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We being ourselves.

7/30/2016

Comments

 
Old age has its benefits. For instance, it makes it a lot easier to answer the question "Who am I?".

When they're old, people have a lot more data to look at than they did when they were young. They have a lifetime's worth of very personal reactions to situations, reactions that other people might not have made, or made differently. And no longer are they struggling to be somebody other than whom they really are, some more perfect someone that they think society wants them to be. Time for that has run out. The deadlines have been reached. The tests have been marked and returned. Old people can finally stop, look at the collected evidence, and say, "Ah."

Linda and I have both lived fairly rough lives, but we've been very lucky in that we've been able to be ourselves all the way along. Neither of us ever developed any ability to pretend to be other people. For some, it's just the opposite. The pressures of life are such that they never get a break from pretending.

So, in the end, Linda and I only had to collect our memories to see who we are. And resign ourselves to them. We didn't have to first strip off artificial personas we had built up over our lifetimes.

I think it's very difficult to work your way out of a trap like that. You have two different tasks to accomplish, not just one, and both are extremely difficult. First, you have to convince yourself you're not the person you've spent a lot of time and effort convincing yourself you are. And, second, you have to try to be your true self when you have no idea what that is.

Well, here's a (probably dumb) idea that has a slight chance of working. Instead of concentrating on trying to be oneself, maybe a person could do it the other way around. They could try to stop being anything they've copied from others, then see what's left.

If anybody gets inspired to try this, I'd be very curious to hear how it goes.
Comments

Linda and I are suddenly feeling enormous relief, especially Linda!

7/28/2016

Comments

 
Picture
We just got back from the doctors, with the results from her ultrasound and blood tests. And NOTHING!!!

Most importantly, she has no pancreas problems, the worst possibility of all being pancreatic cancer, and death within a year. Not even pancreatitis. And no liver problems. And no kidney problems, which the symptoms all seemed to point to, assuming the pancreas weren't at fault. There were NO blood or ultrasound findings for any of these!

And yet she still has terrible, continual pain and burning, and has had for a long time now. So it has to be something. But whatever it is, it's not as serious as we were imagining. From here it's a process of elimination. The first possibility to eliminate is "nerve pain", from a damaged or squeezed nerve from the spine. Apparently, that could cause the same symptoms.

But in any case, now Linda can finally relax and stop worrying about her life. Walking downtown from the doctor's to indulge in her first normal meal since she's been on her extremely restrictive diet, she suddenly threw her arms up in the air and said, with a big smile, "I feel like a totally new woman!!", and, as it sank in, "Now you and I might have another twenty years together!"


From Facebook: likes....101:   Marlene Laplante, Dave Jarrell and 99 others

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For the many comments, press Read More..........................................................................

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She sings!

7/27/2016

Comments

 
I vaguely recall having said something nice to Linda, in a fun tone of voice. The next time we passed in the hall, she suddenly swung around me and looked up with those big eyes and bigger smile and sang this:

"I JUST want to
SQUEEZE you
TEASE you
aMUSE you,
my darLING."

Astonished that she was actually singing the refrain from some song, which she never does, I asked where she got it.
"Nowhere. I just made it up."
​

"Wow," I said. "That was nice."



From Facebook: Likes....6: Meredith Moeckel, Linda Eva Williams and 4 others
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Paul Branton so you ain't the only poet
Like · Reply · 6 hrs

Stan Burfield seems so!
Like · Reply · 1 · 2 hrs
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Linda and I biked down to Springbank Park's Rose Garden. I enjoyed her enjoying what makes her happy.

7/18/2016

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From Facebook: Likes....21:  Peggy Roffey, Paula Dawn Lietz and 19 others
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Wendy Clark Perron · Friends with Paula Dawn Lietz
so beautiful
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I'm looking forward to putting London Open Mic Poetry behind me,

7/18/2016

Comments

 
I'm looking forward to putting London Open Mic Poetry behind me, so as to have more time to spend with Linda and my own projects. I don't know when just yet, but events are moving me in that direction.

From Facebook: Likes....11: Charmaine E. Elijah, Karen Troxler and 9 others
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Jf Pickersgill This specific tension often arises for organizers of regular literary events such as yours. It takes time and effort that is often underestimated by others -- including those who enjoy the monthly readings -- or that simply goes along with less recognition than is merited. Personal life pulls in another direction, too. One thing I would say from personal experience ... when the time comes, pulling back *for now* does not necessarily mean pulling back *forever* ... you might come back to it. Best solution all around? Find someone else to do all the tasks entailed in convening the monthly series ... but ... I do strongly acknowledge that is not always a realistic possibility.
Like · Reply · 4 · 18 July at 15:00

Stan Burfield Thanks, JF. Good points. From the beginning I've tried to get other people involved in it, forming an "organizing committee" with the main idea that there will be interested and committed others to carry it on. Let's hope it works out that way. I've discovered, however, that there is a huge difference between the mental attitude of starting something and making it happen, and the other of helping. But these are mature young people who may be able to pick up their game.
Like · Reply · 5 · 18 July at 15:29

Patricia Black Sorry to hear Stan that you're moving on - for now - and I wish you and Linda very well. Thank you for your outstanding devotion to the Open Mic. We hope others will be willing to carry on - you have put so much time, energy and love into it.
Like · Reply · 2 · 19 July at 00:22

Stan Burfield Thanks so much, Patricia!
Like · Reply · 19 July at 00:25


Comments

Orange-oatmeal cookies!

7/16/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Linda is on a super-strict no-fat, no-oil diet until she gets the problem with her pancreas diagnosed. So we found some vegan no-oil recipes. She made these scrumptious cookies.
http://www.fatfree.com/recip…/cookies/orange-oatmeal-cookies
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 1995 11:09:21 -0400

From: SusanaR151@aol.com
Orange Oatmeal Cookies
2 whole egg whites
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup thawed orange juice concentrate
1-1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp orange zest ( grated rind)
1 tsp orange extract
cooking oil spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 2 egg whites , 1 peeled banana, OJ in
blender and blend 60 seconds until incorporated. Pur into large mixing
bowl, add honey. Put in the oatmeal and flour and mix well. Then add soda,
cinnamon, mix with wooden spoon. Then add raisins and zest.
Place by tablespoonfulls on greased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minute or until lightly brown.


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Meredith Moeckel What a beautiful setting to eat all the yummy cookies.
Like · Reply · 17 July at 21:11

Meredith Moeckel
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 17 July at 21:11

Stan Burfield What you see there is all Linda's creative puttering.
Like · Reply · 1 · 17 July at 21:17

Meredith Moeckel Yes I do recognize it! :)
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 17 July at 22:51
Write a reply... 


Carol Reid Best to Linda and thanks for the great recipe. Going to make them tomorrow.
Like · Reply · 17 July at 22:23

Stan Burfield Enjoy. Linda says there'll be more recipes to come.
Like · Reply · 1 · 17 July at 22:32
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Cambridge N Calvin Keenan That's awesome Stan , swanky and savvy sharing on that parlour patio , Linda's creativity Is most inviting , I see the stars in your eyes as you look at her 💜 and its so refreshing to witness that 👍
Unlike · Reply · 2 · 17 July at 23:30

Stan Burfield Ha ha. I'm a lucky guy.
Like · Reply · 1 · 17 July at 23:34
Write a reply...
 


Meredith Moeckel Don't know why this popped up on my FB news feed again, but honestly it's a great happy GOOD picture of you! Maybe Linda's cookies have a secret ingredient? Just kidding my handsome friend!

Comments

Worried

7/15/2016

Comments

 
I'm getting worried. Linda has some major medical problem.

From Facebook: Likes....8:   Cambridge N Calvin Keenan, Silvia Palacios and 6 others
Comments

Sherry Cantwell hey is she going to be okay
Like · Reply · Yesterday at 15:37

Stan Burfield I don't know. They''re just working on the diagnosis. But whichever way it goes isn't good.
Like · Reply · Yesterday at 15:42

Stan Burfield Right now she's just distracting herself with her crafts.
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 15:43

Cambridge N Calvin Keenan I'm sorry to hear this news Stan 🌹sending good vibes and warm hugs to both you and Linda 🌹
Like · Reply · Yesterday at 17:19

Sherry Cantwell Stan keep me posted
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 23 hrs
Write a reply...


Cambridge N Calvin Keenan Oh Dear . I hope she is going to be alright 🌹
Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 15:42

Yvonne Maggs A sorry to hear this Stan, good luck to you both..
Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 15:49

Tina Pickard So sorry to hear. Wishing you well Linda.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 15:54

Rhonda Celeste I am sorry to hear this, Stan
Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 16:00

Scott Alderson Good thoughts and energy sending your way.
Unlike · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 18:30

Linda Eva Williams If there is any advice that my experiences can provide, please ask. Love to Linda.
Like · Reply · Yesterday at 19:05

Stan Burfield Thanks, Linda,
Like · Reply · Yesterday at 19:06
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Leslie Morris Sending positive vibes from the west!
Like · Reply · 23 hrs

Stan Burfield Thanks, Leslie.
Like · Reply · 23 hrs
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Ryan Gibbs Thinking of you, Stan...
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 23 hrs

Danny Wootton Let me know whats going on Stan
Like · Reply · 23 hrs

Lynn Tait The two of you are in my thoughts and prayers! Stan, I'm so sorry I'm sure you must be very worried!
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 22 hrs

Karen Booth Thinking of you both
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 22 hrs

Larry Burfield Best wishes and prayers Stan and Linda.
Unlike · Reply · 2 · 22 hrs

Dave Jarrell Thinking good thoughts for you both. I hope Linda has a speedy recovery.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 20 hrs

Debbie-David Currie Stan, can I call tomorrow? Friday?
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 20 hrs

Riley Peters Get well soon grandma Linda ❤️
Unlike · Reply · 2 · 20 hrs

MaryLee Bragg Sorry to hear this. Best wishes to both of you.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 9 hrs

Sue McMaster Thinking good thoughts for you both
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 6 hrs

Dan Lenart Sorry to hear (read) the bad news.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 5 hrs
Comments

While walking home from the store with cherries...

7/15/2016

Comments

 
I like to think of myself as a Canadian. It's a nice thought. But it's just an idea. This city, however, is something real.
​


From Facebook: Likes....7:  Meredith Moeckel, Liz Thompson and 5 others
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Stan Burfield Ummm. I can't stop eating them. The huge ones. They're sooooo good. And they're the cheapest right now: $1.75/lb. at Harry's No Frills on Commissioner and Wharncliffe. I get two big bag fulls, and have them eaten within three days. I'm a fruitaholic.
Like · Reply · 3 · 13 July at 17:41 · Edited

Tina Pickard I will get some tonight, you have convinced me , ummmm love cherries.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 13 July at 17:39

Tina Pickard I hope you don't eat too many
Like · Reply · 13 July at 17:41

Stan Burfield I always do, but at least they're healthy.
Like · Reply · 13 July at 17:41

Tina Pickard And they are seasonal, just like all the summer and fall vegetables and fruits, I get sores from eating to many tomatoes.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 13 July at 17:42
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Karen Troxler Better stock up on Immodium lol!
Like · Reply · 13 July at 19:55

Meredith Moeckel Karen, I am curious why you say this----I've never heard this about cherries, but then I don't eat them that often. After reading Stan's post, I think that I will get some tomorrow!!! :)
Like · Reply · 13 July at 22:57

Stan Burfield What's immodium for, Karen?
Like · Reply · 13 July at 23:09

Stan Burfield Oh, looked it up. Diarrhea! Ha ha. You would think so, but it doesn;t seem to affect me that way for some reason.
Like · Reply · 13 July at 23:10
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Meredith Moeckel Stan...I am wondering what walking home from the store enjoying eating cherries has to do w/ being a Canadian, or about your city 'being real'? No need to answer my curious questions!! :)
Like · Reply · 13 July at 23:02

Stan Burfield Well, the cherries and me walking, and the sidewalk are all real. The country is just an idea. Anybody who lives here can see the city. Nobody can see Canada. Not that ideas aren't powerful. Because of this idea in millions of people's heads, we have political systems instituted, and money collected and spent. Some guys are in the middle east fighting in deadly wars because of it. But the thing itself is just an idea.
Comments

We decide

7/15/2016

Comments

 
We're all stuck 
with the lives 
we're stuck with.

But we decide when 
to dig our graves, 
and, if it's done, 
whether to dig deeper 
or dig ourselves out.

From Facebook: Likes....8: Linda Eva Williams, Meredith Moeckel and 6 others
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Magnus Grendel Samson Coleman IT ALL DEPENDS ON REALLY HOW BURIED WE ARE AND COVERED IN DIRT WE ARE FROM THE INSIDE OUT... SOME OF US HAVE HAD THE CONSTANT FEELING OF BEING BURIED ALIVE BY LIFE WITH NO MATTER WHAT EVER WE DO... THE SOUL CAN ONLY GO SO FAR BEFORE IT ACTUALLY FEELS, DEAD AND BURIED, A PERSON CAN ONLY DIE SO MANY TIMES INSIDE BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE A PART OF THEM IS PERMANENTLY LITERALLY DEAD INSIDE (F-O-R-E-V-E-R-), I'VE BEEN FEELING THAT WAY MY WHOLE LIFE... I'VE NEVER REALLY ENJOYED LIFE, OUTSIDE OF THE ODDITY, OF MY OWN EXISTENCE, TO FORBEAR, WITH MY ART FORM.
Unlike · Reply · 2 · 13 July at 16:09 · Edited

Magnus Grendel Samson Coleman AS SAD AS THAT MAY SOUND OR PATHETIC, EVEN.
Like · Reply · 1 · 13 July at 16:11 · Edited

Linda Eva Williams Good luck to you. It hurts to see so much hurt.
Unlike · Reply · 2 · 13 July at 20:05



Stan Burfield It would be nice if we all could see our lives as clearly as Magnusdoes. (By the way, the little poem above came from a conversation just now with Magnus, giving him first shot on the comments.)
Like · Reply · 1 · 13 July at 18:15 · Edited

Meredith Moeckel I read this poem a few times before deciding what to even write. I'm not sure if this applies, but I get the impression that part of this poem can apply to being in a rut. And I believe that I may have already shared with you something that my father used to say when I'd tell him that I felt like I was in a rut & needed to get out. He'd say, "The only difference between a rut and a grave is dimension!". I can apply my father's quote to your poem.....I prefer to do my utmost to dig myself out one way or another. Sometimes, it's easier//harder than others. I am curious about Magnus' art form.
Like · Reply · 1 · 13 July at 22:48

Stan Burfield That's pretty good, Meredith. What sparked the poem to me was something Magnus and I were talking about. That a person can reinforce a negative direction by dwelling on it, by talking about it, by making it into a part of a person's persona, self-image. I think that negative idea is then taken by the subconscious to be the background to its world, kind of the way our conscious minds see the real city and our social world as the background. Whereas, if a person consciously decided to think in the other direction, even if they didn't feel like going in that direction at all, it would soon change the background of the subconscious, eventually making it the new reality. Thus the image of one digging oneself out of one's grave.
Like · Reply · 2 · 13 July at 23:01

Meredith Moeckel Stan, I truly believe the theoretical proposition that you have written. I am a firm believer in the power of positive thinking...and many times I do believe that our thoughts can have great power(s) to change our minds...both the subconscious & conscious parts. I'd write more, but I'm too tired, sorry!! Nice food for thought & as always I enjoy your writings---I haven't been on FB much this past week, so I've missed a lot, I'm sure. I'll catch up eventually!!!
Like · Reply · Yesterday at 01:11 · Edited

Stan Burfield Meredith Moeckel Ha ha. Well, I do a lot of thinking about things, but I'm not very good with following through. It seems like it must work like this, but in reality it's probably a lot more complicated. Anyway, it's all fun.
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 01:13

Meredith Moeckel I definitely think it's much more complicated ! When I began writing, I quickly realized that there is much more that one could go into & being so tired, I decided to call it quits. Yes indeed it's all fun! :)

Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 05:20 · Edited
Comments

Science

7/15/2016

Comments

 
A number of times, when I've expressed scepticism of religion based on my understanding of science, I've heard the argument that science is just another belief system like religion. And one belief system cannot refute another just by its mere existence.
Well, there is one special characteristic of science which people who say it's just another belief system don't seem to know about. That is that the entire purpose of science is to see what lies BEYOND our beliefs and opinions. There has never before been any attempt to do this. And that is all it does. So to say science is just another belief system, another set of opinions, is to not see it at all.

From Facebook: Likes....14:  Cambridge N Calvin Keenan, Magnus Grendel Samson Coleman and 12 others
Comments

Emma M Wise Yep. Science is not a belief system: it is a method of investigation.
Like · Reply · 11 July at 11:14

Raven Melissa Black The scientific method was introduced to null the opinion and state the truth over several experiments with the exact same variable. Science and technology is an extension of nature. Over centuries there has been many methods and theories that hAve been proven and debunked ! Science is truth seeking aT it's best🌿👓🔬
Like · Reply · 11 July at 13:21

Stan Burfield Exactly! Interesting idea that science is an extension of nature. To me it looks a lot like evolution itself. Basically, in a very simplified form, evolution tries a lot of things and keeps what works (what survives). Science tries a lot of hypotheses and also keeps what works (what survives testing). In this sense, science is the evolution of knowledge of objective reality.
Like · Reply · 1 · 11 July at 13:29 · Edited

Stan Burfield Vs religions, which start with something and adamantly stick with it no matter what the testing shows. And the longer they stick with it the more adamant they get.
Like · Reply · 11 July at 13:50 · Edited



Raven Melissa Black As one progresses so does their beliefs if change is a constant.
Like · Reply · 1 · 11 July at 14:39

Raven Melissa Black Or so it should be
Like · Reply · 11 July at 14:40

Stan Burfield Or at least we should be open to change.
Like · Reply · 1 · 11 July at 14:47
Comments

Standing Still

7/12/2016

Comments

 
Here's a fascinating discussion on Soundcloud of the revival of some old, discarded ideas by modern science, including stoicism by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (with the intriguing goal of serenity, vs happiness), also, with varying degrees of success: pan-psychism, putting insects back on the menu, some "zombie ideas", the debate about consciousness, free will, etc. I love the way the author Steven Paul talks. I would give anything (well, within reason) to be able to go on the way he does. 

​From Facebook: likes...
4: Barbara Green, Cambridge N Calvin Keenan and 2 others
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Barbara Green That was fun, Stan, thanks! Leslie Morris, there's a section on the revival of Stoicism at the beginning.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 23 hrs

Stan Burfield How is it that I always seem to come on here just when you do, Barbara Green? Telepathy?
Like · Reply · 23 hrs · Edited

Barbara Green Stan Burfield It's that panpsychism thing.
Like · Reply · 22 hrs

Stan Burfield I've got an easier answer to swallow: it's just another weird thing in a very long line of weird things.
Like · Reply · 22 hrs

Stan Burfield I'm just now working on that poem you dug out of that prose I put on here a few days ago. It's coming. So far I've reworked the first half. Tentatively. The second half is pretty much the same yet.
Like · Reply · 22 hrs

Stan Burfield 

​Standing Still

"We halted and so knew that the quiet night was full of sounds..."
- T. E. Lawrence, "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" 

The best part of walking
is standing still, 

but not to stare at,
to grab, paint, snap 
the voluminous universe
into pointillism

or to jot a note, perhaps,
on the crest-fallen "lopsided pose" 
and the whoit whoit whoit
of cardinalis cardinalis 
that is "given within sight of mate",

but instead to leave the world of movement-through
and enter the other.

In these moments 
I do not watch the leaves in passing;
I live with them. 

Beside me, 
a tree shades a bush 
as it has since the swelling spring 
when its leaves enlarged, 
and now they wobble in the slight breeze 
that flows between them, 
across which a spider is slowly 
picking its deliberate way 
above the grasses
and low herbs. 
I move 

and it is only a painting on a gallery wall.

I stop: 
we are all here.



​Like · Reply · 8 hrs · Edited
Comments

Hey, get a job!

7/12/2016

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If you've never heard this song before (and how could that be?), DO NOT listen to it here. It will own you for the rest of your life. At least once every few days, without a break, over the past several decades, I have been forced to sing a few bars of it. Why this, of all songs: "Get a job!" What do I need with that? Not only have I been out of the job market for a very long time, but now I'M RETIRED!! And I always hated the song anyway. Trying to get a job was the worst nightmare in my life. Imagine: not only was I shy, which right off the bat meant no one would hire me if they had any choice at all, but I also had virtually no social skills, which meant I was guaranteed to fail on every sad attempt and then be judged negatively by everyone involved: them, my relatives, my friends, if I had any, and by myself. In the end, I had to start my own business (and how lucky was I to me married to someone who had that in mind too!) But, you know, you're not allowed to get away with anything: I am forced to chant "Get a Job" until my dying day. And when I arrive at the Pearly Gates, the angels shall sing, "Sha na na na, sha na na na na," and then God with his big finger will point behind me, and say in that great baritone, "AH YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP BUH BUH BUH BUH BUH BUH BUH GET A JOB!"
From Facebook: Likes...3: Scott Alderson, Silvia Palacios and Barbara Green
..
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Linda and I are learning to trust.

7/8/2016

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Picture
There are a lot of things we learn about ourselves from living with another person for a long time. Like trust. Are we truly capable of trust? If not, and the other person finally does prove trustworthy, we may then learn what trust really is, and what it really feels like. As opposed to the idea of it. And with that trust may come some kind of deep love we've never experienced before. Not just an ability to like someone, which is so often mistaken for love. Because how can we love someone--how can we put ourselves totally at their mercy--without first trusting them? If we've been hurt badly in our early lives, as most people have, we cannot trust anyone more than superficially, and certainly not the world, nor even ourselves, without first learning to trust just one person. And then, with the love that follows, we might finally open up to everything.

Linda and I have gone through this. And are. And will continue to.



From Facebook: 12 likes...Patricia McClung, Sharon Wise and 10 others

Comments:

Larry Burfield Great photo!
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 20 hrs

Cambridge N Calvin Keenan Nice pic trust is the corner stone of the foundation :) for me trust runs on a scale I may trust you 12 % or 80 % depending on the situation .... I'm learning still to trust myself Lololo
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 22 hrs

Barbara Green A rare and beautiful thing ... how wonderful! (Incidentally and terribly shallowly, please tell Linda from me that I love her new (at least new to me) haircut -- you both look wonderful, happy and sunlit, but I also really like her hair!
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 21 hrs

Stan Burfield Linda read your comment, liked it. She thanks you. She's always had a hard time coming up with a hair style she likes and that suits her. I keep telling her what suits her and she keeps telling me she doesn't like it!
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hrs

Yvonne Maggs Love this picture of you both, and yes I agree you need to be able to have trust..
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 4 hrs

Brandi Michielsen Picture perfect, Stan & Linda. What you posted Stan, reminded me 'Love endures all ....' That said, a loving relationship is built on 'Trust'. Without that, just a meaningless act of flowers / chocolates on V-Day, and going through the motions of pretending the other 364 days of the year.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 2 hrs
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"We halted and so knew that the quiet night was full of sounds..."

7/7/2016

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PictureLinda standing still on one of our hikes.
T. E Lawrence in his "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" describes a rest stop on one of his journeys with his Arabic camel troops across the desert in WWI. The only sounds the camels made before stopping had been the soft plop of their hooves on the sand. And yet the difference was enormous. "We halted and so knew that the quiet night was full of sounds, while the scents of withering grass ebbed and flowed about us with the dying wind."

When I'm walking through the trees, I often stop still. It doesn't matter where. And not to look at a beautiful scene or to watch a bird. It's to get out of the world of movement-through, and enter the world of existing-with. In those moments I don't just see the leaves in passing, I live with them where they live. I can feel their lives, as they are, not as something pretty outside of myself. I stand beside a tree that shades the bush beside me. And has since its leaves enlarged in the Spring. They wobble in the slight breeze that is now flowing between them, across which a spider is making its way, slowly, above the grasses and herbs which have spent the last months growing there, little by little, to their present height and fullness. This is their world.

When I'm moving through it, I'm in my world and oblivious to it. I may see it, but like a painting on my living room wall.
When I stop, I exist in its world, with it. My body is there with the tree and the bush and the spider.

And now I'm noticing everywhere how difficult it is to move from one world to another. For instance, lately I've been getting myself off a sleeping pill, which I've taken for most of a year, the result of anxiety. The doctor said I have to decrease the amount I take at exactly the right rate, along with a pill of melatonin each night, which is the body's natural sleepy-time drug. That went well. Finally, I was down to the tiniest bit, a quarter of a pill. But between that and none there was an immense gulf. Even with the melatonin, my body simply refused to go to sleep by itself. It wouldn't make that final switch in motivation. After one or two nights with no sleep at all, and then just a bit after 8 in the morning, my brain suddenly remembered the old world of normal sleep. What a relief. Now I fall asleep naturally. And so beautifully.

And then there's progress. I don't know about you, but I and nearly everyone I've ever known or heard about are totally immersed in that world. We're very seldom outside it, and when our progress is stalled, we don't just stop and rest in place, we desperately distract ourselves until the movement begins again. Maybe it's partly that we associate stopping with the Big Stop that's coming. Maybe also that we've been so strongly conditioned all our lives to move forward that we can't look off in another direction for fear the halt will become permanent. And it could. We see that around us, homeless people, the glimpses of which motivate us even more firmly to keep moving.
​

So, many of us never give ourselves the chance to experience the world we pass through. We may think we do. Or we simply don't want to.


From Facebook, Likes: 11...Yvonne Maggs, Sue McMaster and 9 others
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Stan Burfield Linda standing still on one of our hikes.
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 July at 17:10

Barbara Green Love this, Stan. It's a poem ... how about this, starting with the epigraph? "We halted and so knew that the quiet night was full of sounds..."
- T. E Lawrence in his "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" 

Often the best part of walking
is standing still. 
It doesn't matter where. 
Not to gaze at a beautiful scene 
or watch a bird
but to leave the world of movement-through
and enter the world of existing-with. 
In those moments 
I don't just see the leaves in passing, 
I live with them where they live. 
I feel their lives. 
Beside me, a tall tree shades a bush.
It’s been doing that since its leaves enlarged
in the swelling spring; 
they wobble in the slight breeze flowing between them, 
across which a spider is making its way, slowly, 
above the grasses and herbs.
This is their world. 
When I'm moving through it, I'm in my world,
looking at their world like a painting on a gallery wall.
When I stop, my body is here with the tree and the bush and the spider.

Like · Reply · 1 · 3 July at 17:47

Stan Burfield Lovely, Barb. You took out all the effluence and left in the water. I thought there was a poem in there somewhere but hadn't found it yet. Thanks!
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 July at 17:53

Stan Burfield Barb, my sister, who is becoming my editor, says, "Do you know what? Barb’s poem has got it exactly, what you were saying, but in pure poem form. Isn’t that astounding.? Is it acceptable to keep that poem, to publish someday?" I said I would ask you.
Like · Reply · 3 July at 20:22

Barbara Green Stan Burfield Totally -- it's all you. I resisted the urge to do anything other than prune.
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 July at 21:13

Barbara Green And it didn't need anything else, anyway!
Like · Reply · 3 July at 21:13

Stan Burfield :) Thanks, Barb. You're an angel.
Like · Reply · 3 July at 21:14 


Cambridge N Calvin Keenan My sleeping pill seems to be in love with me and won't let me go ..... lol
Like · Reply · 3 July at 18:00

Stan Burfield Ha ha. I know what you mean!
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 July at 18:01


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Diet and health/longevity

7/4/2016

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For those of us interested in the effects of our food intake on our health and our possible lifespans, scientists have made major discoveries lately.

At one time, the only way to lengthen one's life with diet seemed to be to drastically restrict caloric intake to the point one would be hungry all the time. That worked on virtually all animals tested, from apes down to very simple animals, and so it seemed to indicate some universal metabolic change.Which proved true. When an animal is starving its metabolism changes to run on less energy, and, running on less, the slowed metabolism itself does less damage to the body. But that only works when an animal is caged and forced to starve. Free human beings with plentiful access to food just won't. Unless they're obsessive.

The next idea was to eat high-protein diets (a lot of meat), which seemed to make the person less hungry and reduce the desire for calories. And so it seemed to be an easy way of achieving the same result.

However, new studies are finding that high protein does just the opposite, causing health problems and reduced longevity, and that the only diet that truly promotes health and longevity is a low-protein, low-fat, high carbohydrate diet.

So, if you're the kind of person who believes in the traditional Canadian diet of meat and potatoes, with meat the main staple of every meal, you should think again about what you're doing to your body. You really don't need more than one small piece of meat a day for your protein, and a much better way to get it is from legumes in a vegetarian diet, which also reduces the amount of fat intake, and increases everything else that's necessary for good health. (Not counting the other necessary component of good health, of course, which is exercise.)
​
Here is one of the studies:  http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131%2814%2900065-5
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    Stan Burfield's Blog

    Organizer of London Open Mic Poetry. former support worker for people with autism and developmental disabilities.  former farm boy, former adventurer, former florist.
    The 2014 Ted Plantos Memorial Award

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    *"We halted and so knew that the quiet night was full of sounds..."
    ​
    *"We halted and so knew that the quiet night was full of sounds..."
    ​
    *Diet and health/longevity
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    Poems
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    *1st published poem: On a Crate 
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