Be Water, (or/and the Moon)

I finished the book by Bruce Lee’s daughter. Finally.

There was a full moon the other night, which we couldn’t see because of all the rain and dense clouds.

It was a large moon, close to the solstice, pinkish in color and significant for other reasons I can’t remember. Called a strawberry moon, (I’ve never heard a moon called that, but I’m not very well read on this topic, so it might be a thing)

I missed it.

One thing I learned from beach walking is that a full moon affects the ocean tides. The bigger (closer to earth) the moon, the higher or lower the tide. It’s that powerful. I suspect that even though I missed seeing the colorful, larger than normal moon, I may have experienced it in other ways.

Bruce Lee talked about our center. He said our power is the strongest and calmest at our core. Like a hurricane. He suggested that we be like the moon reflected on a stream. Stillness in our core, moving without movement.

I love this concept. It’s true, as steady and still and strong that we are at our core, the stronger we will be in martial arts, yoga, and most anything in life, When I stay the truest to myself, things are clearer, I feel more powerful. I get things done.

Sometimes it’s with things that don’t seem very important in the grand scheme.

Our time here on the East coast is always interesting. It often involves a fair amount of trouble shooting. This took me a little while to first realize, then get better at. As Brad Pit once said, you can get better at anything.

And I have. But first, I had to get clear about what is important to me personally, then also learn how to not compromise. I tend to place a high value on peace, which sounds fine, but if I ignore my own peace to keep another peace, I don’t end up feeling very peaceful. Little irony, I guess.

I have learned many things about myself. (Most of my life seems to be lessons for me, about me).

Turns out, I need my own space. Last year I made a place to paint in the garage attic. That was brilliant, until the middle of the summer heat drove me outside. So we created a beach that could survive high tide.

This year, I’m creating a kitchen. This endever has been off and on, and feels like climbing a steep mountain against storm-like winds. Or moving one, (probably two).

Surprisingly, I am doing it. Or maybe not so surprisingly, because I am standing squarely and unmovingly in my center. This on again off again, permit impossibility, crazy idea has been inching forward. It’s happening. Differently than expected, but it is absolutely becoming a reality.

Sometimes you have to do the end things to get others to see that the beginning things are possible. Thats how I have a kitchen without water and an appointment with a plumber set for the end of the month. We even have a guy to dig the below-the-frost-line trench.

In the meantime, I’ve made a pretty functional kitchen. A sink will come eventually, I don’t mind washing dishes like a 17 century Jamestown colonist. At least for a little while. I have a system. Boil water, wash, then rinse in my cute metal tub (it can also double as a planter).