Another splendid spring morning, and today is Thursday. The day stands to be full. A lift-off here at Starbucks has been gratifying.

I witnessed the entrance of a mom with three pre-school children, two female and one male. The mother appeared to thoroughly enjoy the company of her offspring, and the children definitely discovered the environment entertaining, given the unceasing movement of baristas. The four lingered a few minutes with a libation or with treats. Then I overheard mom say it was time for school. Everyone left in good order. The view from a distance of this event impressed me as a segment of life as harmony, a combination of interest, pleasure, and purpose.

So, I proceed with another day of life, a bonus day. After concluding this post, I intend to shovel, and to move mulch around the yard, by wheel barrow. The mulch is finely ground, partly decayed wood. Mulch is the foundation of a season of verdant growth. It’s the beginning of everything.

Humble, and unpretentious, the ‘nonbeing’ of mulch reminds me of a taoist principle:

Nonbeing is called the beginning of heaven
and earth;
being is called the mother of all things.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu, Verse No. 1

Following a stint of physical labor, I am fortunate to participate with others in a class on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The material is new to me. I am astonished over and over.

Thursday will finish with a few friends gathering to discuss the ways which “touch” mediates the dimensions of our human experience.

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As for our tune/lifeline for today, how about Golden Years by the peerless David Bowie. May he rest in peace.