The Tao Te Ching - Verse 8

Tao Te Ching – Verse 8

The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.

When you are content to be simply yourself
and don't compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.

Laozi. Tao Te Ching. Translated by Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006.

We are sharing the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching across 81 weeks starting in March 2025. Here is our introductory post if you’d like to learn more about this project.

The Tao Te Ching - Verse 7

Tao Te Ching – Verse 7

The Tao is infinite, eternal.
Why is it eternal?
It was never born;
thus it can never die.
Why is it infinite?
It has no desires for itself;
thus it is present for all beings.

The Master stays behind;
that is why she is ahead.
She is detached from all things;
that is why she is one with them.
Because she has let go of herself,
she is perfectly fulfilled.

Laozi. Tao Te Ching. Translated by Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006.

We are sharing the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching across 81 weeks starting in March 2025. Here is our introductory post if you’d like to learn more about this project.

The Tao Te Ching - Verse 6

Tao Te Ching – Verse 6

The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.

It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.

Laozi. Tao Te Ching. Translated by Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006.

We are sharing the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching across 81 weeks starting in March 2025. Here is our introductory post if you’d like to learn more about this project.

The Tao Te Ching - Verse 5

Tao Te Ching – Verse 5

The Tao doesn't take sides;
it gives birth to both good and evil.
The Master doesn't take sides;
she welcomes both saints and sinners.

The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you understand.

Hold on to the center.

Laozi. Tao Te Ching. Translated by Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006.

We are sharing the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching across 81 weeks starting in March 2025. Here is our introductory post if you’d like to learn more about this project.

Here's to Mondays

So to counteract the doom and gloom of our country's ongoing political meltdown crap show, I now choose to share something that brings me great joy.

I freaking love Mondays. I've had friends laugh through the years when I share this with them, and they then ask me what the hell am I thinking! Yet why not look at Mondays differently? Mondays get a bad rap collectively, and so from the time I was young, I decided I would look at Mondays differently. There's gotta be an upside. And there sure is. And it all comes down to what we choose to believe.

On this Monday, I am celebrating my new Whole Seed Catalog and all of the promise it carries. This is my spring go-to for garden inspiration and ideas. And, while I'm at it, I love my old Bass canvas bag. This workhorse has been by my side since I was 14 and she's still going strong. Who needs new, fancy, trendy and expensive when you have trusty, sturdy, and dependable? (This, by the way, is how I look at most material objects.)

On this Monday, what brings you joy? Let's shift our worlds. Let's share what brings us joy and life and happiness.

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Until next time I offer these words of wisdom for better or for worse. Please take them with a grain of salt for we each live our own individual truths. Our mission while we are here is to understand, accept, and celebrate that one very simple, but incredibly significant fact. For all this, I am grateful.

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The Tao Te Ching - Verse 4

Tao Te Ching – Verse 4

The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

It is hidden but always present.
I don't know who gave birth to it.
It is older than God.

Laozi. Tao Te Ching. Translated by Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006.

We are sharing the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching across 81 weeks starting in March 2025. Here is our introductory post if you’d like to learn more about this project.