Worldwide Stew

The Periodic Table of Birthday Elements

This was for my brother’s Birthday. It was created by Claude.ai based on my original idea. I wanted to share it with readers.

Mindfulness and mindfulness meditation

How much do I need to meditate to be mindful?

This question lies at a modern fallacy: How little can I do something to enjoy it’s benefits? We have become used to getting things for free and as a commodity.

Alas, mindfulness and meditation are inseparable. You have to meditate to be mindful. And, its not a superpower that comes with a purchase, in an app, or available without practice.

Do we ever really say goodbye? On grief and spores.

As a youngster, I used to enjoy stomping down on mushrooms growing in our yard. Sometimes, when I jumped on them particularly ferociously, I could see some sort of powder fly out.

Years later, I learned that the flying powder was spores. Spores are one way that nature keeps things alive. It’s like Nature’s filing system. When I stomped on those mushrooms, the powder from under the mushroom’s head and gills generated those puff-clouds, which were then carried off by the breeze into the world. Those spores ensured that my pre-stomped mushroom endured.

I am not so special

Guru (noun) 1: a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduis 2a: a teacher and especially intellectual guide in matters of fundamental concern has been a guru to many young writers b: one who is an acknowledged leader or chief proponent became the guru of the movement c: a person with knowledge or expertise : expert a computer guru

This is a continuing riff on gurus and specialness. Today, I wanted to write about the personal specialness we sometimes attribute to ourselves.

Just Fly

Just Fly
by Mike Davis

Padding along the trail,
We ambled toward the car,
Dog’s nose pressed to ground,
Human noses pressed forward,
Next stop, the car.
My mind focused on that next thing.

Then, the screech of a red-tailed hawk,
My eyes peered around me.
Where does that clear,
Piercing, cry come from?
And there, off to the right
Riding the air currents
Along the length of the creekbed