three things we love
Dustin Hoffman
Quartet (2012) directed by Dustin Hoffman
I remember the day in 2012 I stopped trusting critics. I had just seen a charming gem of a film called Quartet, (Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut) about a group home of aging musicians and their efforts to save the institution where they lived from financial ruin. There is also a love story woven in. With a stellar cast including Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay, Quartet is a bittersweet comedy/drama (actually based on a true story featured in the documentary Tosca's Kiss) about growing old and facing mortality, filled with wonderful classical music (mostly opera but even a little rap). I was invited to a special preview screening and I walked out of it feeling that I had just seen a real winner. I happened to be sitting in front of A.O. Scott of the New York Times and was anxious to hear what he thought too. The next day I opened the paper and to my utter dismay, he gave it a bad review. And I thought--what kind of sourpuss could not have enjoyed that charming sweet joyful film? So, see for yourself. I personally give Quartet a hearty thumbs up and so did Philip French in The Guardian.
Poet William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) was also an accomplished doctor of general medicine and pediatrics.
This Is Just To Say
By William Carlos Williams
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
'This Is Just to Say'' from The Collected Poems: Volume I, 1909-1939, copyright ©1938 by New Directions Publishing Corp. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.
The Red Wheelbarrow
By William Carlos Williams
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens
William Carlos Williams, “The Red Wheelbarrow” from The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams, Volume I, 1909-1939, edited by Christopher MacGowan. Copyright 1938 by New Directions Publishing Corporation. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation.
illustration by Molly Hahn, known as Mollycules, a cartoonist from Santa Barbara, California.
Tara Brach is the founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC
Tara Brach is a Buddhist psychologist and author and is a name you might have heard--she is in vogue right now as an avid proponent of mindfulness, compassion and meditation, and has just come out with a new book entitled Trusting The Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness. The inspiration for the book's title comes from a discovery in Thailand of a huge clay statue of a Buddha that began to crack due to heat and drought. When some monks examined the cracks, they were surprised to find glimmers of gold shining through the gaps of the clay exterior.
Under this ordinary-looking statue was hidden a solid gold Buddha!
It turns out that over 600 years ago the Buddha statue was coated with clay and plaster to protect it from being stolen by invading armies. Though the knowledge of the statue’s true nature had been forgotten, it was always right there, waiting to be revealed anew.
Tara Brach describes that what struck her about this discovery was how it mirrored the path of human existence. "Just as the monks disguised the golden Buddha to protect it, we do the same with our own innate goodness. As children, we create defenses against what causes us to feel afraid, ignored, or hurt. As we grow up, we identify with the defenses we’ve created—and lose touch with the innocent, tender, creative hearts we were trying to protect."
She goes on to say that it was this realization that inspired her to write her new book, Trusting the Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness, available to order here.
I find tht much wisdom is to be gained by Tara Brach's writings, podcasts and workshops--and I ivite you to explore her myriad of offerings as a leading western teacher of Buddhist meditation, emotional healing and spiritual awakening.
photo of the week
This photo was taken at sunset with no filter and no enhancements whatsoever near Pemaquid Point in Maine. Love that pink ocean!
This week's featured charity: The Doe Fund
I got to know some of the people that were working as part of the Doe Fund during the summer I had a booth at the Brooklyn Flea. They worked to keep the area clean and were always cheerful, willing and able to help the vendors in any ways they could. The Doe Fund gives these men the opportunity, through work, to break the cycle of incarceration, homelessness and unemployment. Click here to learn more about The Doe Fund's very successful 12-month program and to donate to this very worthy cause.
Please Donate. They do such important work protecting our democracy.
Self Portrait going grey in the time of Covid…
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her, check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.