Near Wild Heaven
A stately pleasure dome decree
Where Alph the sacred river ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea
It's tough not knowing where you are when the world changes. The world has changed in having to try to understand the change in behaviour of her cat. It is still ongoing. She doesn't know where it is, what it is doing, when it will come back. All she has is the vaguest notion of the last time she saw it confused with the possibilities of what may happen to her in the near future, or whether it already has. It's a whirlwind of possibles with a lack of definites, a strange sensation for anyone. Try to work it out with no memory of your memories, no comprehension of time.
Old people are old because they are tough. They're tough because they've dealt with everything before. They dealt with everything before because they had to. These days the body often lives longer than the full function of the brain that controls it, and vice versa. They don't need to be felt sorry for or patronised. They need to be helped.
The Tao can't be perceived.
Smaller than an electron,
it contains uncountable galaxies.
If powerful men and women
could remain centred in the Tao,
all things would be in harmony.
The world would become a paradise.
All people would be at peace,
and the law would be written in their hearts.
When you have names and forms,
know that they are provisional.
When you have institutions,
know where their functions should end.
Knowing when to stop,
you can avoid any danger.
All things end in the Tao
as rivers flow into the sea.
