Looking at happiness...

OSLO, Norway (AheadOfNews.com) - Marine Biologists at the prestigious Clam Study Center have determined
that the expression "happy as a clam" is apparently not based on actual clam psychology.

Dr. Lars Nilsbokken, head Marine Psychobiologist at the center, says that clams are rarely happy in most environments.
"Imagine that you have no eyes," he says, "and that you have no arms and legs, and that there is a constant battering of waves
that prevents you from hearing well." He hunkers down and holds his thin hands above him, wiggling his fingers. "All you've
got is a big mouth, and a foot."

"Now imagine that there is a psycho after you, who is hundreds of times larger than you, and has a sturdy shovel. You can't
run, so you try desperately to hide, but you have to be at the surface of the sand to eat. At any moment, you may have to dig
for your life, using your one foot." Dr. Nilsbokken's Reebok wiggles frantically in sympathy.

"So the answer is 'no', clams are not happy. Clams are neurotic, fearful, desperate, and lonely." Nilsbokken adds, "If you
want happy, I recommend cats. Cats don't need anyone else to be happy, and sometimes, even if you don't want them to,
they'll come over and be happy with you."

--- In NondualitySalon "Gloria Lee" wrote:

Billy Collins has such a great sense of humor.... ~Gloria

Litany
You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine...
-Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

Billy Collins

In SufiMystic "Bill Rishel" wrote:

Yesterday I was meditating in a forest by a stream.
My mind was a bit stirred up as I walked to the spot,
but as I sat it quieted down. How can I describe the
breath-taking beauty? It was as if melted into a
deep puddle of feeling that was hued by leaves and
tree trunks, rock and water, and pierced by crystal
sounds. A squirrel came down from a tree a ways away,
looked at me, fussed around but gradually worked
closer and closer until he was peering at me from
a few feet, his forlegs perched on a branch that lay
near my feet. He was young and there was a softness
about him. Not just his fur, but a tenderness in his
gaze. In a few moments he had skittered off again.

Later last night I was meditating at home. The
presence of that squirrel was suddenly so great
in my mind. I felt pierced by that presence.
"Squirrel dharshan," I thought. And a deep
feeling of blessing poured through me.


-Bill

In NondualitySalon "Mary Bianco" wrote: