Nests

Winter Walking through Lexington's Woodland Park is my favorite. Especially when it's cold--nature's air conditioning--and I can comfortably wear seasonal clothes without getting too hot under the collar while trekking around.

The park is much more interesting in winter. Trees are leafless, but far from lifeless. In the nooks of the bare grey-brown branches, up high in various oaks and walnuts, are nests, squirrel nests. Now and then you'll see the cute little critters digging around for an acorn they'd hid back in the fall, but mostly they are up in those nests, snuggled together, enjoying who know what, the next episode of their favorite sitcom? A classic movie? Or just being?

Being. How nice to just be and for that alone enjoy glee. We are after all human beings, not doings.

But like the squirrel that must build its nest and scavenge for food to enable its rest in the nest--its being--we must also scurry, plan and "do" in order to "be." Hopefully we like what we do and are at peace all the time, not just at rest.

So the trick is to be while we do. The spiritual among us might hand it all over to God, delegate up if you will, as we go about doing what we need, and hopefully like, to do. Others have no need for this and just live life without so much thought.

Certainly for them and all, enjoying what one does is one key to be while we do. But is there more? Is it a matter of zen-like conscious awareness, itself a doing in order to acheive the animal-like presence of being?

If so, it is well worth the effort. And look at it like this: the world, with all its prejudices, agendas, traditions of man--many of them false--and schtick, has entangled our minds and to some degree warped our native, natural awareness we had when first born. Therefore, the special effort to listen to the wisdom of sages past and present and apply it to our lives is necessary to unravel the world's warping influence.

In a sense we can regain our sanity and serenity by returning, in mind and spirit, to our original nest, our mother's womb. Love, pure unadulterated love, that starts inward and reaches out to and through the universe.

Keep that and we can change the world.

Richard F. Dawahare 1/19/08