Articles from April 2008 ↓
April 30th, 2008 — Emotions & Attitude
A wild animal doesn’t miss much. They are always alert to what is happening within and around them. That attention keeps them healthy, happy, and successful, and we could learn something from them.
A few days ago, I went for a hike in the high dry hills above Lake Okanagan, a beautiful natural area, only minutes from my home.
Despite that fabulous beauty though, after about an hour I found myself physically present in the woods, but consciously absent. I was four decades back in time, reliving fragments of a pivotal memory. Continue reading →
April 23rd, 2008 — Emotions & Attitude
How much of my life is mine to enjoy today and how much belongs to yesterday? I have asked this question of myself many times, and it has taken years to realize that the solution was ever present. And so I ask you…
Are you present in this moment, or are you reliving past emotional troubles, through this moment?
Life is short. When you’re young you feel your life will never end, but as you grow older, the end is palpable; you smell it in the distance.
It doesn’t matter how young or old you are though — your life will end someday — and so you have a limited time to achieve and be satisfied. How will you ever create your tomorrow if you are locked in the past? Your future is 100% dependent on how present you are in your mind and body in this right now moment? Continue reading →
April 18th, 2008 — Consciousness & Mind-Body
Have you ever looked into the eyes of an infant and felt that you could jump in and go for a swim? They are so open and inviting it’s almost unnerving.
You can’t help but wonder how they see life; that somehow they experience a magical world beyond your vision.
Why do we feel that? It isn’t logical. If you couldn’t walk or feed yourself; if you were incontinent; if all you could do was roll over in bed; if you had no ability to speak or even think in rational verbal terms — wouldn’t you be considered disabled?
Why then are we so quietly envious of these little people? What magic do we sense in them? Does Buddha swim in the depths of those liquid eyes? Continue reading →
April 18th, 2008 — Leisure & Lifestyle
Ironically, the simplest route to the good life is through a cliche.
How silly is that? We ignore cliches because, well — they are cliche. Cliches are why we invented the word platitude. Why would we look to one for the good life?
Creating the good life should be a breeze. We are intelligent. We have power. We have resources. For starters, we have money. We can buy the good life.
We all watch television. The formula is simple: work long hard hours, earn plenty of money, then buy the good life at your local big-box store. The timing can be tricky, but you can even out the cash flow with some credit.
Of course, stuff happens: lay-offs, divorces, medical bills. Our loans officer though, is always there to help us out with more credit. Thank goodness for compassion. And when our debt erodes our disposable income, well, we have consolidation loans. Life is good, right? Continue reading →
April 18th, 2008 — Love & Relationship
What is true love? Can we discern between true love and neediness? Have you ever really explored your own romantic love? And do you use the word “love” too freely?
We have asked these questions about the nature of love for centuries, but love is a slippery thing to catch hold of and describe, and, when we finally have it in our mind’s grasp, it’s possible that we aren’t at all comfortable with the answers.
So, because love is vague, and because we might fear what the answer will mean for our relationships, let’s first talk about what love is not. Then, what remains might be love. Continue reading →
