HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Thanks dad, for being the man

in my life, year after year after year.

Quotes of the week

Quotes from songs this week:

All lies and jest, still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. - Simon and Garfunkel, The Boxer

We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school. - Bruce Springsteen, No Surrender

You better start swimming or sink like a stone, cause the times they are a-changing. - Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changin'

A line I used in group therapy this week, to describe the absolute egocentricity of addiction:

“I felt like I was the only colorized thing in a otherwise black and white world”- Dave Seward

Meditation of the week

"Thinking," said the little boy, "is when your mouth stays shut and your head keeps talking to itself."
--Arkansas Baptist

We need quiet times in order to develop peace and serenity in our lives. We spend most of our days speaking or being spoken to. It's important to set aside time to speak to ourselves. We need to speak to ourselves gently and honestly each day. We need to spend quality time with ourselves to keep in touch with who we are and where we're headed. A diver takes the time for a deep breath and a quiet moment before he jumps, and so it is for us before we jump from one activity to the next. In this way we can honor ourselves and our actions by offering respect for what we've just done, and for what we're about to do.

Today I will have at least one quiet time for myself because I deserve it.

Poem of the Week

Ron Padgett, (books by this author)

   The 2 f's
     in giraffe
     are like 2 giraffes
     running through
     the word giraffe
     The 2 f's
     run through giraffe
     like 2 giraffes

Solstice of the week

Today is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the first official day of summer and the longest day (and shortest night) of the year. It's also the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere; it's the shortest day of the year today in countries like Australia, Argentina, and South Africa. Down there, the summer solstice is in December.

The term solstice comes from the Latin words for "sun" (sol) and "standing still" or "stoppage" (stice). On this longest day of the year, the sun appears as if it were standing still in the sky. There are big celebrations in Northern Europe today, many of which go back to ancient pagan times and incorporate bonfires, dancing, feasting, and staying up all night to welcome the dawn. One of the biggest destinations for the summer solstice is Stonehenge in England; today it is the place for New Agers such as neo-druids, neo-pagans, and Wiccans to gather, along with college-age revelers, wholesome families, romantic couples, and shoestring backpackers. And it's the only day of the year the park service offers free parking, free admission, and the opportunity to stay at the monument overnight.

The day is also celebrated in China by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.

Song of the week

Sleep’s dark and silent gate by Jackson Browne

Then

And now

Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder
Where my life will lead me
Waiting to pass under Sleep's dark and silent gate

I found my love too late
Running around day after day
Looking for the time to play
While my old friends slipped away

Never should have had to try so hard
To make a love work out, I guess
I don't know what love has got to do with happiness
But the times when we were happy
Were the times we never tried

Sitting down by the highway
Looking down the road
Waiting for a ride
I don't know where I've been
Wishing I could fly away
Don't know where I'm going
Wishing I could hide
Oh God this is some shape I'm in
When the only thing that makes me cry
Is the kindness in my baby's eye

Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder
Where the years have gone
They have all passed under
Sleep's dark and silent gate