Christmas and Ground Hog Letter

Winter Haven . Art Guitar . January Poems . Readings V'da

Swami V’da & Random-ish quotations.

Enlightenment isn’t something we march toward, and one day, somehow, we grab it. Enlightenment is the ending in yourself of that hope for something other than life being as it is.

. Charlotte Joko Beck, “Just Snow, Just Now”

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Something I noticed about genuinely happy people: They’re doing less than you. They have fewer goals. Fewer appointments. Fewer obligations. They’ve learned that addition by subtraction is real. While you’re optimizing every minute, they’re sitting on their porch drinking coffee.

They’re not lazy. They just figured out that most of what we chase doesn’t matter. Busy is a choice. Peace is too.

One looks successful. The other actually is.

. MINDJOURNAL

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Have we made our explanation too complicated? You say, “I’ve been studying your work since 1990. I’m trying really hard to remember your words.”
And so, we want to give them to you in an easier-to-remember format:

GET HAPPY IN ANY WAY YOU CAN!

. Abraham Hicks

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As a Brain Retraining Specialist, you need to know this about your brain:
It treats your consistency as truth.
Whatever you do most often becomes what it assumes is “who you are.”

. Jennifer Furse . Positive Brain Retraining & Integration

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The belief that you are separate from God is the only problem there is.

. Gary Renard

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A peek behind the scenes at Winter Haven.

Turning a clothes horse back into a chair, and fussing with the lighting is all it took. A little Feng shui magic. A calm place to sit.

The reading-nook look is a facade. It is a camouflage over the very gates of creation.

This next bank of “doing nothing” text seems to explain to me something about what I mean by Winter Haven. It was posted without attribution on a Facebook Page.

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“Moments of “doing nothing” are often mistaken for laziness, but research in neuroscience and psychology suggests the opposite. When the brain is not focused on a specific task, it enters a state known as the default mode network, during which the mind naturally wanders, reflects, and connects ideas in novel ways. This mental downtime allows the brain to process information more deeply, strengthen memory, and generate original insights. Studies indicate that individuals who regularly give themselves unstructured thinking time tend to exhibit stronger problem-solving skills, greater emotional awareness, and enhanced creativity. In a world that constantly rewards busyness, these pauses offer a significant cognitive advantage. Far from being unproductive, moments of quiet reflection enable the brain to work at its most intelligent and imaginative, reinforcing the idea that stepping back and allowing space for thought is an essential component of learning, innovation, and overall mental well-being.”

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Sketch Journal Blank Book

Only five dollars from the Dollar Tree Santa brought me to a book. A journal or sketchbook. Don’t cry for me, Leonardo. The paper is best used with pens, pencils, markers. It is not paper for paint.

Anyway, I’d not had a journal since I was in high school. When I got my first jobs it was just easier to carry hip-pocket note pads. And so … not centralized, or corralled so much, by time and space. Hence … things have long been in a random sort of disorder.

And, Santa was so late that the book arrived after most folks make New Years resolutions. Thankfully.

Along with some words I began to use a ballpoint to start the guitar.

I am not in love with it but I could not stop.

Here’s the tally behind the scenes.

Art Guitar

I was going to make a 5x7 Walgreens photo for @ $6.00.
Office Depot . I can put 2 up on card stock for @ $1.10.

Project Hours @4

9 am ballpoint doodle
9:24 First photo of ballpoint . Transfer to Procreate to colorize

Break . Three hours . 11:15 - 1:15 Lunch . 40 minute ‘nap’
5:30 uploaded pdf to Office Depot

A dozen images easily

3 hours easily . Allow for …
Pick up, trimming, mounting, packaging
4 hours

APPS

Pen and paper
Camera
Procreate
Wi-Fi
Graphic Converter
Pages . PDF
Chrome browser

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HARDWARE
Pen and paper
Phone
Tablet
Laptop

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6:30 pm . Confirming email. Order Ready
I wanted to say something about how much work it is.
Hard to balance it against the value of the flow time.

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Four Poems - January ’26

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Disappear

The move to disappear
into the forest of wonder
is not meant to bring you
a souvenir. You need to
get it yourself. Go ahead.
Disappear.

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© David L White
January 18, 2026
Poem

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Pick My Spot

This may be the
hill I die on, but
not today.

So, I’ll just wander
around a bit and
check the many
beautiful eternal
views.

Almost everywhere I …

Oh! Look!

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© David L White,
January 18, 2026
Poem

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He said

He was a mathematical poet, Bob Dylan once said.
I like the part where science is involved.

It’s hard to see the infinite facets of the goo
if there’s no structure involved.

Not a fan of structure, per se,
except that it supports the goo.

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© David L White
January 24, 2026
Poem

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Long Spoon Wand
or the blank slate of next moments

Can you see it spreading out
like an ink brush from a Zen Master
or an animator at Disney Pixar or who?

You? Mixing the batter of the cake of your life?
There is a long spoon wand, indeed.

And it’s magic. Tasty.
Promises.
Promises.

…

David L White
Winter Haven
January 260122
Poem
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Thanks for reading along.
Stay warm.