From the indie film, "Went To Coney Island On A Mission From God ... Be Back By Five"
FREYJA
from The Way Station
"One of my best teachers"
"I found one of my best teachers on the boardwalk at
Coney Island many years ago. It was December, and I was
doing a story about how the homeles suffer in the winter
months. He and I sat on the edge of the wooden
supports, dangling our feet over the side, and he told
me about his schedule, panhandling the boulevard when
the summer crowds were gone, sleeping in a church when
the temperature went below freezing, hiding from the
police amid the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Cyclone and some
of the other seasonal rides.
But he told me that most of the time he stayed on the
boardwalk, facing the water, just the way we were
sitting now, even when it got cold and he had to wear
his newspapers after he had read them. And i asked him
why. Why didnt he go to one of the shelters? Why didnt
he check himself into the hospital for de-tox?
And he stared out at the ocean and said, "Look at the
view, young lady. Look at the view."
And every day, in some little way, I try to do what he
said. I try to look at the view. That's all. Words of
wisdom from a man with not a dime in his pocket, no
place to go, nowhere to be. Look at the view. When i do
what he said, I am never disappointed."
~Anna Quindlen from the book "A Short Guide to a Happy
Life"
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LOBSTER AND YOSY
from Nasrudin list
YOSY: hi friends, wish you all happy new (hebrew) year,
(commencing today). lots of luck, health, joy and
happiness. yosy
LOBSTER: Happy New Year (what year is it?)
YOSY: :) it's ha - tav shin samakh gimel (the hebrew
dates are in letters representing numerical code; and
the calendar is lunar). by regular reconing its the
beginning of the year five thousand seven hundred sixty
three (5763).
LOBSTER: Nasrudin was always celebrating the festivities
of other religions but when the Islamic festivities came
around he wore black and was very sombre. A group of
angry Muslim clerics finally asked him the meaning of
this behaviour. 'Not everything is related,' explained
Nasrudin, ' . . . so let's have a party!'
YOSY: lol i'll drink and smoke to this! booooom!
and as one of my friend suggested - may we have an
uneventful year!
"how old are you, nasrudin?"
"fifty"
"but how is it possible? you told me the same five years ago!"
"right. a man should stick to his word, doesn't he?"
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IAMOM
from Live Journal
looking out, quietly
images and sounds and smells fall gently on my senses
they are perceived; interpreted automatically, without discrimination
what is seen is seen
what is heard is heard
what is, is.
everything is everything
balanced: the perfect equation
each side cancelled by the other
equilibrium that results in nothingness
from nothing, springs all
no division, no distinction:
all is nothing
nothing is
I AM
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RICECRICKET
from Live Journal
watched a little hispanic girl unzip her grandmother's suitcase
while standing in line at the austin greyhound station. upon
discovering the youthful transgression, the grandmother (missing
most her bottom teeth), fiercely banished the unrepetant girl from
her side.
driving down guadalupe street, & as passing a toystore, espy on
the sidewalk a homeless man tutoring a college kid in the fine art
of the cat's cradle.
these were the highlights of my day.
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ROBERT COOPER
from Daily Dharma
"Rouse yourself! Sit up!
Resolutely train yourself to attain peace.
Do not let the king of death, seeing you are careless,
lead you astray and dominate you."
~Sutta Nipata II, 10
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BOB ROSE
from Meditation Society of America
Nardudin gets punished
Once upon a time, there was a German, an Italian and Mullah Nasrudin
on death row. The warden gave them a choice of three ways to die:
1. to be shot
2. to be hung
3. to be injected with the AIDS virus for a slow death.
So the German said, "Shoot me right in the head."
Boom, he was dead instantly.
Then the Italian said, "Just hang me."
Snap! he was dead.
Then Nasrudin said, "Give me some of that AIDS stuff."
They gave him the shot, and Nasrudin fell down laughing.
The guards looked at each other and wondered what was wrong with this
guy.
Then Nasrudin said, "Give me another one of those shots," so the
guards did. Now he was laughing so hard, tears rolled from his eyes
and he doubled over.
Finally the warden said, "What's wrong with you?"
Nasrudin replied, "You guys are so stupid..... I'm wearing a condom."