I’ve studied through the slogans a dozen times in my life;
these are my musings on the slogan currently, not a formal interpretation.
For that reason they are less about straight Buddhist teachings,
and I think able to be shared with most practitioners of other faiths or no faith
(unless yours doesn’t allow you to read any other tradition.) 
If you have time and the inclination, I published the WHOLE  thang here!

I thought I might want to let go of drawing my Buddha Ball
*for those of you new here I mean that affectionately*
but I think I have more studies to make… now i wish I had great paper!

“19: All Dharma agree at one point.”

I’m no master and letting go of ego-clinging seems overwhelming.

I can, however, observe the manifestations of my ego-clinging and these I can work with…
They are the various situations that I cling to for comfort, believing that if they were as they should be then all would be alright in the world.  Ego knows best!  Hah!

If you don’t believe me I was thinking about the big one, money, because really,
who doesn’t agree that money solves some of the very real needs in our life and
can make our lives better especially if we are not rich… and I use rich because of the thinking I’ve done about this since I wrote the entry a couple days ago.

  We are not rich, and since the Great Recession, nearly losing our business
(everyone stopped projects or backed away for a long time)
we are uncomfortable in not having our deep backups of savings.
This caused me no end of worry because I am the one looking at the bank account
and paying the bills in our business… and anyone would feel that way if
they were living on the edge, with no savings (okay, except a young person
who is just starting out) so this seems so reasonable, right?

 But the thing is, that even then worrying didn’t help the situation
and gave me sleepless nights and a lot of stress.
Worrying did not bring clients to the door.
And the odd thing, is that after the scare, we always had exactly what we needed…
After cutting back and downsizing (practical actions) we met our bills…
We found our way to an excellent space that was better than before…
We sometimes laughed our heads off at living and working like kids again…
(this is the wealth of a great life with a great mate  even in dire times)
Projects started coming because I did the marketing and kept at it and
didn’t let fear make me hide under the covers (though times I wanted to do exactly that).

I want you to know that through it all Mitchell said,
“We will be taken care of, trust the Universe.”.

Now here is the kicker… We are doing well now, still not rich.
We are booked out for the year and are lining up jobs as we speak for next year.
And I still run fear and lack at least once a day…
I have to fight the clinging that starts running that we haven’t enough,
that the savings has not been replaced, the what-ifs, the fear fear fear…  argh!
I talk myself down from the ledge reminding myself that we are wealthy,
that we are taken care of, and this is now not the future and
be here now for this fabulous life…

More examples can be read in my journal entry!

Okina Journal, with pen and ink, and watercolor.