“Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

~ The Dalai Lama

75 Responses
  1. Beautiful verse Tracy…So true …to so many…many that don’t even realize how special our short and complicated little lives really are…money and material things have no significance, if you give it some thought…what really matters is that you find a way to make some small difference in anyone’s life. If more people felt this way about life, our world wold be a happier and healthier place to share…..it truly almost takes a severe catastrophic event to understand how sweet, sacred and unique life really is…a truly unfortunate way to learn….ljk …I miss my boy tonight…there is nothing worse in life than to loose a person that has meant the world to you…it will cast a truly different light on your entire life…

    1. always one rock at a time. very slowly. but ALWAYS bracing the whole structure with one hand as i place each new rock.. for my arrangements (and generally most complex arrangements), the spine always needs the weight of the head to hold it all in balance. if the top rock is removed… the rest fall away lifelessly.

    1. so true yes! but i disagree that there is not “a cure”… humans have an incredible capacity to evolve if they *choose to* create that change. we are all incredibly aware of the future, but that does not mean it is necessary to worry so much about it. the most important thing to me, generally, on any given day, is to go out and balance rocks… i have no formula for how that makes the future okay. but it sure as hell makes the present exciting… which inevitably becomes the future through regular interaction with now. i guess… but then again i don’t have the answers, but somehow i’ve found a powerful way to constantly dance with the present, that works for me, and makes me happy. :) if i died tomorrow i would not at all consider my life to have been un-lived.

  2. Not me sorry Mr lama, I try to enjoy my life, my family and my friends to the fullest f#”k work and money, well except I need some money, shit now we’re into work life balance :-(

  3. By the way, I truly feel your works of art are amazing. I follow and study your style. The lady who taught me is my Hero but you are definitely a huge inspiration to me personally. Would say your my Hero too but, I’m kinda scared of my lil lady teacher with the scary eyes. Hahahaha. Keep up the Art. May the river and rocks provide your soul with peace and inner calm. Much luv

  4. I’ve learned that sometimes you chose the rocks and other times the rocks chose you. The lady who taught me, always tells me to put a top on my art. She proved that when she challenged me and won because her top piece was a black and white Zebra stripped rock picked out of the river by someone I love dearly

    1. I have known this quote for a long time. The wording here is slightly different from the version I’m familiar with, but the premise is equally ominous. Balance is important. Security is also important. Hard to have one without a careful eye on the other.

    1. the rocks ultimately make the call. but i almost always know what rock i will be placing on top. the rest kinda fit toward that point. impossible to fully explain. i just know :)

    2. Gravity Glue, my 10 year old son knows what you are saying….he’s such a huge fan of your work!!!! He’s been making balances & impressing folks with ‘just the right rock on top’

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