Thirst Quench Thirst
Hello... You can hear nothing but the sound of my voice.
You are lovingly placing your cursor over the hotlinked phrase below, clicking once and buying at least one copy of my new book of poetry, Thirst Quench Thirst.
Do not concern yourself about whether or not you actually like poetry, read poetry, or have ever heard of me. Those concerns, while certainly understandable, are beside the point. Sometimes you just need to trust your instincts. Like now, for instance.
Some of the poems in this blog are excerpted from the book, so if you're still not sure, simply scroll around and read.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the book is only $15.00. At 72 pages, that's only $20.8 cents a page (1/18th the cost of a Starbuck's Frappucino). Such a deal!
Still need proof it's worth the money? Click below and check out the reviews:
Thirst, Quench Thirst evokes a memory of the deepest longings of the soul. Reading Mitch's poetry reminds me of what I already know, but often forget." -- Joan Apter
"This poetry has touched the deepest recesses of my heart." -- Dermott Philpott
"Mitch's poetry touches a universal human longing; the ache for internal connection to the divine. He speaks in a personal, simple, accessible way about things that are ancient and deep." -- Erika Andersen
"Most great love poetry baffles the mind, but delights the heart. And great love poetry cannot be written without great love. Mitch Ditkoff's poems are intoxicating." -- John Adorney
"This is the kind of nourishment that penetrates to the core of Divine Love, and if deeply imbibed, its sweet nectar can be savored for a lifetime." -- Jamie Delay
"Mitch mixed the most profound -- almost indescribable -- with the kind of simplicity that somehow manages to capture a feeling. Lovely stuff!" -- Candice Wilmore
"This book of poetry, delightful and charming, takes me right to the heart of the matter gently, often with wonderful humor! I read and re-read these poems just to take the ride." -- Kim Greene
"Not bad, but buy this book anyway so I can get a higher allowance." -- Jesse Pouget Ditkoff
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)
September 29, 2008What Moves Us All to Dream
What moves us all to dream,
to think, to love, to act,
to give it up for some great cause
or double back to pause before our plans
of having more or getting there
or going to the country fair
is the same for everyone --
the sage, the fool, the king,
the self-appointed ministers of fun.
Einstein said it best, I think,
or maybe it was Rumi,
both of whom were missing links
from this to that, from here to there,
mystics of the unseen arts,
demystifying what it is that moves the air
and the human heart.
Still I wonder what it is I thirst for in my bones,
what will be enough to feel.
Is it what I see with these two eyes
or what I know beyond them both
is always just a bit concealed --
that which seizes me from deep within,
the mirror of my soul, my other half, my perfect twin,
the one who knows, but doesn't tell
or if he does, it's just enough
to dig my tunnel deeper to the well
where all the seekers that I am have come to drink,
long before the first parable was told.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:20 PM | Comments (0)
September 28, 2008Last Night I Googled Longing
Last night I googled longing. What I found surprised me.
Ninety percent of the images were women: Women dreaming. Women staring out windows. Women brushing their golden hair beneath the full moon.
Oh... and lots of Goddesses, too.
Where were the men?
Hunting buffalo? Watching the Superbowl? Mowing the lawn?
OK. Maybe men don't stare out windows or wait by the door for their wives to return home from war, but surely they are feeling something. Surely, men want more out of life than just a cheeseburger, beer, and tattoo. No?
According to Google (the closest thing we have to tracking the collective unconscious), apparently not.
Are men incapable of longing? Not at all. It's just gotten a bit suppressed, gone underground to the place where even Google's algorithms cannot find it.
The reason?
I'm guessing it has something to do with the male concept of survival. After all... wars, hunting, and politics aren't all that conducive to inspired questings of the heart.
To put it bluntly, most men consider longing a girly thing. A sign of weakness. A minor holiday card invented by Hallmark. Something you express only because it's expected of you.
I suggest we put an end to this madness once and for all.
Longing is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength.
And before I go on, let me make one thing abundantly clear: when I refer to "longing," I am not referring to a poetic kind of "desire" or a beatific "wanting." Not at all. I am referring to the innate human aspiration -- beyond gender -- for something timeless, pure, and unconditional.
Poets write about it, but it has nothing to do with words. Musicians compose about it, but it has nothing to do with notes.
Feeling. That's what it's all about. Deep feeling. The recognition that what we're looking for is also looking for us. What lovers feel after they must take their leave. The artist's pause, inspired by a sudden shift of light.
The ahhhh moment.
And so, dear readers of this blog, as the self-appointed, President (and Chief Hun) of the Longing Liberation Front for Muscle Bound Males, allow me to (Chest Bump! High Five! Shot of Red Eye!) refer you to someone who truly understands the game of life, a fine gentleman who knows that the ones who win are the ones who feel -- the ones who long for something more than what they see with their own two eyes.
May I introduce you to Coach Rawat?
It may be third and long for some of you, but you are closer to paydirt than you think.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:07 PM | Comments (2)
September 25, 2008If You Have the Thirst to Learn More About What Maharaji Offers...
If you have the thirst to learn more about what Maharaji offers and know you want to receive Knowledge, there's a simple, practical way to prepare -- The Keys.
The Keys are a set of DVDs to help people, in the privacy of their own home, learn more about his method for tuning in to a deep place of inner peace. If you've already been viewing introductory DVDs or listening to introductory CDs, you may want to take your next step and view THE KEYS.
If you have friends interested in learning more about Maharaji and Knowledge, but are not yet committed to viewing The Keys,
forward them this link.
Or click below. It will take you to a set of other links, mostly from this blog, any one of which may help your friends on their way...
2. Home Base
3. VIDEO: Introducing Maharaji
4. Snow Day
7. VIDEO: What Is Maharaji's Role?
10. Keep It Simple
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:40 PM | Comments (1)
September 24, 2008The Temple of Your Heart
I just came across these inspiring words from Maharaji on innerlink.tv. A timeless message, indeed...
"Look in you. Look in your heart. And you will find the truest essence of your existence. Look within you and you will find the most beautiful waters. Look within you and you will find your solutions. Look within you and you will find your answers. Answers to which you don't even have questions to yet.
The holiest of all scriptures that ever will be, will be in the temple of your heart."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:11 PM | Comments (1)
September 23, 2008Excerpts from Maharaji's Talk in Gainesville, Florida
The following excerpts are my best attempts at capturing, live, some of what Maharaji said at the Gainesville event on September 21. The following is not verbatim and, in some cases, I have paraphrased his words. MD
"A Master is a washerman and the student is the cloth. The soap is Knowledge. When, on the stone of practice, the cloth is washed again and again and again, the cloth begins to sparkle. You need to sparkle and shine bright because that is your potential."
"When there is a river flowing and the little tributaries join it, they lose themselves and become part of that big river. All the rivers that flow into the Ganges become just as holy."
"The trees that surround a sandalwood tree take on the aroma of sandalwood. Is it possible to keep such a company of that most beautiful thing that I begin to take on the qualities of it? If I keep the company of clarity, I too will take on the qualities of clarity. If I want to have that beautiful aroma of understanding, then I need to keep the company of understanding."
"Keep the company of light and you will begin to glow like that light. This is the true transformation of a human being."
"What is your truest need? To be content."
"Be simple. Be conscious. One second of being conscious will save you from a whole lifetime of trouble."
"People look out at all the things around them as their strength, but believe me -- none of those things will be there to support you. Know yourself. Practice Knowledge."
"If you practice Knowledge, you too will become timeless. And when you do, what do you care about how old you are?"
"In the realm of Knowledge it's always a new beginning."
"The only people who don't seem to respond to this message are the ones who are expired."
"This is the real deal -- the synchronous experience of being with Maharaji."
"What is the true thirst? Who are you? Are you just a puppet built of the papier mache of concept -- or are you something more than that? Pray to God that the answer is 'yes.'"
"We need someone to pay attention to human beings, not just issues. The issues will take care of themselves when we take care of human beings."
"We, as human beings, need to have the biggest faith in ourselves. It behooves everyone to become worthy of the faith of the person next to them. And this is what it means to be a good neighbor."
"Enjoy Knowledge. It just gets better and better and better."
"Enjoy yourself. Have a blast. Learn to be totally inebriated on peace."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:24 AM | Comments (3)
September 22, 2008FLORIDA UNBOUND: No Word for Thesaurus
Did you know there's no synonym in the thesaurus for "thesaurus"?
And that's exactly how I feel right now as I try to describe what it was like being with Maharaji this past weekend -- once in Miami and once in Gainesville.
When I got back home, two friends asked me what it was like. Though I felt quite divine, my response was cro-magnon at best.
Um...er... uh...ah... uh....
This is precisely why dancing came into existence. Yodelling, too.
And so, in honor of Maharaji and my own inability, at this moment, to string two sentences together, here's a list of metaphors that approximate what it was like being there this weekend.
What It Felt Like Being With Maharaji This Weekend
1. Landing on Free Parking in Monopoly
2. Being rebooted
3. Coming home
4. Going back to Square One, only to discover there was no square. The sides of the square had been removed or were never there in the first place.
5. Being at the most incredible party in the world
6. Finding buried treasure in my own backyard
7. Letting go of everything
8. The first day of Spring
9. Sunbathing on the roof at the top of the world
10. Unplugging from the madness
11. Following the yellow brick road
12. An early Thanksgiving
13. The cherry on top of the sundae I felt no guilt about eating
14. A cool breeze
15. The eye of the storm
16. Falling in love for the first time
17. Putting down my heavy load
18. Opening a present I didn't think I deserved
19. Pushing "pause" on the universal remote
20. A spa for the soul
21. The space between in breath and out
22. Being kissed by the infinite
23. The music Mozart listened to when he was done composing
24. Effortlessly experiencing the virtues all religions espouse
25. The promised land
26. Consciousness revealed
27. A grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth
28. Happiness squared
29. The breath within the breath
30. The answer to every Zen koan ever asked
31. The blissful breaking of my pinata
32. A diamond cutter's stroke
33. Knocking on heaven's door, only to discover I was knocking from the inside
34. Experiencing that each step is also an arrival
35. Discovering a secret room in my house
36. Receiving a very large inheritance
37. The happy marriage of laughter and tears
38. George Carlin, Mel Brooks, Jonathan Winters, Groucho Marx, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Lily Tomlin, Steven Wright, Peter Sellers, Sid Caesar, Jerry Seinfeld, Henny Youngman, and Chris Rock all laughing at a joke no one told.
39. Surfing Hawaiian waves of love
40. These two whirling dervishes walk into a bar
Feel free to add your own, by clicking on "Post a Comment" below...
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:10 PM | Comments (2)
September 20, 2008Miami Nice
Tonight I had the good fortune of being at an event with Maharaji at the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach. Here are some excerpts:
"I didn't just give you a glass of water. I talked you into digging a well in your own backyard. Any time you feel thirsty, feel free to go to that well and drink to quench your thirst. Never again will you need to be thirsty. Quench your thirst not once, but every day."
"Yogis are drunk on discipline. Priests are drunk on scriptures. Celibates are drunk on vanity. Monks are drunk on prestige. So what's left for you? What could you possibly get drunk on? I recommend being drunk on peace, being drunk on joy, being drunk on the fulfillment of the quest of a human being."
"Whoever gets touched by the magic of the heart, it's hard to ever be the same again. The next thing you know, you are at the most INCREDIBLE PARTY, inebriated not on prestige or discipline, but on peace, joy, and gratitude. For those of you who have stayed with it, the party is not abating. Welcome to the party -- the party of a lifetime."
"Enjoy yourself. It's OK. It's OK. Enjoy! You are capable of enjoying this breath. You are capable of enjoying this life."
"Everything you do externally, there is someone who does it better. But what you do internally... you are the best at that."
"A lot of people say 'I don't have time for all this stuff.' Well, make it your priority. Time is the greatest illusion. Don't be a victim to the illusion. Be clear. Stay focused."
"There are many people here who have received the gift of Knowledge and are coming to the twilight of their lives. But they are not alone. Knowledge is there. Peace! Feel it!"
"The idea is not to create, but to know the one thing inside of you. But not only to know -- to fall in love with that thing inside of you. Then... you will be rewarded. And guess what that reward will be? Peace."
"You are blessed. The hand of God is glued on top of your head. There is no greater blessing given to you. Feel that hand on your head and know you are being kissed by the infinite."
"Feel this breath. Feel this blessing and know there is a God. This is the incredible miracle."
"Every day is a beautiful day. Feel the passion from the depth of your heart. Do you know there is a passion only you can feel, an understanding only you can have, a fulfillment only you are capable of having?"
"Have fun! What is fun? Where truly the heart is entertained. Where truly you are filled with gratitude and joy."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:28 PM | Comments (2)
September 19, 2008On My Way to See Maharaji Today
Okie dokie. I'm heading to the airport in an hour to fly to Florida. Going to see Maharaji at an event in Miami on Saturday, then again in Gainesville on Sunday. If you make it to either of these events, I hope to see you there.
Next week I'll do my best to post something here from both events. Until then... count your blessings, have fun, enjoy, breathe deep, and know the only thing not subject to bank closings, stock market crashes, spin doctoring, or mortgages crises is inside you.
That "thing" is what all great teachers from the beginning of time have been talking about. You already have it. The only thing left to do is discover it... pay attention to it... and enjoy it.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:09 AM | Comments (1)
September 18, 2008The Paradox Supreme
Here is the paradox supreme:
What you want you have
and what you have you want.
What you call the path
is merely the way to this understanding.
Do not worry about the next step.
You have already taken it.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2008The One Minute Seeker
In days gone by, classic "seekers" had to endure a ton of trials and tribulations to find what they were looking for. They walked across deserts. They fasted. They hunted for the One in faraway places.
No more. Those days are over. The game has changed. Things have heated up, big time.
Now, that which you are looking for is looking for you. Your inner questing for something timeless, pure, and full of love has been responded to.
Really.
Click here to find out more.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)
VIDEO: A Bowl of PeasA very funny story told by Maharaji and some soulful expressions from an event in Montreal...
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2008What's in a Name?
Whenever a person who has received Knowledge from Maharaji tries to describe their relationship to him, they usually end up using one of the following five words: student, devotee, follower, friend, or premie.
I'm sure you've heard at least a few of these words before in one context or another.
Each of them describes an aspect of my relationship to Maharaji, but only an aspect.
None of them describes the whole shebang. In fact, each of these words has been known to confuse, distract, or repel since each one carries a kind of cultural baggage.
Allow me to explain.
If I tell you that I am the son of Barney and Sylvia, you will instantly know what I mean. If I tell you I am the husband of Evelyne, I need not explain further. If I tell you that I'm the brother of Phyllis, the friend of Scott, and the father of Jesse and Mimi, you catch my drift.
But when it comes to describing my relationship to Maharaji, language comes up short.
Which brings us back to the five words noted above: student, follower, devotee, friend, and premie.
It's clear to me, that if you're reading this blog, it's only a matter of time before you hear one of Maharaji's _____________ (fill in the blank, folks) use one of the above-mentioned words to describe their relationship to him. And when they do, I want to make sure you don't run for the hills just because the word they use doesn't quite make it for you.
1. STUDENT
"Student" is perhaps the most politically correct way to describe my relationship to Maharaji. Simply put, he's my teacher and I learn from him. All of us understand the concept of teacher. It's embedded in our culture.
But this is where some Knowledge-sniffing people might decide to bail out.
Yes, we've all had teachers, but some of our teachers have disappointed. Some, in fact, were awful -- manipulative, fear-mongering, narrow-minded, and boring. Plus they gave us homework. Ouch!
The word "student" also conjures up, for some of us, images of school. School? Does anyone really want to go to school? To my kids, school often feels like prison. They'd rather be playing.
"Student" also conjures up images of big books with small print that have to be read by Thursday when it's Springtime outside and all you really want to do is roller blade. Study? Give me a break. Who wants to study?
Here's the paradox. I'm a student of Maharaji, but I'm not in school. I'm a student of Maharaji, but I don't study. I'm a student of Maharaji, but I follow no curriculum. I'm a student of Maharaji, but he never tests me. I'm a student of Maharaji, but I pay no tuition.
And yet, believe it or not, I've learned more from him than anyone else on planet Earth. By at least a few light years.
2. FOLLOWER
In the 1970's when Maharaji's arrival on the scene was being carefully tracked by the media, journalists referred to people attracted to his teachings as "followers" -- as in "the followers of the boy Guru from India."
No wonder why so many Time and Newsweek readers (my mother included) got turned off.
"Followers" conjures up images of sheep walking off cliffs... of weak-willed people... of glassy-eyed, hopelessly uncool wanabees. Hey, who wants to be a "follower?" Isn't that a sign of nerdhood? It's leaders we want! Take charge people! Alpha men and women! Superheroes!
Here's a slightly different way of looking it.
When you're trying to get somewhere you've never been before, it's not uncommon to follow directions. (Are you giving away your power because you follow a map or the instructions of the gas station attendant?)
I'm guessing you've followed your instincts from time to time. Yes? And if you're a sports fan, you've undoubtedly followed a team or two -- fascinated and uplifted by what they did and how they did it. And if you've ever been in love, I'd venture to say that somewhere along the line, you told your Beloved you'd follow them to the ends of the Earth.
Following is not a sign of weakness -- not if what you're following is worthy of your pursuit. Maharaji, by the way, doesn't ask people to follow him. People follow him for the same reason they follow their instinct, their team, a map, or their significant other. For love. For results. For enjoyment.
This is not a blind following. This is an informed following. This is not a following that disempowers. This is a following that strengthens, empowers, and delights.
3. DEVOTEE
There are two ways of saying the word "devotee" -- the first one rhymes with "clay," the second rhymes with "tea." I prefer the second. Devotee. The first one reminds me of an upwardly mobile fashionista in LA or NY who calls everyone "dahling." They are, on Mondays, at least, a "devotay" of this or that. But what they're devoted to this week will invariably change into something else next week and so on ad infinitum.
Their devotion, if you will, is really just a thinly veiled emotion -- their circumstantial focus on something or other for a limited period of time until they either get bored, distracted, or convinced by a much hipper and better-dressed friend to be a "devotay" of something else.
I'm not talking about that.
I'm talking about the second word -- the one that rhymes with "tea." Devotee -- whose root is "devote."
We're all devoted to something. Some of us are devoted to family. Some of us are devoted to country. Some of us are devoted to work. Still others are devoted to skin care products.
And so it goes...
Why is it that some people refer to themselves as "devotees" of Maharaji? Because he's shown them something worth being devoted to. He's shown them what devotion really is. Not blind devotion. No herd devotion. Not trendy devotion. Something very different -- the unconditional, soulful commitment to the core of life.
4. FRIEND
Many people who practice Knowledge, refer to Maharaji as their "friend." And yet, they may see him only once a year. They may never have even said a single word to him. They never go bowling with him or share a pizza or double date, but still they use the word "friend" to describe him.
How can this be? How can you call someone a friend who you rarely ever see?
It's simple.
A friend knows you. A friend is there when needed. A friend is non-judgmental. A friend has your best interests in mind. A friend is someone you can rely on. A friend surprises you with love when you least expect it.
All of these describe my relationship to Maharaji. And when I look into his eyes -- or he looks into mine -- I feel, in a heartbeat, that he is a Friend with a capital "F."
"F" for fearless. "F" for fun. "F" for fabuloso.
For some of us, however, the word "friend" is troubling. Friends have sometimes let us down. Friends sometimes take more than they give. Friends have borrowed tools and not returned them. And so, it's not at all surprising that calling Maharaji my "friend" may not work for you.
OK. Maybe the next word will work better for you...
5. PREMIE
I'm guessing you've heard the word "premie" before. It's Hindi for "lover" and was the most popular way that students/followers/devotees/friends of Maharaji referred to themselves in the 1970's and '80's.
One of the great things about this word, to Westerners, is that no one had any concepts about it -- no previous associations. And it's translation was cool. Lover. Who could argue with that -- especially since one of the outcomes of practicing Knowledge and being around Maharaji was a steady infusion of love.
At least that's the way it was -- and is -- for me.
Looking back, it felt right to use the word "premie" to describe my relationship to Maharaji. After all, the word came from the same country he did -- India -- and it translated as "love." And his first name is "Prem."
Seems kind of like a no brainer, eh?
Of course, there's an equal and opposite way of looking at this, too. After all, as Paul Simon once said, "One man's ceiling is another man's floor."
I'm sure for some people, it's a turn off to hear the word "premie." It seems so foreign -- so not "made in the USA." And, as if that wasn't enough, it sounds a lot like "preemie," every mother's worse nightmare -- someone not quite fully formed.
Well, then, maybe "premie" isn't the best word to describe someone who practices Knowledge and loves Maharaji. Maybe the word should be "Bubeleh," or "Tootsie" or "Fred." You tell me.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what word I use to describe my relationship to Maharaji. What matters is this: Maharaji is the real deal. My life has majorly flourished since I met him. His message is ancient and timeless and real. His gift of Knowledge is a treasure.
Shakespeare had it right, methinks:
"What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:41 AM | Comments (4)
September 13, 2008KABIR: I Talk to My Inner Lover
I talk to my inner lover
and I say, why such rush?
We sense that there is
some sort of spirt that
loves birds and animals and the ants --
perhaps the same one who gave
a radiance to you
in your mother's womb.
Is it logical you would be
walking around entirely orphaned now?
The truth is you turned away yourself,
and decided to go into the dark alone.
Now you are tangled up in others,
and have forgotten
what you once knew,
and that's why everything you do
has some weird failure in it.
Kabir: Ecstatic Poems, Robert Bly
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 01:07 AM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2008"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2008What You've Liked So Far...
Since the launching of this blog on April 1, 2008, I've posted 168 items that have been viewed thousands of times. Of these, ten have risen to the top as the most viewed. Here they are:
1. When You Walk Into the Room
4. Home Base
7. This Thirst
10. Someone to Call
If you have other favorite postings or would like me to address specific topics not yet addressed in this blog, please let me know. Your feedback helps. Thanks!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:38 PM | Comments (0)
September 10, 2008Plenty of Rumi for Everyone
I was dead, then alive,
weeping, then laughing.
The power of love came into me,
and I became fierce like a lion,
then tender like the evening star.
He said, "You're not mad enough.
You don't belong in this house."
I went wild and had to be tied up.
He said, "You're still not wild enough
to stay with us!"
I broke through another layer
into joyfulness.
He said, "It's not enough."
I died.
He said, "You are a clever little man,
full of fantasy and doubting."
I plucked out my feathers and became a fool.
He said, "Now you are the candle
for this assembly."
But I'm no candle. Look!
I'm scattered smoke.
He said, "You are the sage, the guide."
But I'm not a teacher. I have no power.
He said, "You already have wings.
I cannot give you wings."
But I wanted his wings.
I felt like some flightless chicken.
Then something said to me,
"Don't move. A sublime generosity is
coming towards you."
An old love said, "Stay with me."
I said, "I will."
You are the fountain of the sun's light.
I am a willow shadow on the ground.
You make my raggedness silky.
The soul at dawn is like darkened water
that slowly begins to say "Thank you, Thank you."
Then at sunset, again, Venus gradually
changes into the moon and then the whole night sky.
This comes of smiling back
at your smile.
The chess master says nothing,
other than moving the silent chess piece.
That I am part of the ploys
of this game makes me
amazingly happy.
- Rumi
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:22 PM | Comments (0)
September 09, 2008VIDEO: Within You Is a Joy
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)
September 06, 2008Doing the Seeming Impossible
OK. Here's a wake up call for all of us who think our life or work challenges are impossible. Click below to see what this chap accomplished, then ask yourself whether or not what YOU'RE trying to accomplish (i.e. stay conscious, grow your business, make a transition, write a book, practice Knowledge, forgive someone, etc.) is really so difficult to pull off.
For more inspiration, click on the link below the YouTube video.
Thanks to Chris Tardieu for forwarding this video.
MORE INSPIRATION TO GO BEYOND THE "IMPOSSIBLE"
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." - Goethe
"There is no such thing as a long piece of work, except one that you dare not start. - Charles Baudelaire
"What is now proved was once only imagined." - William Blake
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"Genius is infinite painstaking." - Michelangelo
"A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock pile when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind." - Antoine Saint-Exupery
"Whenever anything is being accomplished, it is being done, I have learned, by a monomaniac with a mission." - Peter Drucker
"No idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered." - Winston Churchill
"I am looking for a lot of people who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done." - Henry Ford
And here's an intro to my new book about a neanderthal who also accomplished the seeming impossible. Go for it!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:54 AM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2008Rumi and Kabir Bowling
Last year, as I understand it, Rumi was the best selling poet in the United States -- 800+ years after he was alive. Amazing, eh? Clearly, there is something timeless and universal in his words. Kabir, too, is still being widely read -- as is Hafiz, Gibran, and a host of other ecstatic poets from times gone by.
Many people assume these guys must have been praying, meditating, and going on pilgrimages all the time. I don't think so. All you have to do is read their poetry to see how down to earth they were, how irreverant, and how funny.
Anyway... this next piece is an homage to Rumi and Kabir -- my little fantasy of how the two of them might have spent an evening -- in a bowling alley -- if they were still alive today.
Read it aloud, with some drama in your voice, for maximum value.
I have been to the place where Rumi and Kabir
are bowling all... night... long.
They are rolling perfectly round balls
down a perfectly polished alley,
laughing at the sound of the pins falling down
again and again and again.
Every time they bowl a strike even when they miss
which is often, their aim wandering in fabulously random ways
around this grand interior space.
Rumi orders a shot of Red Eye,
Kabir, a Bud Lite,
their clinking of glasses
some kind of esoteric temple bell ritual
neither of them understand.
They keep drinking and laughing and drinking again,
knocking back the elixir of their late night bowling life
and muttering under their barely moving breath
about the strangers outside returning home from yet another night shift.
Rumi opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out --
Kabir, long beard flecked with foam, orders a second round
and then a third as if the world was on fire.
Suddenly Rumi glances over his left shoulder.
More pins fall, this time leaving a perfect 7-10 split,
Kabir, knowing he never has to write another poem
to prove himself whole, leaps from his chair and hurls himself
down the perfectly polished alley, arms outstretched,
moving at the speed
of lite
beer.
Bang!
Both pins fall,
like... cedars in Lebanon,
like... Adam from Grace,
like... trees in a forest with no one close enough to hear whether anything
has actually happened or not.
No one except Red Eye Rumi swiveling in his chair
and pointing to the door.
A small man, in a starched white uniform, enters,
many keys hanging from his belt.
"Hey, you two! What are you doing here? This place is closed!"
Rumi smiles, tilts his head back and talks into his empty glass
now megaphone for the moment.
"I beg to differ, my good man,
this place is not closed.
It is open!
If it were closed we would not be here.
Open it is, I say! Wide open!
Like the Red Sea,
like a window on a summer night,
like the eyes of a young man upon seeing
the most beautiful woman in the world walk across the room,
her body the perfect mix of spirit and flesh.
Open, I say, like a book, like the sky,
like the heart of one not yet disappointed
in the ways of human love.
Go about your business, friend, and leave us here,
two happy hieroglyphs of love."
"We have a perfect game on Lane 23,"
intones a disembodied voice over the PA system
"A perfect game!"
Rumi and Kabir pull over another chair, pour another drink
and beckon to the man in the starched white uniform,
many keys dangling from his belt.
"Good friend, come closer, come drink with us.
Come now!
The night is still young."
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:39 AM | Comments (0)
September 02, 2008Where I Live
Sometimes,
in a sudden fit of curiosity,
or need to fill
an unexpected pause in conversation,
well-meaning people ask me where I live.
I used to tell them,
depending on my mood
and how much I thought
they really wanted to know,
any of the following:
Two hours north of Manhattan,
Ulster County,
or the oh so famous Woodstock, New York.
Now,
many years after meeting Maharaji,
and having relocated to my breath,
I simply say:
the State of Gratitude.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:36 AM | Comments (1)
