schuylkill in the house, 9/10/08

The first person salon at the Gershman Y will host, among other things, the screening of a movie entitled "Hooked: Philly's Urban Anglers" which contains interviews with two of my very good friends. For more info on fishing in Philadelphia, visit Louis or Philadelphia Angler's Club.

power and intention

This is a concept that I have been thinking about a lot lately. It is very easy to become caught up in what we feel we want and obtaining those goals we set for ourselves in which we will make us happy. In our society, intention is usually thought of as a drive within us that combines tenacity and hard work and ultimately leads to success. In this way intention can be construed as power. People feel they need power to get what they want, so logically, it stands to reason that if you set your intention strongly and powerfully enough, you'll get what you want.

Not so fast. If those intentions are not pure you won't gain the power you so strongly desire. So what is meant by pure intentions? Intention is not about a single minded focus on wanting to succeed or win at all costs. It's not about choosing something because you think it is a good idea, or because someone else is doing it. Striving for a goal that you want for the wrong reasons is not a pure intention. Pure intentions are unselfish and rooted in love; you should really love whatever it is that you set out to do in order to make it work. Purity of intention is beautiful; when you can come to see the beauty that is all around you, even in the worst circumstances, it sets about an expansion of mind to all the possibilities that are there for you. These possibilities are infinite; there absolutely are no limitations to what you can have. When intention is right, things will begin to work out because you are open to giving and not only receiving.

I think a good place to start is to seek out those things in our lives that we love to do, not for what we think they do for us, or how they make us appear in the eyes of others; but things we do with mindfulness that in turn impart harmony with the moment we are in.

Runningis one of the things that does it for me.

a great idea

I just found out about this place from a friend of mine, and I am really down with the idea. It is perfect for someone who wants to either get into sewing, or already sews but doesn't have a machine of their own. You basically rent time by the hour to use the machines; they also sell fabric and run classes as well. I hear some of the equipment they have there even lures the seasoned crafter, so I will certainly be checking it out. They are located at 1912 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 215.545.0755

bike ride

Biked 20 miles in Chadds Ford, near the Brandywine creek. Feeling pretty great about it because I initially thought I wouldn't be able to do more than 15 miles; as I am new to riding bikes. I feel like I could have definitely done more. This reiterates to me the fact that I always do better in my endeavors than I initially think I will.

Figuring out what I want to do about getting a new, lighter road bike. The single speed schwinn city bike just isn't going to cut it for this type of riding. I love it too much for what it is to change it; so I have decided to keep it and either build or buy another one. Thanks to a new friend I have something to ride in the meantime while I think on that.

the creature

I am on the hunt for a big green caterpillar I found in my garden. I think it is a Great Ash Sphinx caterpillar, or Sphinx chersis.

I have only seen it once and mistakenly left it in the garden, thinking maybe it would eat some of the aphids and mites that have been plaguing the eggplant. Upon further research, I learned that these types of caterpillars are otherwise known as "tomato hornworms"; they eat your precious fruits and vegetables! I went back to get him and any of his buddies, but they were nowhere to be found . I know they are in there somewhere, as the holes in my cantaloupes and the missing peppers tell me so. Interestingly enough, they haven't eaten any tomatoes.