Uncle Doug Music

Songs of Praise
Another night disturbed by restlessness at 2:30. Out to the porch we go. I begin watching a YouTube video by Paul Izak and this song is born. Hellen Keller once said that most people have the wrong idea of what constitutes happiness for it is not self-gratification but fidelity to a worthy cause. Ram Dass had this same idea and described it as helping others as a means of helping yourself and helping yourself to be able to further help others. This is what the emerging game is all about. A friend of mine was having a difficult day and a simple conversation made him feel much better. I thought about all the times he had brightened my day in this same way.

Mountain Poetry

I'm revisiting Colorado during Covid. My desk job in Waltham, MA has no idea that I've put my laptop in the car and driven cross country to work remote and spend time where I feel best. Friends and family think I'm crazy. What can I say? On the weekends I'm backpacking into the wilderness. There is something so pure and complete about the Rocky Mountains. When we let go of our old ways we must go through a period of time when we are alone. This is often referred to as a Dark Night of the Soul. A brighter day awaits us but first we must pass through the predetermined and obligatory depths in order to reach the new life beckoning us from the other side. This transition period teaches us strength. We will be happy but first we will be strong.