Several years ago, my wife sent me a link to a talk by Chade Meng Tan, Google employee 107 and renowned Buddhist speaker. The main thrust of his talk — what stuck with me anyway — was how his first thought when engaging with anyone, anywhere, was a silent wish: "I want you to be happy." Not "I want to make you happy," but a sincere desire for that person or persons to be happy.
Try it sometime. It is a world-transforming act. Even, especially, when you say it to someone who just cut you off in traffic, or even a particularly deplorable politician. People pick up the positive vibe or feeling, and they respond to it, often unconsciously. The world opens up to you in strange and wonderful ways.
Before I mail each haiku card, I write a brief personal message on the back. Very spontaneous, off the cuff, whatever comes to me. Sometimes I’ll touch on a common memory or something they once told me that affected me. Often, I simply thank them for doing what they do, for bringing what they bring to this world we share.
In every case, no matter the actual words, that message boils down to those six world-transforming words: "I want you to be happy."
Here are the week’s haiku, and where I sent them.
haiku 20220919 > Missoula, MT USA
sidewalks dark with last night's rain autumn soon
haiku 20220920 > Marlborough, CT USA
a dozen new shoots on my backyard bamboo too bad we’re moving
haiku 20220921 > Los Angeles, CA USA
last coffee in this old kitchen moving day
haiku 20220922 > Sonoma, CA USA
hotel room coffee different instructions every time
haiku 20220923 > San Francisco, CA USA
sierra foothills the pervasive stillness of cedars
haiku 20220924 > Krabi, Thailand
thunderheads loom we are closer than we thought
haiku 20220925 > Sonoma, CA USA
thunderheads loom we are closer than we thought
I hope you enjoyed the haiku and the photos. Remember, I’d be happy to send you one of these cards. Just DM me and I’ll put your name in the hat.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, the muse is cracking that haiku whip!