misc.joy – explorations by kenley

  • Gratitude for Trees

    The living creatures of the Earth – trees, shrubs, flowers, water, rock, soil, insects, and bugs – they came before us and will likely be here long after we have departed. Today as I practiced walking meditation in my yard, there was an abundance of Butterflies. The lifecycle of these beautiful creatures is wonderful to observe. As…

  • Practicing Engaged Buddhism

    On July 20, 2019, I participated with dozens of Buddhist priests and three other Order of Interbeing members in a protest against the detention of migrant children at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The event was organized by Tsuru for Solidarity. The Fort Sill site, which was used as a concentration camp to incarcerate Japanese Americans, and…

  • 6 Ways to Discover New Music

    To discover new music is not always simple and easy. It takes time and effort for the music lover to find those gems. Six ways to discover new music.

  • Why White Awareness?

    If you are white, do you know what it means to be white? Do you know how this impacts your community or place of work? What about your spiritual community, your sangha? White awareness is an important training. White awareness is not a new term. In 1978, Judy H. Katz wrote the book White Awareness:…

  • Remixes, Pop, and Electronica Create my Top Five Albums of 2018

    As we reach the end of 2018, it’s time to reflect upon the music released this year. With the advent of streaming services, it feels a bit like being in the 1980s when I could buy a release at Tower Records and then exchange it if I didn’t like the album. This year, 106 new releases…

  • Rin, Holden, and Nassun: Top Three Books of 2018 (Fiction)

    I’m a genre fiction reader, primarily in the science fiction and fantasy categories. And thanks to Sword & Laser I read at least one book each month. This year I read 22 books in these categories (and zero “literary” fiction). These are my favorite three titles of the year.   The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth #2)…

  • Exploring a Direction

    It is just a seed in me right now, but it is a conscious direction I am moving. A movement toward reparations, atonement, and racial healing. In a racial conflict, particularly involving Black Americans or Indigenous people, I feel as a white man that I should follow their lead. If I need to speak, and…