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November 1
All freezes again~
among the pines, winds
whispering a prayer ~Riei, Eighteenth-Century Japananese Poet
November silently sneaks up on us, catching our senses by surprise. Suddenly as the English poet Thomas Hood sullenly observed two centuries ago, there's "no shade, no butterflies, no bees, no fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds." Outside, silvery gray shafts reveal a familiar landscape stripped of pretense. Behind closed doors, glowing ambers fires shed light upon the Real. Like a woman who has found her authenticity, November's beauty radiates from within.~
Embracing the Ebb
The season when to come, and when to go,
To sing, or cease to sing, we never know. ~Alexander Pope
There once was a mighty queen with a short fuse. One autumn, as the year was beginning to ebb, the queen fell into a deep melancholy. She could neither eat nor slumber, and tears of an unknown origin fell frequently, which infuriated her, triggering angry fits that made those around her quake with fear.
Each day the queen summoned a new advisor from her esteemed circle of sages to explain the cause of her baffling condition. In they came and out they went: The court physician, the stargazer, the psychic, the alchemest, the herbalist, the philosopher. All went dismissed as charlatans for their inability to unravel the mystery of the royal black spell. They counted themselves lucky to have only their illustrious careers shortened.
"Surely there must be one among you who knows the source of my suffering." the queen cried in despair. Her pathetic wail was greeted only with awkward silence, for all were wary of her wrath. Finally, the royal gardener was moved by compassion for the poor woman and slowly approached the throne.
"Come into the garden, Majesty, beyond the walls of your self-imprisonment, and I will disclose your dilemma." The queen was so desperate, she did as she was bid. When she went out to the garden for the first time in many weeks, she noticed that the bright, vivid colors of summer had faded and the garden seemed bare. But it was not, she saw, wholly bereft of beauty,for it was regal in autumn's brilliant hues of crimson and gold. The air was refreshingly cool and crisp, and the sky, pure blue. "Speak gardener", the queen ordered, "but choose your words carefully, for I seek the truth."
"Majesty, it is not your body or your mind that is ailing. It is your soul that is need of healing. For while you are a mighty and powerful queen, you are not Divine. You are suffering from a human condition that afflicts us all. Earthly souls ebb and flow in sorrow and joy according to the seasons of emotion, just as the seasons of the natural world move through the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. These are the days to be grateful for the harvest of the heart, however humble it might be, and to prepare for the coming of the year's closure. Even now, the season of daylight diminishes and the time of darkness increases. But the true Light is never extinguished in the natural world, and it is the same in your soul. Embrace the ebb, my beloved queen, and do not fear the darkness. For as night follows day, the Light will return and you will know contented hours once again. Of this I am sure"
The unhappy queen considered this wisdom thoughtfully and asked the gardner how she posessed the secret knowledge of inner peace during the seasons of emotion. The gardener led her to a brass sundial. It read: This too, shall pass.
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69.9 kg
Lost so far: 17.7 kg.
Still to go: 8.6 kg.
Diet followed: Reasonably Well.
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View Diet Calendar, 01 November 2010:
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1534 kcal
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Fat: 42.29g | Prot: 62.60g | Carbs: 241.08g.
Breakfast: Kashi Harvest mini wheats. Lunch: yoplait greek yogurt, banana. Dinner: cheese pizza, Kraft American Cheese, light mayonaisse, Wonder Bread. Snacks/Other: caramel kraft. more...
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Gaining 1.6 kg a Week
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