Letting Go
To live in this worldyou must be ableto do three things:to love what is mortal;to hold itagainst your bones knowingyour own life depends on it;and, when the time comes to let it go,to let it go.— Mary Oliver, In Blackwater Woods

This is the time of year when the leaves release from the trees and drift in the breeze in
https://alexandersmap.com/2023/11/01/letting-go/
#Lifestyle #Habits #PersonalGrowth #Poetry #Relationships #Seasons #Taoism #AwaKenzo #MaryOliver #Philosophy

Place and Identity
Given this day, Right now To ponder; Yesterday will not return, Who knows about tomorrow?— Awa Kenzo, Zen Bow, Zen Arrow

Yesterday, in one of those only in New England moments, I cleared the lawn of leaves, mowed the lawn neatly halfway across, and in a glance up and behind me witnessed thousands of leaves raining down at once, literally released before my
https://alexandersmap.com/2023/10/29/place-and-identity/
#GardenAndHome #Culture #Lifestyle #Seasons #AwaKenzo

Be the Lion
"Let nothing bind you. Transcend right and wrong, good and bad. Move on like a solitary lion. Make heaven and earth your dwelling. Renew! Renew!" — Awa Kenzo, Zen Bow, Zen Arrow

I say I don't pay attention to news, but I'm nonetheless very aware of what's happening in the world. These things tend to bog us down in anger and grief, frustration and dismay
https://alexandersmap.com/2023/10/28/be-the-lion/
#Culture #Habits #PersonalGrowth #Productivity #Writing #AwaKenzo

Ten Thousand Things Are One
"Be in the dojo wherever you are. It is your choice—live like a sage or exist like a fool. — Awa Kenzo, Zen Bow, Zen Arrow

"Do your best at each and everything. That is the key to success. Learn one thing well and you will learn how to understand ten thousand things. Ten thousand things are one; this is the secret place o
https://alexandersmap.com/2023/10/27/ten-thousand-things-are-one/
#PersonalGrowth #Learning #Productivity #Writing #AwaKenzo #Philosophy

Stable Centers
"Continue to progress, do not stagnate. Consider a spinning top. It moves around a stable center. It spins and spins until it finally falls over, exhausted" — Awa Kenzo, Zen Bow, Zen Arrow

In this blog I refer a lot to Stephen Covey's concept of pushing the flywheel, and having momentum in our lives through rigid positi
https://alexandersmap.com/2023/10/06/stable-centers/
#Lifestyle #Community #Habits #PersonalGrowth #Relationships #AwaKenzo #SimonSinek #StephenCovey

The Absolute Self
“No matter what the art, the most important thing is to establish who you really are. That is, move from the ego-centered self to the absolute self.” — Awa Kenzo, Zen Bow, Zen Arrow

When I was a teenager I tried my hand at welding in a class. I found it thrilling to take a torch and create something with it. As a novice, my work was pretty basic, but I felt the p
https://alexandersmap.com/2023/10/05/the-absolute-self/
#Art #Career #PersonalGrowth #Writing #AwaKenzo