Not Sleeping For A While? Grab Some Scissors.

Well, here I am again, way too late into a wednesday night, making sonic arts and crafts.
Since I was unable to drift off into dreams when I laid down to sleep, I figured I'd post this little snippet as a way to convey the trippy nature of my post-midnight-hour wandering mind.

  Ask by rdilmore

Don't worry, Future Me, no one's going to judge you for spilling a sort-of-psychedelic spoken-word collage-song onto this otherwise pristine blog. "That's what smocks are forrr," as Dionne Warwick and friends would sing.

...oh man.

Beauty, Movement II: Some Eyes See

Some eyes see a tree and know it's a tree.

Some eyes see a tree and know it's the answer.
Some eyes don't see it.

Some eyes see the branches dancing.
Some eyes see all sails are full.
Some eyes see the wind.

Some eyes see a book and know it's a book.
Some eyes see a book and know it's a tree.
Some eyes see something else entirely.

Some eyes I've met.
Some eyes I've yet to meet.
Sometimes I fantasize what only
your eyes might foresee.

Still awake. Must I call this sleeplessness? Is there some spin I can whirl within this word, to turn it into something beautiful to me? To be honest, I feel rather fortunate to experience what I do when bedtime hours pass. It's as though my fingers simply move. Music simply plays. Words simply appear. Nothing tries to be anything, everything simply is.

I've been thinking a lot about the world we choose to see. The Me I choose to Be. The You you choose to Be. I love that some people see the Hollywood sign up close and feel total awe and wild excitement, while others step forward and say "... that's it?" I love that some people hear a song and it becomes their mantra, their senior quote, their first dance. Other people hear that same song, go straight to youtube, and state their appalling reaction unashamedly loud and clear.

It opens my eyes to the idea that it's never actually the thing, the song, even the person, providing the love (or lack thereof), it actually is some force in us. When the cliches are stripped away, and my mind lets go of the idea that "oh, we've heard all that before", it's awesome to be re-minded that We Are the Keepers of Our Fire. And all things are oxygen if we choose them to be. I like to picture myself as one who sees the oxygen in everything. That even seemingly bad things -- who am I to judge -- are here to grow my.your.our fire

Today, when I wake up after sleeping in, I choose to see all things as beautiful. I mean, let's face it, they already are (astoundingly so) with or without my acknowledgement. But I believe there's power and magic in linking arms with the way things are. Infinite. Immaculate. Miraculous. (Truly)

I am grateful to find that sleeplessness is really just sisters with awesomeness (and together they throw one heck of a dance party). I'm excited to wake up to the beautiful world I choose.

After all!,
Beauty Is In the Eye of the Bee Holder

One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Canvas

I choose to see you today 

to remind you how absurdly beautiful you are.
R

Beauty, Movement I: This Won't BE Fascinating (at all) Come Sunrise

Moments ago 

Unable to fall asleep 

I began (in the true spirit of sleep-deprivation) contemplating the word Beauty

BE - auty

What other words are home to the partner letters BE, I wondered aloud (silently).

Then entered, LiBErty

Discovery! Wow, it seems that words containing BE seem to frequently end in -ty! 

This momentary game-changer in modern literary science was quickly put to rest when out plopped:

BEnevolence instantly followed by BEan Casserole

...Crap.

Another sham hypothesis. Linguistic fictitiousness.

I realize now, perhaps I should have ignored those brainwaves when they so convincingly advised, 

Yeah, go ahead, Ry. Publish this. 

Blogging on sleeplessness 

is the new drunk texting. 

Oops

Thank You For Making Us

We all have One thing in common -
every mail man
every waitress
every saxophone player
every movie critic
every friend we've ever had
every passerby
every slow dance partner
every truck driver
every democrat & republican
every lemonade salesman
everyone who likes _____ & everyone who doesn't
every lover
every fighter
every person sleeping in a home or hotel suite
every person sleeping on the sidewalk or church steps
everyone we choose sides with
everyone we resist
everything we celebrate
everything we abominate
every kid
every great grandparent
every seed, every tree, every forest
every lightning bolt, every breeze
every chicken
every egg
you
me

We Are Here
thanks to Mothers

Today I am acknowledging the makers of all things.
Not one single plant, animal, or band member of Creed would be here if not for moms.
Our own Moms. And, of course, Mama Nature. Mama Universe. Mama Casio

To embrace our non-separateness, lately I've been practicing an awesome game I like to call
"There Goes My Brother"

The game (for 1 to 1 quadrillion players) began when I was wandering the neighborhood a few weeks ago. I noticed that I felt no connection to the cars slowly passing through stop signs or waiting for me to cross so they could make their turn. I suddenly was struck with visions of my siblings (who I miss, living across the continent) and I realized, hey ... what if the person driving that car were my brother or my sister? How present would I be as they drive off to wherever they needed to go? How would my mind feel? How would my smile feel?

So now every car that passes is my brother. My sister. My friend. The Best Part - something that started off as sort of pretending connection to these travelers caused a real transformation. My lungs, my attitude, the gravitational pull between my heart and the driver's seat, now give every indication that we are actually connecting. I turn my head in the direction of their tail lights, smiling, silently bidding bon voyage. As if I'm conjuring up a loving wind for their sails, to have their back whatever course they choose. There goes my brother

It's so simple to give Love. So monumentally rewarding for ALL.
"As you serve others, you serve yourself.
As you serve your Self, All are rewarded."

My parents are the Queen & King of unconditional Love. Just ask everyone. To give simply for the chance, the choice, to BE Generosity. From the day I chose to act on the thought, "I'm ready to open my eyes and breathe and meet my hilarious older siblings," my whole family has shown up as this unstoppable force of pure, awesome, Love. I Am unspeakably grateful to have been born of your tribe. Truly. And to realize more and more every single day that Our tribe is in fact infinitely bigger than a family of five.
It is Everyone, Everything
Everything I see
Everything I don't see

Today I'm hugging all the trees, kissing the face of our planet, thanking the universe for ALL my sisters and brothers, praising the mothers who made us so.

Peace Begins With A Smile
Life Begins With A Mom

LOVE

In celebration, I invite you to share a newly revisited song of mine called
Movement of This Moment
A musical testament to My/Your/A/The/Our Mother