POEM: Daddy Sutra

Ego is the public enemy of the heart.
It is okay to accept it and let it roam free,
Just never let it out and never let it speak
If you can help it.

Faith is the opposite of fear.
Silence is the music of the unseen
While stillness is the dance.

Tend to the light but know that all things grow at night
In the dark fragrant soil that was once other living things.

The earth does not know you by name
But rather by how gently you walk.

It’s fine to not understand your purpose on this planet.

Engage all things promptly whenever possible.
Find the common face of all things.

Acknowledge the times you are wrong and never crow when you are right.

Accept that everything you do will hurt someone or something
Then forgive yourself and start from there.

Be there for the sunrise and sunset;
Be there for friends in need and in joy.
Let others talk - for none of us ever gets chance enough
To talk about ourselves –
Each of us wants desperately to be recognized.
Love hides in the recognition.

When someone steps up to talk with you,
Push your chair away from your desk,
Stop organizing your mail, stop synchronizing your IPod.
Do not be a thief and rob your visitor of his moment to be heard.
No one wants to be voiceless.

Let the weather occasionally dictate your actions:
On warm days, eat ice cream.
On rainy days, make soup,
On snowy day, drink tea
And know that just like the animals you too are subjects
In nature’s kingdom.

Drive without the radio on or CD playing.
Walk without earphones.

When riding in a car as a passenger,
Roll down the window, stick out your head and try
To imagine what dogs feel.
Or close your eyes and pretend you are eagle making
Some harrowing cliff descent.

Be kindest to those who are closest to you:
Too often these are the ones who get the worst parts of us.

Devise a plan to eliminate resentment:
Give each one a name and give them a persona
Then plan a going away party for each one
And bid them “adieu”.

Dig in the dirt at least once a year.

Plant something by your own hand at least once a year.

Remember to dance.
Remember to sing.
Remember to pray.
Failure to do these things will make you sick.
Some African tribes believe this is the source of all sickness.

Acceptance is sitting in traffic, late for an appointment, looking at the clock
And not letting it bother you.

Contentment is not looking at the clock.

Whistle often.

When you meet strangers, smile.
When you meet friends, touch.

Cook often for each other. Feed each other for
A recipe is a treasure map into the heart of another.

Eat chocolate once a day. *

* - not for diabetics or those who are lactose intolerant.