Buddha Balboa Archives - Page 2 of 9

In the Wake of Valentine

(I wrote this piece a number of years ago…and thought it worth sharing here.)

The flowers are wilted. The chocolate is devoured. The lingerie is put back in the drawer. The credit card bill for dinner has not yet arrived. These are the days of Valentine’s Aftermath.

We can all breathe a sigh of relief now that the red-hearted day is done. No more pressure to buy your loved one the right gift or to score impossible reservations at the finest restaurant. No more florist price gouging on long stemmed red roses. No more guys sweating out the 24 hours where they have to look googly-eyed and profess their undying love. That’s all gone now. Everyone can resume their normal relationship temperaments filled with banal chatter and petty arguments.

Rake and Blow

Life is not Or. It’s And. More often than not, life is an and experience. One should rake and blow.

Case in point. We were hanging out with some friends in Brooklyn, having brunch. Jonathan and his wife Karen were there and we were discussing yard work. They have 2 children – boys – at that time in their teens. As most of us understood growing up, yard work was part of the kids duties. We had our chores – extra hands to help out around the house – sometimes with the promise of an allowance at completion. “Hard work never killed anyone” – a common quote from a parents playbook.

Paris in Pain

November 14, 2015

The Paris terrorist attacks yesterday are nothing short of heartbreaking. I question – why do we live in such a world where people can perpetrate such horrific acts of violence? How is this possible? Why?

Beyond the obvious answers – of radicalism and evil – we are still left questioning why would anyone do such unthinkable things as to murder innocents? What is going on? What type of sickness invades the human mind and heart?

These types of events shake us – and can, if we let them – rattle us to our core. They can break our spirits if we allow them. And that is where the difference between good and evil, if you will, comes into play. Good will prevail. There is goodness, and compassion, and love and strength in this world – and these virtues are stronger than any darkness. The light always finds its way in – no matter how hard the darkness tries to blanket it.

There are no answers right now. And ultimately, they are irrelevant. All we can do is be strong for those in pain and move forward with courage.

There’s No Such Thing

September 13, 2015

I was sorting through paperwork today – some filing I’ve put off for a while now. I meant to do it yesterday, on Saturday afternoon, while I had some free time. But I got sidetracked, as I’m oft to do and set my sights on completion for Sunday.

I filed a number of bills and receipts away in my rolling file cart (I can tuck it away in my closet when done – out of sight, out of brain.) I had within this pile a folder I had tucked some receipts and miscellaneous paperwork….and an envelope with photos.