipe, and wherever you shall walk whatever is the cause of their sickness there you shall make well.”
The Great Grandmother of the East rubbed her foot on a pile of twigs to make a fire. Then a great billow of smoke rose up from the embers. She motioned for us to climb on, and up and away the smoke lifted us, blowing us East.
By the time we arrived at the edge of a wooded cliff on the East Coast of the Sea darkness was beginning to fall. “I will return when you face East and say my name three times,” and the doe ran off into the woods.
Ahead of us there was a country path, more like a passageway through stones and foliage covered in hanging branches. We heard music coming from down the path and started towards it. Although the pathway was getting dark, all around us were glow worms clinging to the damp stones. Then one by one little fireflies turned on their lights too. Fireflies love to play, and a few even made themselves into crowns on our heads, as they guided us through the darkened alley.
We emerged out of the passageway and came upon a gate to the entrance of a big wooden inn, with a large deck, hanging lanterns, and a cobbled patio full of families, young couples, and friends of all ages chatting, eating, drinking and tapping their feet to the bluegrass music that was coming from the stage inside. A sign by the door said, “Mussel Inn”.
“Hey Smiles the Truth, do you see that man over there?” Miggs asked pointing to a man with round wired glasses and a jolly belly. He had a peaceful smile and a twinkle in his eye. “I think he’s the only one here who has good eyesight. What do you think?”
“Absolutely. I agree. Maybe we can get him to help us.” I replied.
We took out the healing Peace Pipe and blew smoke over in the smiling man’s direction. He saw us immediately and came straight over to where we were hiding in the bushes.
“Dear sir, we have a plan to help these people heal their vision. Will you please help us?” asked Miggs.
The man agreed and we put our plan into action, starting with one of the boys on the patio, the one wearing square rimmed glasses and a striped shirt.
This was Wallace, an only child, and his parents loved him very much. They wanted to do everything for him so his life was very easy and he would never want for a single thing. But what happened with Wallace, happens to many people, probably most people living on your block already have this problem, a deficiency really. Wallace had a case of poor eyesight because he could only see things as they were in the moment, and he had no capability of understanding the connections of where they came from, or who made them, who built them, grew them, transported them, and so on an so forth.
Every Friday evening Wallace’s parents took him to the Mussel Inn for a scrumptious dinner. Wallace was excited as he read the menu which had garlic bread, fresh squeezed orange juice, lasagna, chowder, nachos, so many things he wanted!
He placed his order with the pretty waitress and he began to feel hot and sweaty because he was sitting right next to the outdoor fire pit. And Miggs and I had blown smoke into it with the Peace Pipe to make it even hotter!
He excused himself to go splash some water on his face and cool down. When he got into the toilet he took off his square rimmed glasses and put them on the counter next to a pair of round wired glasses that someone had left behind.
Feeling much cooler, Wallace dried his face with a towel and blurry eyed picked up the round rimmed glasses by mistake and headed back to his table.
The strangest thing happened to him though as he was walking back to his table. The Blue Grass Scooters were singing, “Hey, Mama rock me. Rock me Mama like the wind and the rain.” Wallace stopped to watch them and in front of his very eyes like a movie he saw the band move backwards, practicing and tuning their instruments, getting the fiddle and the guitars from out of their cases, the bearded bassist moving backwards to the door. Wallace blinked his eyes and the band was back on stage playing its music again. “Rock me Mama like a Southbound train. Hey, Mama rock me.”
He thought it must have just been a trick of his mind as he returned to the table. Much to his shock though, as he was sitting down the table did the same thing as the movie before of the band moving backwards. He saw the nicely set table with napkins, silverware, flowers, and checkered tablecloth all become unset piece by piece by the lovely waitress until it was totally bare. Wallace blinked his eyes twice and it all came back to normal again.
“Did...did...did you see that?” he turned and asked his mother.
When he looked at his mother another movie appeared before his eyes, this time showing his mother moving backwards, her making his bed, doing his dishes, cooking his breakfast, buying his school books, on and on the movie reel went until it showed her helping him tie his laces as a little boy and then younger still learning to talk, her helping him to walk, eat, and doing everything for him as a baby.
“See what dear?” she asked. Wallace blinked twice again, ending this movie, which had shown him how he was here alive, owing absolutely everything to her kindness.
“Nothing. Nothing,” he replied and squeezed his eyes shut.
Miggs and I squeezed hands because we could see our plan was working.
Wallace smelled the fresh garlic bread and couldn’t resist, so he opened his eyes to quickly grab a piece of bread. In that moment again he got another movie. This went back to the farmer who planted the seed of wheat, harvested the wheat, the mill, and all the people there who ground the flour, the packaging people, the driver who transported it, the petrol station attendant who filled the truck, the store employees who sold the flour, to the cook in the restaurant who needed the dough, again to the pretty waitress who brought the bread to the table.
Amazing! Unbelievable he thought, and it brought a tear to his eye. Wallace looked at his father with open eyes and saw everything he had done, the hard job he worked to support the family, to buy the house, to take care of him and his mother.
Wallace was filled to the brim with gratitude for the kindness of others. Everywhere he looked he saw all the infinite pieces put together by the kindness of others.
He stood up on his chair and shouted, “Thank you! Thank you!”
The smiley old man with the sparkling eyes and a bubbly belly came up and said, “Son, I think you might have my glasses.”
“I think our work here is finished,” Miggs smiled at me, and we both winked at the old man.
“I think so too, so you know what that means it is time for?”
“Dancing!” and dance we did by the light of the moon.
The Bluegrass Scooters played my new favourite folk song, and Wallace’s father even taught us the words while we were dancing.
Do your best. Do your best.
In each moment do your best.
Do your best. Do your best.
Remember this changes from one moment to the next,
So if you’re tired take a rest.
Do your best. Do your best.
When you’re strong. You can do it!
Sing a song and carry on.
Do your best. Do your best.
Pay full attention.
Put your mindful awareness to the test.
Do your best. Do your best.
Practice with dedication unsuppressed.
Do your best. Do your best.
Don’t compare yourself to others,
Because your best is NOT a contest.
Do your best. Do your best.
If you always do your best, you will know this inside,
And you will never feel regret nor depressed.
Do your best and love takes care of all the rest.
We swung each other to and fro, do-si-doed, twirled, jumped, and shook every bone in our bodies, until the band went home and we headed back down the glow worm pathway to the ocean cliff.
We called the Great Grandmother of the East’s name three times, and returned home just as the daybreak star was beginning to shine.
Wallace’s vision was healed forever, and the more people he told about his story, the more other people’s vision got healed as well. I decided from now on every year when the cherry blossoms bloom, I will hike into Deerland and sing my new favourite song, just to remind me of Wallace and the sparkly old man’s glasses.
If you could put on the magic glasses what would you see?
Lots of love always,
Smiles Truth
Letter #7- Where words came from
Dear Reader,
Have you ever wondered where words come from? Why is a chair a chair and hair, hair? Why do we speak and instead of sing? This thing, this language thing has always held some intriguing mystery to me, and ask around for some answers I certainly did.
I thought I would write you a letter because last week I got an answer to some of these questions. As usual after standing on my head, I went out for a run. I was running up the hill to the Eagle Gulch, and I was having to be careful to hop over the ice patches. It was a very steep climb before I reached the top.
In my last push to the top I was surprised as a great blast of cold wind hit my face, and the Great White Eagle soared down and stopped in front of me. Boy, did that ever surprise me. Have you ever been surprised by someone?
My surprise visitor introduced himself as the Great Grandfather of the North. I remembered my uncle telling me that he has the power of the White Giant's wing.
"Take courage for across the Earth I shall take you." He said to me.
"Do we have an adventure to go on? How can I help?" I asked.
"You have been asking many questions, and today you shall see the birth place of words spoken from the human tongue. Come with me." The Great Eagle lowered his enormous wing and I crawled on, laying flat against his back, he covered me with feathers that secured me tightly down and kept me warm.
We soared up and away from my village, the familiar forests and rivers growing smaller and smaller until we were covered in the mist of the cotton clouds and the ground below vanished.
Eventually we circled around the top of mountain peaks who were like giants that scraped the roof of the world. These were bigger than the mountains in the Wild West, more majestic still, and the Great Grandfather of the North gave me my long-awaited answers to some of my millions of questions. He answered me with this story.
"Back many years ago the people of these mountains that scrape the top of the world could read each other's minds. This was a different time when people had strong mind power; not like today. They could control their thoughts in each moment. Not like now where people are taken for a walk by their wandering thoughts. The people's minds were so strong they could use them to fly around, and heal sickness before it started.
The mountain people did not need to speak aloud because they could read each other's minds. This was a beautiful time on the snow capped razors edge of the world. Since the people controlled their thoughts instead of the other way round, they always thought good thoughts of love and generosity about themselves and others.
One day a stubborn cloud ran away from its family and in a fit of rage it dropped down on the mountain, and a dark thick fog descended on the people of the mountain. It was so thick and dark not a single drop of light could make it through from the sun. It lasted for four months and four days.
During that time of darkness the people got scared because they couldn't see their own hands in front of their faces, and they thought they had lost all their loved ones. They felt alone and very afraid. In this fear and isolation they let their strong minds run away from them.
When the fog cleared and the people saw each other again, their thoughts were out of control. They hurt each other's feelings by thinking bad things about each other.
"Your daughter's ugly." "Why should I help him, he is too lazy," and many other unkind thoughts had grown in the time of fog and fear.
The local old sage who lived in the cave facing North, was so saddened to see what had happened to his mountain people when he returned to visit his village after many months. In order to stop people from hurting each other anymore, he made a spell that took away their ability to read each other's minds. Instead he gave them spoken words, so they could keep their unkind thoughts to themselves.
The new law of the mountain was, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
The people had to learn then and to this day they still struggle with the fact that they are no longer mind readers. Deep inside people know they have this mind power, but until the day they get their mind control back, and can heal all sickness, they cannot make any assumptions about what someone else is thinking.
We have to use our words clearly.
It saddened me to look out on the blinding white peaks and imagine a time when our ancestors were covered in fear and darkness. For them and for me and for you and the Great Grandfather of the North I promise to not make assumptions, at least until I can fly using my own my mind power.
Do you promise too?
Lots of love,
Smiles Truth
Song: Just Like the Moon
Artist: Brett Dennen
"I believe that you were born
during an eclipse
and the stars named you moon child
then you come, you rise in to my sky you stepped in front of my sky and it makes my whole world dark and you light up the night just like the moon just like the moon you light up the night and sometimes, sometimes I only get a sliver of ya but I'm hopin', I'm hopin' for a full moon tonight"
Like it? Buy it- http://www.amazon.com/Just-Like-The-Moon/dp/B0013TRTJW
Letter #8- Wouldn't it be silly if...
Dear Reader,
Wouldn't it be silly if ...
We sang every word instead of spoke it?
We switched "how's it going" with "I love you" as our greeting?
Wouldn't it be silly if ...
Skipping was the most common form of walking?
Traveling to other countries was required before voting?
Wouldn't it be silly if ...
Everyone was imperfectly perfect
And when an accident or mistake happened all we heard was no worries!
Wouldn't it be silly if ...
Nap times were mandatory?
And drawing pictures was the normal form of note-taking?
Wouldn't it be silly if ...
Everyone got to play outside every day?
And break times consisted of standing on our heads?
Wouldn't it be silly if ...
Day dreaming, playing make believe, and listening to your breath
Or the ocean, were all viable occupations?
Wouldn't it be silly if ...
Helping others and giving came without counting?
Money grew on trees and was handed out like honey from the bees?
Wouldn't it be silly if ...
We could pick our favourite colour and we were all glowing together like a rainbow?
Wouldn't it be wonderful if ...
We didn't take ourselves seriously and
We could remember it's all no big deal?
Silly. Silly. Silly- Is where you'll find me!
xoxo Smiles Truth
Enjoy a bright sunny song
Song- Ask Me
Artist- Freshly Ground
Album- Ma'cheri
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=freshlyground%2Bma%2Bcheri&tag=kov-20&index=digital-music&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
Chorus:
But ask me about
What i know of the original source
What i know about what makes you sore
When you're out in the world alone
Ask me about birds
Ask me about flowers
Ask me about smiling easily
With someone you've only met that day
Letter #6- Wild West Part 3: Stuck Doors and Magic Keys
Dear Reader,
Last time I wrote you, we were still in the Wild West, the dust cloud had cleared because the horses had started to not take things personally. If you recall though, when we were galloping around town with the horse Green Machine, we stopped because we heard a commotion coming from the hardware store.
Slam! Bang!
The hardware store's big oak door slammed shut, opened for a few seconds and then slam! It was shut again, leaving the merchant on the inside and his customer needing new horse shoes stuck on the outside. We watched as they were pushing and pulling, trying to open the door, but alas it had become completely cemented.
Miggs got off the horse Green Machine, and stepped over to the shop. He reached his fingers into the hollow part of his string instrument and brought out an old golden key on a string.
"Can you hear me in there?" He called to the shopkeeper behind the door.
"Yeahuh," came the muffled response.
"I have here a very special key. This is a magic key that unlocks any stuck door. Even if all the oil in the house won't get a stuck door open, this key will never fail. But the most important thing you must do is understand how a door got stuck in the first place, otherwise the key won't work. Can you do that?"
The customer outside nodded his big head and the shopkeeper grumbled, "well ok, go on then."
Miggs continued, "When two people talk we have different perspectives. No way about it can we have the exact same ideas because you can't go in my head and I can't go in yours. It's important that we can share ideas freely, to have an open door between us. We all love propping open a door to let the wind dance around a bit, now don't we? All that whirling and twirling freshens up a place. We've just got to be careful you see, 'cause the danger of getting any ol' door stuck creeps up in any conversation when one person thinks their idea is the only right one. Isn't that what just happened to you two fellas?"
"mmm hhm".
Miggs stood on the deck swinging the key around his little finger. "As soon as you think you're right, you can't help but slam the door on the other person, without even realising you just shut out the nice fresh air too."
"Now I'm looking at this gents face, and I'm betting yours is the same in there Mr. Shopkeeper- defensive. Getting all fixated on being right makes everyone defensive and this is how the doors really get stuck like with sticky gum and strawberry jam lathered on the hinges stuck. But don't you worry, this happens quite regularly, you know what yall are doing- choosing to be right instead of happy.
There is however a spell you can say that the wind will hear. The trusty wind has promised that when it hears someone pledge the spell it will bring this magic key to unlock any stuck door. Do you want to learn it?" Miggs asked.
"Yes!" said the customer and a faint "yes," from the merchant.
"Alright then, repeat after me," said Miggs and he started to strum his guitar.
"I'm right. You're right. I'm left. You're left.
I'm up. You're down.We are all around.
Please wind come back to play.
I choose happiness over being right any day."
They all chanted the rhyme together and we all felt a big burst of wind at our back. The moment they said, "I choose happiness over being right any day." The key flew out of Miggs's hand and into the lock, twisting it with ease, like cutting through butter. Pop. The door flew open.
The merchant and the customer finished their discussion reasonably and settled on a price they could both agree on for the shoes.
My bum was sore after the galloping and joy riding around earlier and Miggs and I knew we had successfully completed our mission, so we stood looking West towards the magnificent 14,000 foot mountain peak and called the Great Grandfather of the West's name three times.
The little cloud came quickly back down to us, and carried us home.
Take care,
Smiles Truth
P.S. Can you think of a time when you got stuck being invested in being right? How did you get unstuck?
Letter #4- Wild West Horses Part 1
Hi again Reader,
Have you ever wished for something, and then as soon as you forget that you made the wish- it comes true? Well that is exactly what happened to me.
I had been asking to go on an adventure, and as soon as I had forgotten all about this wish, in the morning while I was standing on my head a great black horse appeared upside down. Actually, he was right-side up and I was upside down.
"I am the Great Grandfather of the West where the sun goes down. I request your help in my land." I lowered my feet to the ground, and came up to sitting to hear what I could possibly do.
"The horses are no longer a strong team. They are taking everything personally, and they have kicked up a thunder dust cloud that is very thick. I need you to take this bow and arrow and destroy whatever it is that is making them on edge."
"Of course I will do my best." I promised and climbed onto the Great Grandfather's back. We galloped over to Miggs who was already ready with his bag of apples and instrument, flung on his back.
The Great Grandfather of the West let out a tremendous whinny and a small thunder cloud dropped down in front of us. We stepped onto the cloud and were whisked West. As we travelled over the land, the Great Grandfather told us a powerful story about how to NOT take anything personally. Just before we arrived the Great Horse told us when we had destroyed the problem, to face West and say his name three times and he would bring us back home.
.
With those instructions, he handed the bow to Miggs and the arrows to me, and dropped us on the balcony of a quickly moving black narrow gauge railway train.
Chuggachugga chuggachugga chuggachugga. Our heads bobbed up and down, up and down. I rattled left, right, left, right, chuggachugga chuggachugga, chuggachugga, WOOOOOOOOOO blew the whistle. My legs were wobbly and I held onto the wooden rail with all my strength.
Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. I stuck my head over the side and whoosh, was slapped in the face with a cold blast of air rushing by as the train lurched on its narrow rails around a sharp turn.
"Oh wow!" I looked down and beyond the train tracks a sharp cliff dropped vertically down to a rushing river below.
"Holy Cow! Oh my goodness! Amazing! Miggs this place is beautiful!" The Aspen trees everywhere had changed their leaves to glowing gold in the chilly autumn air.
"I think we really are in the Wild West." He replied.
A few minutes later there was a long screech sound of the brakes and the train pulled into the dusty frontier town of Capitan. The thunder clouds hung dark in the sky, clinging to the edges of the sharp mountain peaks. The horses who had been on the train pushed their way past us, shoving and stepping on each other trying to be the first off the train.
"You dirty stinker", one mare said to another, who retorted by letting out an unnerving whinny that deafened even the Peregrine Falcon soaring high above.
We walked around the town and Miggs was thirsty so we stepped into a saloon for a drink of water. The horses here were even meaner than the ones on the train. They threw around cruel words like bullets, shooting each other left and right and then retaliating faster than the next.
"You ain't worth nothing." POW.
Then in quick response,"You are uglier than a bucket full of rotten toads legs." POW. Back and forth like a tennis game of insults. Each cruel word being swallowed up by the other.
Miggs strutted over to the middle of the saloon, stood up on a bar stool and let out a big old shout for attention. "HeeHaw! Attention all of you cowboys! If you horses can keep your big lips shut for five seconds we have an announcement."
I looked at him, wondering what the big announcement was, seeing as we didn't have plan as of yet how to help the Great Horse. Miggs winked at me, and I knew he was up to something.
Besides a few grunts and hoof stomps, the saloon fell quiet and Miggs continued, "At high noon we are calling a shooting competition, bow and arrows only. If one of you horses wins, we will buy you all a round of whatever juice you're drinking and apples for everyone. If we win, you must listen to our story."
I swallowed hard because I knew we didn't have a way to pay for all those drinks and we would be cooked turkeys if we couldn't fulfil our bet. There were a few snarls, spits and grunts, but no one disagreed.
The saloon keeper set up a bulls-eye on the main drag, and everyone gathered to see the spectacle. Wild Jack Mustang was the scariest, darkest horse with ripped ears and ratted tail, but of course the best aim, so he was the natural choice for the horses.
As I was worrying myself into a tizz, Miggs, whispered "just trust, remember we are totally supported". So he was to shoot for our team.
Wild Jack won the coin toss and chose to go first. Three arrows. He stood up tall on his hind legs and let go of the arrows with rapid fire.
One. Bulls-Eye. Two. Bulls-Eye.
Three. One hair to the left of the Bulls-eye. The crowd roared, whinnied and neighed as the dark thunder cloud cracked above and dust blew into our faces.
Next it was our turn. We were putting our trust completely on the fact that those horses needed to know the Great Great Grandfather of the West's story more than they needed another drink. Miggs shot the first one. Bulls-eye. Second. Bulls-eye. We took a deep breath together and he shot the third arrow- Bulls-eye.
With the third arrow, the wind died down, and the stinging dust fell to the ground. A small beam of sunlight broke through the cloud and lit up the horses faces. As the air brightened the horses relaxed and they started to move to a gentler beat.
They seemed pleased to gather around beneath the saloon's balcony, Miggs gave everyone apples anyway and the horses listened while I told the story we had just learned from the Great Grandfather of the West.
The story began, My friend's great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother was named Naupa.
Well my dear Reader, I believe I have written enough for this letter, but I promise I will continue with Naupa's story and how we left Capitan in the next letter.
Lots of love,
Smiles Truth
Letter #5- Wild West Part 2 Naupa's Story
Dear Reader,
As I promised I would continue with Naupa's story in my next letter, here is what the Great Grandfather of the West told me, that I then told the horses in Capitan.
My friend's great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother was named Naupa.
Naupa's village was located on the banks of the river Bai, surrounded by lush jungle, mango trees, and rice fields. Naupa and the other villagers never went north of the Tall Rock Waterfall or East of the bubbling hot springs because it was said that the Furious Black Serpent slithered around outside the borders of the village, and one drop of his venom would destroy a person from the inside out.
One year, the beloved chief died suddenly and left his young son in control of the village affairs. The young leader Kazu had much to learn still about the world and the nature of existence. He believed that everything people did, or said was because of him. He was very selfish thinking this way, but he was still young. When his teacher smiled, Kazu always thought it was because of something he had done, and couldn't see it was the eternal joy that always flowed out of his teacher. Similarly, when his cook cursed the scalding hot oil that burned his hand, Kazu selfishly thought the curses were about something he had done.
Really Kazu was sad about losing his father, and angry at the world for taking him away. He felt jealous of the other villagers who had their families. He believed he was rejected by others because he was so young to be a leader. He hated himself as he became more and more selfish, and he took more and more things personally.
He started to walk around the village pointing his finger at others, and telling them what they were doing wrong. "You need to work harder" "You need to exercise more." "You are not good enough." With every point of a finger, the villagers could see how there were three pointing back at Kazu, and they could all see his suffering and did not take his insults personally.
At dusk one day Kazu went to be alone by the Tall Rock Waterfall. "Why me?! Why is everyone so mean to me?!" He cried out at the cascading waterfall.
The Black Serpent heard his cries, and slithered over to where Kazu sat. He licked his lips as he could see that Kazu would be very easy prey indeed.
He lunged forward and sunk his teeth into Kazu and spat out his poisonous venom, "You are a nasty boy and nobody loves you." Because Kazu took everything personally, the venom went straight into his blood and froze his heart. The snake feeling nicely satisfied after he had shared his nasty poison with someone else, slinked back into the cover of the jungle.
Naupa had been out picking flowers to leave as offerings at the village temple, when she heard a cry from the waterfall. She saw the young chief frozen and dying from the predator's venom. She laid her shawl over him and rushed off to find help.
The villagers unanimously agreed that they needed to contact the Medicine Monk who resided in the Forest Temple near the border. He was well renowned before retiring to his hermitage as a peaceful warrior who could bring peace to any battle, and heal any injury. He was said to have no fear and be trained in the mysteries of love. The young chief's father had fought beside him, and loved the Medicine Monk very much.
Naupa went off to call on him, but she had to go north of the Tall Rock Waterfall. Over and over she chanted to keep the Black Serpent away, "I'm rubber. You're glue. Everything you say bounces off me and sticks to you."
Sensing the force field she had created with her chant, the serpent knew he would have no success with his venom on her, and kept away.
The Medicine Monk was out for a walk with his blue umbrella when Naupa arrived. He commended Naupa on her bravery, knowing full well that she had crossed the habitat of the Black Serpent. He gave her a scroll as a personal gift for her efforts, that read "Serenity is peace within the storm, not shelter from the storm." A gift from such a wise man was a real honour and Naupa's family has passed the scroll down for many generations.
After Naupa told the Medicine Monk about the young chief, the two flew back to the village on the wings of the Green Tailed Sunbird.
The monk kneeled down over Kazu, pressed his hands over his heart and whispered something in his ear. This was the magic antidote that reverses the effects of the poisonous venom.
The Medicine Monk shone a dimpled smile on the villagers and returned to his forest temple. When Kazu was fully recovered and strong, he taught the entire village how Naupa had protected herself from the serpent, and he shared the sacred antidote in case anyone ever got hurt again.
These are the words the monk whispered as he put his hands on Kazu's heart:
"Me. Me. Me. It's not about me.
Other's project what they feel inside, I see.
If it's good or bad, ultimately,
It's not for me to take personally."
Naupa and Kazu were soon after married and the village was a happy place where the people could walk around with open hearts without fear.
The end.
As I finished the last words of the story, I could see how the story had sliced into the hearts of the horses, and I thought our work was finished. What do you do Reader when other people take their bad feelings out on you? Had you ever noticed that when you point a finger there are three pointing back at yourself?
We enjoyed a drink of spicy carrot juice with the horses, and got some fun rodeo rides around town on the horse Green Machine.
Miggs and I had thought our work with the horses was done, and we were just about to call the name of the Great Grandfather of the West, when we heard a Slam! Bang!
Turned out there was still one more thing left for us to do before our exit from the Wild West, but that dear Reader I will continue with in the next letter.
Be well!
Smiles Truth
My favourite mountain and whistling song- Lady of the Mountain
Go ahead- whistle along, it's real fun :)
Garett Brennan and the Great Salt Licks
http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_1835421
What's your favourite mountain song?
Oliver Mtukudzi- The happiest music to start the day, or to do just about anything.
Song- "Wake Up"
Letter #3- Morning Routines
My dearest Reader,
I have been thinking, today is again today, and it doesn't stay tomorrow or yesterday, so please, please tell me, how do you start your everyday today?
My everyday today routine starts with waking up with sun, which means I sleep more in the winter and less in the summer- especially the closer to the North Pole I go.
Then I light a candle on my altar, and ask to the Great-Great Grandmothers and Grandfathers who live in a rainbow tipi in the sky, "What, oh what, do I need to know today? What, oh what, can I do to benefit others who pass my way?"
Next I watch my breath go in and out, and I count 1 Gardenia, 2 Gardenia, 3 Gardenia, 4, all the way up to 21 and then back down. With each Gardenia, I fill my stomach, my ribs, and my chest with golden sparkles and then shower those sparkles into all the trillions and trillions of dancing atoms that make up my body. This is even better than a water shower! You should try it!
After my meditation, I salute the Sun 10 times to clear out any fuzz in my body. I do a headstand to put things the right way up, and then mix up a magic super smoothie (raw chocolate, banana, maca, wheat grass powder, cinnamon, coconut milk, and raspberries) and drink it from a happy coloured straw, followed by a run or walk along the nature trails.
What do you eat for breakfast? I look forward to hearing from you soon, and I promise we will write as soon as we have an adventure to tell you all about.
Until next time,
Smiles the Truth
