Solstice Kitchen

On this solstice morning we awoke to a deer in the field and a Mordorish sky which slowly gave way to bright sunshine. How appropriate!

We are still waiting for winter, or what passes for winter here on the south coast of Massachusetts. Folks here insist this is winter but that assertion is a stretch at best. We have yet to receive accumulating snow.

Just minutes ago the crew working on our kitchen moved our furniture back in! Aside from a couple of light fixtures the kitchen is finished, just in time for the Holidays. The past two days were devoted to coating the floor so we lived with off-gassing, all of us, including the cat, searching for nooks where we could breath more easily. We realized too late that our Menorah was in the kitchen window and unreachable; tonight we will again light the Hanukkah candles!

Yesterday we were speaking with a young friend who reminded us that in his Buddhist tradition everything is One. This is also the teaching of my shamanic teachers and a central tenant of my my tribal heritage.

Today being the Solstice, it seems good to remember that we are all at root not only related, but inseparable. May we remember that even butterflies have consciousness and the fate of each one is as important as our own fate. When we remember this we may treat the world and one another with more kindness and ease.

Sometimes we humans get wrapped up in our own melodramas, what the Buddhists call ego, and forget our true place in the world. The inevitable result is pain, suffering, and regret. We are not very bright ass a species and often fail to notice that whether we like it or not, our actions impact all beings and inevitably return to us, what the Buddhists call Karma.

As we welcome the return of the sun, let’s sit here in the kitchen, enjoy our coffee, and watch the morning light fill the room. Let’s settle for a moment and remember that we are all truly connected, all One Being. Maybe going home is as simple as rejoining All That Is. Then again, for us humans maybe nothing is simple.

Here’s hoping your Holidays are filled with joy. May we all remember that we are each the perfect expressions of Nature and our personal histories, that we are fine just as we are, and in doing so find ease and happiness.

Happy Holidays!