Celebrating, I am, this wonderful place to write

I have a fortuitous history of having learned from brilliant teachers, both so-called spiritual ones and academic ones. And sometimes, the two have come together in a teacher and not just two things but a multiplicity of things, the things that make us multi-faceted beings. Things like creativity and patience, kindness and flexibility, all combined with great humour and unique presence. What prompted these words is a remembrance of my Hindu Literature teacher at University of Arizona (where I studied East Asian Studies and received a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Thought and Religion). Dr. Chandola brought Hindu Literature to life with stories he told from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, the Upanishads, Kalidasa's MeghaDhutam (or Cloud Dancer), and with illustrations from the Theory of Rasa-Bhava and Shakuntala. All this came to me in a flash just now. Mostly, I was thinking of a single sentence Dr. Chandola had spoken to illustrate the need for settledness for the arts in civilization to flourish, for the cultivation of the thing we call the arts. 

I have been living in many places since February of 2009. I have been able to create art consistently as I travel; I sell and trade my paintings for fresh organic produce at farmers' markets and for the US and Japanese currency that I have needed to use for buying other things (while travelling in the U.S. and in Japan). Along the way, I have taken to heart the saying written on the back of our paper money: "In God We Trust", and I do. In these last six months, especially, I have experienced that I am always in the right place at the right time (as I have always been), that my home is in my heart, and that I take each step confidently, knowing that I am wholly supported and loved. 

Presently, I am enjoying a friend's home where I have a place to write and use a computer. As I travel, I have been able to use the public and university library system to connect to the internet and to share my art. My own laptop "crashed" in December just after I wrote about wishing for a break from the internet and from all the complexities of the electronics and social media that I was living with and using. Yet another example to be careful and caring with the thoughts I cultivate! Tomorrow, I plan to ride to the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff. I will go on my touring bicycle, Seedling, the Kona Ute. It is another step for me toward expansiveness, into the unknown, following my heart, and knowing I am home.

Simultaneously, I am feeling, conjuring, visualizing, and creating ~ with heart ~ images and sensations of the perfect home for me in which to cultivate the art, writing, creativity, and, beauty that flows out of me. From me to you, for all, for the unique expression that comes through me as me and that benefits the world.

In the meantime, thank you, for this place to write!