I am drawn to the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi:  Where beauty is found in the imperfect nature of a thing*. I find it to be a truth that applies to all things.

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I am also attracted to the imagery of stained glass. I love stained glass – even in the daylight. The initial beauty of a whole piece of stained glass art draws me in:  The design, the composition, the multi-colored mosaic, the texture of the lead and the glass together…

But then, upon closer inspection, I see the complexity of the creation itself. The way in which each individual piece of glass is unique. The way in which these smaller shapes and colors must combine in order to define the larger image. And then the way in which these small individual components are actually held together as one by the web of lead that binds them.

Stand close and you have an abstraction. Stand back and the image is revealed.

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There is another, second, layer of understanding to a work of stained glass art.

The art form reminds me of the interconnectedness to all of life. To me, each small piece of glass is like each small piece of our planet’s energy. The life energy that includes you and me, him and her, plant life, animals and fish and insects, as well as all the so-called ‘its’ on our planet. ‘Its’ like the dirt and stones, the air and water, the electrical currents, the planet itself and the space around the planet.

In the same way the individual pieces of glass are connected by the web of lead that binds them together, we are all connected by a web of energy. The piece of glass in the upper left-hand corner is connected to the piece of glass in the lower right-hand corner; and without either one of them (or any of the others in between) the picture is incomplete and not whole.

So what then do you call that ‘web of lead’ which binds us all together?

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“People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.” 
~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

And so another, third, layer of understanding is revealed. There is that which binds the glass pieces together, and there is that which illuminates the whole. One connects, one expresses. Different and yet the same.

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The beauty and perfection of the stained-glass piece of art comes from the very collection of broken and stained pieces from which it is made. Wabi-sabi.

Take care and seek peace my friends,

Vince

Unless otherwise indicated, all images are copyright vincegreen111058.

 * The concept of wabi-sabi goes much deeper than this; much deeper than I want to get into now. For the time being, if you would like to learn more visit these sites or snoop around on your own:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

http://www.utne.com/mind-and-body/wabi-sabi.aspx

http://nobleharbor.com/tea/chado/WhatIsWabi-Sabi.htm

 

Sometimes there are flashes of energy that zap into your mind out of nowhere and speed through your body down into the hands. This is one such moment…..

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Understanding the forces of nature helps to understand the flow of your everyday life.  For every action there is a reaction. For every up there is a down.  For every light there is a dark.  For every move to the left there is a move to the right.

Everything in the universe is in balance.  There is no right or wrong.  There just Is.  There just Is.  So when a mountain is formed, so is a valley.  When there is a cloudy day on one spot of the planet, there is a sunny day on another.

The key is to understand and accept that for every move there is a complimentary move in another direction.  And although one move may seem to be a “good” move, say – a movement upward, there will be a corollary movement sideways, or even downward, which may seem “bad” to you.

This is not to be seen as a “bad” thing that has happened.  It simply is the reaction to another movement of energy.  It is energy reacting to energy.  To Itself.  It is neither good nor bad.  However, all movement is progress.  It is the movement itself that is what can be called “good.”

When the wind blows, she does not pick her direction.  She simply moves; sometimes fast, sometimes slow.  The same can be said for water, for fire and electricity, and for your planet herself.

Birth and death are movement too.  So is the act of saving a life or ending one. (And do not limit your definition of ending a life to refer to just a human one)  It is all just energy in motion.  It is all good.

If you learn anything in your life, learn this.

Understand this deeply.  Drink it into your mind.  Let it soak in.  Accept it.  Use it.  The knowledge of this one thing will eliminate almost all of human suffering.  It is the key to happiness.  It is what will enable you to move forward and progress physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Make the object of the energy, the movement, LOVE.  Make the reason for the movement LOVE.  Make the goal of the movement LOVE.  Your lives will become much easier to handle and work with on a daily basis.  Your mind will become free and at peace when this secret is held in your hand and shared with all others.

Be free.  Be at peace with yourself.  Be in LOVE with yourself.  You will never understand how you could ever have thought any differently.  But don’t wait, like some choose to do, until the moment of your death to come to this realization.  Accept it now.  Everyone does, some just sooner than later.

But regardless of what you choose to experience, it’s okay.  It’s all okay.

Take care and seek peace my friends,

Vince

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Unless otherwise indicated, all words and images copyright vincegreen111058. www.artbyvincegreen.com.

When it comes to food, I am a really too simple-minded. I think that is a good thing. Yet it can be boring. Which of course is why I like boring food to begin with:  It is simple.

I don’t particularly like eating at restaurants. They always seem overpriced to me. Maybe a better way to put is I that usually never see the value in it. The value for me, that is.

I was a vegetarian for about ten years. It was a difficult journey in a land of omnivores. My wife at the time, Stacey, was very supportive when I changed over – not because she joined me, or heard the same voices I heard – rather she adapted her, and our family’s, lifestyle around mine. I really appreciated that, nonetheless it was still difficult navigating a course through menu’s that always seemed to include meat.

My mom always asked me the same thing:  “You can still eat fish right?”

Sigh.

With a young family, fast food joints were always easy for us on the watch, the wallet and the mind. We used to do Wendy’s a lot because I could eat baked potatoes and Frosty’s; or Burger King because they used to have a veggie burger on the menu. Maybe they still do?  And fries don’t have meat in them – see where the difficulties arise?

I started eating meat again when I needed to lose a bunch of weight (the result of vegetarian bread and beer). I went on a very strict diet and exercise program that I felt needed to include protein from meat. I’ve been eating meat ever since, never very much, and rarely beef, but I am very close to being a total vegetarian again – and on the path toward vegan.

I’ve also been single again for almost 9 years now and cooking for yourself creates a whole other set of challenges that most of you are either familiar with or can figure out for yourself.

So my food-eating principles are pretty clear-cut. I eat as clean as possible:  Little or no processed foods. I like to jumble up all the nutrients my body needs into one dish or serving. I like to keep things simple.

So this means I usually prepare my meals en masse and then store them in single-serving containers to eat later. So it was this morning. I thought I’d share this very simple vincemeal with you.

Ingredients

– Two hands full of white potatoes, boiled then mushed up.

– A can of kidney beans, low sodium and rinsed anyway.

– Two carrots roasted.

– Turmeric, black pepper, red pepper seeds/flakes, ginger.

That’s it. Mixed together and as you can see, partitioned out into one serving for breakfast and four for later over the next few days. I was going to add some more protein by frying up some tempeh, but eh, I’ll use that for something else later.

Simple is as simple does.

Boring but that’s how I like it. A few dollars and I’ve got 5 meals. To me, this is more satisfying than anything I can get in a restaurant.

How do you like it?

Take care and seek peace my friends,

Vince