People often ask me how to practice, what to do. After many long-winded explanations on my part, I came across this quote which I think does a much better job.... 'Have confidence in your own spiritual potentiality, your ability to find your own unique way. Learn from others certainly, and use what you find useful, but also learn to trust your own inner wisdom. Have courage. Be awake and aware. Remember too, that Buddhism is not about being a Buddhist, that is, obtaini...
'In the West, there's a myth that freedom means free expression - that to follow all desires wherever they take one is true freedom. In fact, as one observes the mind, one sees that following desires, attractions, repulsions is not at all freedom, but is a kind of bondage. A mind filled with desires and graspings inevitably entails great suffering. Freedom is not to be gained through the ability to perform certain external actions. True freedom is an inward state of...
Dave's trying to quit smoking. I'm about ready to get on my knees and beg him to please, please, please go buy himself a pack of Camel Lights, spark one up and re-adjust his attitude. I'm seriously considering a 'reverse intervention' where I go get him his nicotine fix and make him smoke it. At this precise moment the threat of various cancers, emphysema and such seem far away...very, very far away. It seems far more likely that I will do him some serious damage before the tobacc...
12 years ago today I was again doing my part for the world population. Shea Ann made her debut at 1623 on October 17th, 1992. She decided that she wanted to try coming out one foot and butt first, causing quite a stir amongst the medical staff as she had been head down only a week before. So, I ended up with an epidural in the OR having a C-Section. It was the weirdest sensation...I could feel things going on in my belly, but it wasn't exactly painful. I felt...
What else should I be.....all apologies.' That's how I feel right now. Closely followed by 'Find my nest of salt....ev'rything is my fault'. I'm so tired of it....
I found this quote about mindfulness, and thought that it applies especially well in the current climate of political insanity: 'What does it mean to be mindful? It means to be fully aware right here, concentrating on what is going on inside....But mindfulness is not necessarily concentrating on an object. Being aware of confusion is also being mindful. If we have all kinds of things coming at our senses -noises, people demanding this and that -we cannot concentrate on any one of ...
Me and my mom are making a volcano. It looks like a whole lot of nothing right now: My mom says that this is the 'bones' of the volcano. Tomorrow we are going to paste paper mache on it and hopefully paint it if it's dry enough. I know why vinegar and baking soda cause a chemical reaction, because they create carbon dixoide, and it starts to bubble up, and that's what makes the lava come out of the top of my volcano. Next installement: what our volcano l...
That's right, take my advice and never feed your dog cabbage. I gave my dachshund some red cabbage that I cooked for supper last night...and he's tooted all day today. Some of them have made noise, and he's turned around to look at his bottom as if to say 'What's that noise? Where's it coming from?' I'm surprised he hasn't floated away today, or propelled himself around the house at 60 miles an hour. He's sitting on my lap as I write.....*gag, cough*...this. I th...
*steps up on soap box, clearing throat* Ahem..... I have occasion to watch 'Growing Up Gotti' last night. I was disgusted. Short little Momma Gotti, with her fake boobs and fake hair and fake lips and fake tan, strutting her stuff in a skirt that's too short for a woman her age and her size, complaining about any and everyone like she's Queen Turd of Shit Hill. Her boys, the most obnoxious, ill-mannered, idiotic kids who have to have everything they say subtitled because ...
This time last year, (October 30th to be exact) I had an accident in my Jeep. I was driving on the interstate, and it had just started to snow. I had slowed down to about 60 mph, and as I was going over an overpass I hit a patch of black ice and the rear end started to slide. I tried to control the skid and ended up sliding across the median, ending up facing oncoming traffic...where I got nailed head on by a semi. This is what my truck looked like afterwards: ...
This is me and Henry this morning. You can tell how much he grew: This is Henry sitting on command. We've been practicing sitting and shaking a paw for a treat. Today we started learning how to 'speak', and he's getting the hang of it. He'll sit and give a little woof on as long as I have a treat in my hand, so I can't say that he's learned it yet; if he does it tomorrow and the day after then I'll say that he's learned it and know how to do it. Well...
What happened to children respecting their elders? We moved to a new neighborhood recently, and I have come across more rude, obnoxious kids here....little wanna-be thugs running around, terrorizing any and everyone. In the 6 weeks that we have resided here I have been cussed at and flipped off, my kids have been pushed around, had things thrown at them, cussed at, teased unmercifully and told they were 'white trash'. We have gangs of kids who roam the steets at night and start fires...
There's been a lot of talk about 'the poor' around here lately...actually, it's been an on-going thing. I'd like to know what people's opinion of 'poor' is. Are you 'poor' if you don't have a big screen TV? How about a car that's less than 5 years old? Cable? Internet service? Are you 'poor' if you buy your clothes at Goodwill or thrift stores as opposed to JC Penny's and Sears? Does 'poor' mean that you eat macaroni and cheese every night instead of steak or chicke...
I read about this this morning. It's yet another example of trying to use any method available to get out from accepting responsibility for your actions. A judge didn't buy an East St Louis man's argument Thursday that his robbery conviction should be overturned beccause he ineffectively represented himself in court. Carlos Leggs, 27, represented himself at trial and at his sentencing, where he recieved a 25 year prison terms for breaking into the home of an Alton, Il coupl...
The following was written by Henry, my 8 week old dachsund: uhc x frc hnccbdbcm nhjbbdf cxjjjxshjuyhtgiuuuu u dxm,ndxnm, For those of you who don't know, dachsunds like to poke things with their noses (every dachsund I've ever owned has, anyway). Henry sat on my lap and kept poking the keyboard this morning, so I decided to let him have his way and write some for you. Here's what I think the translation would sound like: She put me out in the cold wet grass this morning and I d...