Concorde Cuong Nhu Karate

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20221113-kanaye-nagasawa-the-samurai-who-forever-changed-california

“The centrepiece of the exhibit was a long, curved samurai sword that Nagasawa brought back from Japan when he returned to visit as an adult. "That sword was important to Nagasawa because when they left for America, they had to cut their hair and give up their swords," said Mary Ijichi, Nagasawa's great-grandniece. "But my father told me his uncle said, 'Our education will be our sword'."

Kanaye Nagasawa: The samurai who forever changed California Smuggled out of Japan, he became the US' first permanent Japanese resident and helped birth California's wine industry.

Love this 💚

Words by Emily McDowell

Imagine forgiving yourself completely. The goals you didn’t reach. The mistakes you made. Instead of locking those flaws inside to define and repeat yourself, imagine letting your past float through your present and away like air through a window, freshening a room. Imagine that.

Fabulous words by the one and only Matt Haig
Sculpture called, “Freedom” by Zenos Frudakis

Dust If You Must

Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there’s not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust it you must, but the world’s out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it’s not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.

Fab poem by: Rose Milligan

This reminds me of Cuong Nhus 10 stages of growth. A constant cycle of rebirth. The leaf becomes a nobody and then starts again.

I asked the leaf whether it was frightened because it was autumn and the other leaves were falling. The leaf told me, "No. During the whole spring and summer I was completely alive. I worked hard to help nourish the tree, and now much of me is in the tree. I am not limited by this form. I am also the whole tree, and when I go back to the soil, I will continue to nourish the tree. So I don’t worry at all. As I leave this branch and float to the ground, I will wave to the tree and tell her, 'I will see you again very soon'."

That day there was a wind blowing and, after a while, I saw the leaf leave the branch and float down to the soil, dancing joyfully, because as it floated it saw itself already there in the tree. It was so happy. I bowed my head, knowing that I have a lot to learn from the leaf.

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Insight from Thich Nhat Hanh

More Autumn inspiration in our latest blog:
bit.ly/3D2qhod

Photo credit unknown

A father said to his daughter “You have graduated with honors, here is a car I bought many years ago. It is pretty old now. But before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them I want to sell it and see how much they offer you for it.”

The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000 because the said it looks pretty worn out.”

The father said, now “Take it to the pawn shop.” The daughter went to the pawn shop, returned to her father and said,”The pawn shop offered only $100 because it is an old car.”

The father asked his daughter to go to a car club now and show them the car. The daughter then took the car to the club, returned and told her father,” Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it because “it's an iconic car and sought by many collectors.”

Now the father said this to his daughter, “The right place values you the right way,” If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you......Never stay in a place where no one sees your value.

————-

I have shared this before when the metaphor used a stone but I thought this was a quite powerful version.
Shared from All That's Fab
And Earthmonks good friend Andrew H.

There’s nothing more powerful than an attitude of gratitude. What a different world we’d live in if everyone started to count their blessings # #

Just a friendly reminder that it’s the small steps that count!