THE MIRACLE OF "KO-ACH" STRENGTH

Miracles. Having the wind knocked out of you and then beginning to breathe again, strongly huffing and puffing, no asthmatic whiffs.

Lungs firmly and regularly sucking in air with a mantra saying one of G-d's fifty names, exhausting outwards a blown gust, getting rid of evil and wickedness as you blow out your breath of air.

Inhaling goodness, breathing out badness. Lungs expanding thickly like balloons, nostrils gaping widely snorting as the air goes into them and goes out again.

Legs regaining strength leaping like a deer in meadows, on sidewalks, up mountainsides, down canyons, feet painlessly gripping the pavement curling in your toes and commanding long strides, eyes wide open to see rainbows and sunsets and twinkling nighttime stars.

Always having a chair or couch in which to collapse, to rest. Beds welcoming as soft as feathers, blankets warmly tucked under your chin, furry and comfy, puffy pillows easy on the head, soft regular breathing sweetly at night, not snoring, with deep breaths taking in vivid colorful meaningful nighttime dreams, like movies that busy your consciousness, batting the eyes, closing them painlessly, drifting off safely into serious sedated sleep.

THE MIRACLE OF JUSTICE--WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND

What is justice? The miracle of justice is the attainment of the idea that "what comes around goes around."

Happiness is being able to experience awesomeness in what you do, but with the negativity of the fear level that cones with an experience of awe being safely cut down to a level that is bearable and comfortable, that does not cause unrest or agitation or negative stress, that instead comes with ease. Being happy and being relaxed, having just as much and not less as much happiness as others.

Being aware of others who try to compete with your happiness level, saying they are happier than you, but seeing them say this in between tears, because our happiness levels are contingent upon our ethical treatment of other individuals, how you make others feel with what you say and/or do, being stimuli to other's happiness or sadness levels.

People who are really unhappy, wish they were happy and so therefore try to convince themselves that they are happy, by saying they are happier than others. It is their lack of happiness that causes them to have to compete with your happiness level and to say they are more happy, when indeed they are less, but wish they were more.

What is happiness? Happiness is being a causality of someone else's happiness, something that you say or do to make someone else happier, to be happy enough with yourself to share your happiness with others and in this way your happiness grows.

Not to say you are more happy than others are and to say your grass is greener than theirs. Anyone's grass could wither and turn yellow at any time and then you would have no one on your side to help you regain your happiness level, to be happy again. This is because what you did was try to take away someone else's happiness, so instead you lose yours.

What comes around goes around, justice is like the flu. Mistreat another and you too will be mistreated, show someone loving-kindness and you too will experience it. Being kind to someone is how to become happy and be a key reason why others are happy too. In doing this you can have someone with you who is happy like you are and hence to increase the level of happiness everyone feels.

THE MIRACLE OF GOOD FRIENDSHIPS

The miracle of hearing from old friends! Being in touch and exchanging words of love and caring, concern and well being. All for each other, wanting the best for each other.

The longer we keep the friendship the more endearing it becomes. Picturing her face so beautiful, dark raven black hair and deep black pool eyes, with a smile so sincere and so loving, picturing her essence as I type her an email, seeing her beauty in every word we exchange, so carefully considered, using words of love and kindness, of lovingkindness, towards each other.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. She tries to be there for me every week, like clockwork, being there to keep me feeling a sense of being wanted, being needed, someone to show me that she values me, values my friendship.

A landsman of the same faith, a believer in The One Almighty G-d, a believer in urging each other to keep our faith even when times get tough.

A friend who gives of herself, not a monetary material gift, but a gift from her heart, a gift of words and of good feelings, having an emotional attachment to a good wonderful person!

Thanking G-d for her, as she is mine, an old friend, always a friend, someone who cares.

THE MIRACLE OF THE OPEN DOOR

In colorful birdlike free flight, with a wide wingspan of a bold Eagle preying on meat miles below, diving in and out of the sun struck clouds in and out of a silver lining shining reflecting, like a thumbnail put up to a candle flame on the Havdalah, Shabbat candles lighted with closed but not blind eyes, burning so brightly it causes visions of images alive in a dark room.

A Sabbath is coming and the weather will be warm and breezy, lake water waves to rise like challah dough into split waves like split braids. A wall of sea on each side of you as you comfortably confidently walk into the sea walls into the middle of them and not get wet. G-d split the seas and we survived while the Egyptians died.

The Ten Plagues sweeping the continents without vaccines, some living while others die. Darwin tells us it is "the fittest who survive." Drowning in an ocean and pulling down your partner holding onto him by the neck drowning him so that you can keep your head up and breathe.

Desperately trying to make friends by pretending to be in wealth successfully adding to your material possessions with more and more, hoarding, having little rooms, rooms that do not change even when you repaint the walls a different color. Rooms that hold experiences of transgressions against others that you have not apologized for, did no repenting, begged no forgiveness, the room is still the same, the memory is there in the room, a haunted room, a room that carries living dancing dark shadows even in the brightest of sunlight.

A miracle occurs: transcending that room, breaking free, opening the door, unlatching the gate, springing out and spattering the memories of the room onto the sidewalk as you step confidently away, never to return.

THE MIRACLE OF FREEDOM

The miracle of Freedom is all about being the proud owner of free time. It is not about getting into a car and driving anywhere you want to go. It is about having the free time to do what you love to do, to do it everyday, to enjoy life.

Wandering along a shoreline of a beach, not needing to be anywhere, not having a time limit, enjoying a warm sun as long as you want to, not needing to get home to cook dinner or be there before the kids get home, taking long easy steps with your stride, opening your mind to the sounds of the water caressing the shoreline, having one beautiful easy thought after another entertain your mind, taking a different route to a different area at yet another beach, having the free time to enjoy it all, not being harried, not being hurried, walking getting exercise not fighting traffic sitting in a car, not stuck stationary on an expressway with traffic not moving during rush hour.

Leisurely, not needing to be at a paid job, no one pressing you no one demanding anything of you, a free time, the freedom of owning time, time that is all yours for anything you want to do, to think any thoughts you want to think, to spend the day doing what you love to do, and having the time and ease to do it: if that is writing then to write, if it is dancing then to dance, or paint or sing or do whatever it is that makes you happy.

When you are smiling the world around you smiles with you. When you frown, you frown alone. A beautiful existence is having a world of smiling people around you always smiling too and also doing what they want to do in their free time having all the free time in the world.

ONE MIRACLE AFTER ANOTHER

"When times are rough, envision, tomorrow, when all your efforts have paid off.
When times are good, pray for your livelihood at every moment, as a beggar prays for his daily bread.
For everything is in His hands." [Chabad.org]

Opening The Psalms randomly looking for a verse that says what you are looking for without having to look, verses phrases sentences chapters an open book to soothe, to massage, to relax, to protect, to carry always in one's pocket like a wallet that has everything in it that you need. Words of holiness, words of promise, words that tell you that G-d is looking after you, that all you need to do is let go let G-d, all of your wishes and desires will come true.

Praying for healing praying for a livelihood, angels tossing foods out of the clouds, always well fed, always with a place to rest, a song that you sing that always quickens your steps, searching for awesomeness finding it everywhere, clouds disappearing to reveal things you never knew before, all making sense, all the issues crystal clear, having both tallit and tefillin, having the Chumash 5 Books of Moses, the Prophets, and The Writings, not needing a rebellion to find a change, to ask for more or to ask for less, happy with your lot, purity, continuous free thought, a musical note for every word, tropes that sing you to sleep when you are sleepy, tropes that wake you up for breakfast, tropes that give you a feeling of comfort no matter where you are, sounds that are pleasing to the ears, not gossip, not slander, no judgments, no one breaking your fences, no one opening your doors uninvited.

Pleasing-ness and honey dripping as sounds that you hear and imagine, knowing the words of a language of loving-kindness, having a language you can speak to yourself, listening to yourself, not arguing with yourself. Having all the time in the world to enjoy each word as it comes and goes, not to hear sounds that you do not want to hear. Waters flowing and the sweet sounds of waterfalls trickling as birds sing, as children play on playground equipment, clapping or not as you wish, not having your ears bent, catching breezes that pass through the leaves of trees but catching them indoors on a freezing day, warmth inside, warm coffee to soothe the throat, hot chocolate after tobogganing, sledding up Mount Zion the holy hill with jingle bells on the hem of your skirt, reaching the top in defiance of gravity, walking on the moon with no resistance, walking on water and floating.

Everyday there is a miracle, everyday is a new miracle and after everyday will follow an even more miraculous night.

SEASONAL COLD INTO WARMTH MIRACULOUSLY KEEPS CHANGING

A miracle not going out into the cold, warm blankets and heater shooting 4th of July spectacular fireworks, clicking a stone flint to light a flame, magnifying wood to burn a hole, a holy menorah with seven arms reaching upwards, hugging seven branching out arms to get cozy.

A miracle being warm on a cold day, boots keeping the feet dry climbing up the leg, knees warm bending in fleece, snow outside of strong thick walls not to come in, snowflakes seen from a window while looking outside, warm thick sweaters woven of red crimson wool pulling knitted hats over ears and wind not whistling, trees barren to hibernate and grow sweet fruit again soon.

Shades drawn candles lighted, darkness not seemingly dark instead flames dancing as shadows streak upwards, television sets as a lighted screen while watching a movie with lights turned on.

Fireplaces being fed logs and chips of wood sitting nearby warming and rubbing with friction on cold dry skin, speaking words of a warm song not wetting the lips and they will not chap.

A winter with no effect not freezing, cold instead being all bundled up. Postponing outdoor walks but sledding, tobogganing, skating, skiing, all in a warm winter coat covered.

Fur coats fur hats fur gloves, a furry polar bear rug to feel soothingly on the feet in warm slippers, wearing warm snuggly boots.

Time passing and the sun will again shine brilliantly but not from the north pole, mountains with snowcaps will melt, birds will again sing in sweet song. Ducks will be flying north with feathers shedding, freezing lakes will be swimmable warmly and the skin will be wet.

Seasons will speed by fast in a winter snowstorm to be a springtime rain shower, cold into heat and then heat into cold again, weather changing clouds moving following a sundial.

Sunrays changing cold winter blasts into soothing breathy sighs.

Cold nights again will be warm.

CREATING YOUR OWN MIRACLES

"We have to be willing to create our own miracles." [Kabbalah Centre]

Using your imagination to create your own miracles: being in darkness but lighting a match, feeling stiffness in your knees but stretching and flexing them until they are limber, hearing the sound of a bird and using its notes to write a song, wearing a pair of jeans until they are incredibly soft, using your foot to tap out a beat to the sound of rushing lake water waves, blinking away the tears in your eyes until you can see clearly, putting on a soft sweater instead of being in the cold, washing your hands so you feel clean, brushing your teeth so you can taste a minty flavor, drinking a cup of hot black tea so you feel rejuvenation, contemplating spiritual thoughts to feel holy, breaking a piece of challah bread to pass out to a friend, singing a song as though you are a cantor, smiling at a passer by to show him acceptance with a cheerful countenance, cook a meal using your favorite spices, lend someone a hand who is afraid to ask for it, celebrate someone's birthday as if it is your own, listen for an echo of a tree branch falling when you are the only one in a forest and having this echo be your experience and yours alone, giving to the poor even if you are poor yourself, putting a coin into a beggar's cup, buying him a meal, guiding a blind man, dancing joyously to a rhythm that you hear in your own head...

Thanking G-d for being alive and that you are able to  create your own miracles and to think of miracles to create.