One Hand Speaks

Today I had an experience that I enjoy regarding the sun and heat. Today was one of the first and truly beautiful days. I love the heat and I yearn for Winter to end and Spring to blossom. I love the heat. And this is just a short story of one of my favorite  first-of-the-year, "I love the heat" experiences.

I will be leaving soon for my fifth visit and pilgrimage to Nepal. This is what I have to say.

Last year during my fourth visit and pilgrimage to Nepal, I took 5 days to pilgrimage in Bhutan. At that time I had been wanting to visit the Tiger's Nest Monastery for over eighteen years. In 2024 I was able to afford and plan in advance my short yet profound 5-day pilgrimage to Bhutan and Paro Taktsang. Also known as the Tiger's Nest Monastery -- a sacred Vajrayana Himalayan Buddhist temple located in the cliffside of the upper Paro valley in Bhutan

One day while I was teaching Aikido at my dojo, 3 Shapes Aikido, in Boise's Historic North End community, a young Japanese lady walked through the door. Her name was Junko Ikuta. From the moment she arrived until the moment she departed, she left an indelible mark on our dojo, our dojo community, and on me. For the past 15 years I have thought about her often and certainly every year on May Day, my favorite holiday. After she left our dojo and Idaho we would communicate a few times a year through social media. Then one day it stopped and I heard the news...  Junko left the party of life. 

This story is about my first drum circle and first visit to the Oregon Country Fair in 1993. 

Tales to be told of the "Sweet Olive Run" of 2024. This is a catch-up podcast about my most recent run at the olives for 2024. I am even discussing some of the Family Stuff that can arise with this work and the Sci-Fi overtone of the labels.

In retirement (and if I could do it now) I would like to, "walk the earth like Caine the the Kung Fu. This is what Jules the hitman told Vincent the hitman in the movie "Pulp Fiction." I wish I had this statement on a t-shirt and I think about it often.

In this podcast I am share my thoughts, feelings, observations, perspectives, and contemplations about being in the middle of my decade if my 50s.

This story is simply about the changes and transformations I am feeing within myself this year, the year of the Wood Dragon 2024. This year I truly transformed in a number of ways and for a number of reasons. I can honestly say I could feel the power and energy generated by The Wood Dragon.

My co-worker in the cube next to me has small children. Lately, when they call him (with his wide's support) because they him him, I can hear them laugh and play and take deep thoughts using children's logic. It reminds me of a Dojo memory when I like at my dojo in Boise's North End. I have wanted to podcast about this experience and memory for quite some time. And now is the time. 

These are some of my memories of Lisa Bufano. At the time she and I were both living in Boise and doing a lot of performance art. She was doing much more and more disabled performance art. She had all her fingers and legs below the knees amputated due to a staff infection from a previous surgery. A mutual artist associated recently passed away and Lisa has been on my mind a lot of late. She died about 10 years ago and I do think of her often. 

This is a story about another one handed moment with children. I just got home from Winco, a grocery store here in Boise, Idaho. After paying for the food, I was waiting by the restrooms for my mother. As a young boy was leaving the "boy's room" he noticed I do not have two hands. That starting a funny, beautiful, and special one-handed moment for all.

One of the longer standing students in the Boise Dharma Center moved to Port Orchard, Washington a while back. When he proposed to his wife he asked me of bestow the wedding vows in (somewhat low-key) Buddhist wedding ceremony on a boat on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington.

When I attended Indiana University I truly wanted to expand my experience of knowledge. I did not really want good grades. I sincerely wanted to learn and grow. Therefore, I took many odd, unique, obscure, and personally challenging classes. I was also required to take two years of a foreign language. I chose to study the African foreign language of Bambara.

I have been practicing and studying the martial art of Aikido since 1997. I have been teaching Aikido since 2002. It is hard to do Aikido that long and that deeply without knowing the name of, watching the movies of, and knowing the Aikido history of Steven Seagal. I have never trained with Seagal Sensei. But I, and two of my Aikido students, did get see his as the "Mojo Priest" when he and his band came to Boise, Idaho.

On March15, 2023 I will left for my third visit to Kathmandu, Nepal. I am sharing this podcast in 2024 from my visit in 2023 as I stopped podcasting for a while shortly after I returned from Nepal last year. I recently returned from Nepal this past April 2024 and this is a recording from last year that fits my timing and pilgrimage this year. Thanks for listening! I invite you to share this podcast, offer a comment or leave some feedback. Show Notes: My favorite place in Nepal. I have a very strong connection to The Monkey Temple. I am looking forward to visiting again in 2024.  Resources: Swayambhunath Stupa – A bit of info about the famous "Monkey Temple" in Kathmandu, Nepal. Visit Nepal 2020 – The campaign to visit in 2020. Boudhanath Stupa – A truly exceptional experience and a must see in Kathmandu, Nepal. Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal – Some wiki info about this most popular and tourist area in Kathmandu, Nepal.  Bodhi Guesthouse - My home away from home in Kathmandu, Nepal. My Gritty

This is a story about another one handed moment with children. I just got home from Winco, a grocery store here in Boise, Idaho. After paying for the food, I was waiting by the restrooms for my mother. As a young boy was leaving the "boy's room" he noticed I do not have two hands. That starting a funny, beautiful, and special one-handed moment for all.

It is hard to believe it has been 8 years since I began podcasting. Especially with taking almost a year off and not posting a 7-Year Anniversary podcast last year. However, here I am not and catching up!! 

Funny stories about having one hand in Nepal. 

I took a long break. My last podcast posted on June 21, 2023. Pretty much 10 months. Life has a way of changing for us. Or should I say changing us. An old friend of mine once said, "It is funny how life gets in the way of life." But sometimes life unfolds in ways that redirect us. Many times in goods ways and in many ways there are bad times. Life took a turn for me and I simply had to stop broadcasting my podcast. Many times I wanted to record and post. But I just was not feeling it. The other times I thought I would stop podcasting all together. Even as I write this and record the podcast, I am not really sure what the future will bring or what I will do. I know I am not ready to stop broadcasting. And at the same time, I am not sure how my podcasts will evolve and transform in the moments I am here. All I can really say right now is things will be different with my podcast. This is regarding when I upload and broadcast, how often I do it, the overall length, I plan on changing the website, and of cours