Miscellaneous Wisdom Recently Acquired

julymoon

When the full Hay Moon is so bright that the hills are gleaming and the deepest part of night is shining like dawn and you can almost feel the moonbeams on your face and finally give up trying to sleep…don’t, whatever you do…don’t go upstairs to your computer and start reading news about the situation in Afghanistan. Okay? Just saying.

When morning arrives, pry yourself out of bed a little earlier than you want to. Coffee.

Later, if your friend is coming over to plan the class you are teaching together, look up from the pile of papers on the table and observe the fact of summer sitting right outside your door. Make a salad for the two of you, eat it on the deck, be civilized for a change.

When it’s dusk and you’re tired and the old ghosts start clamoring for your attention, remember these words by Carlos Casteñada: The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.

Why not choose happy? Pick up a book. Take a bath. Call an old friend.

Open the kitchen window when you wash the dishes. Smell the night air drawing near and watch the moon rise over the hills. Set the clock for tomorrow's train.

But don’t go to bed too early.