"No, wise and serene." by Jane Redmont
"No, it makes you fortunate to be living your bliss." by Carolyn Heyman
"Yay, Larry!" by Gina Shropshire
"No, it makes you fortunate to be living your bliss." by Carolyn Heyman
"Yay, Larry!" by Gina Shropshire
I know I'm an odd duck. It's been awhile since I've posted on my secular monasticism. In true American fashion, I believe that I live a simple life - in my log home, gainfully employed, a belly that would make Friar Tuck proud, a very well stocked personal library of books, DVDs, & music--call it 21st Century American ascetic (is that the right word?). Mostly I come home to be alone with the dogs in the woods in the quiet. At times I think it's more Garbo that grace. I just want to be alone.
In Enneagram I am a "Five: The Observer" and I live in my head. Practitioners would say that's why I like to hide in the woods in my home. What I have learned from that paradigm is the need to seek out real contact with people and live the emotion in the moment. That has contributed to my sense of balance and well being -- that and the right dose of medication for my anxiety/depression.
I work very hard to live in the moment - exist in the now. It is so easy to ruminate over the past and worry about the future. Letting go of the past doesn't mean forgetting, but rather keeping the proper perspective. In the words of the Serenity Prayer, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..." The past should be one of the top items on the list of things that cannot be changed. It's a lesson Dick Cheney is struggling with these days. Worrying about the future could mean that as you sit there at your child's ball game you are mentally thinking about your next work day or the grocery list or anything along those lines. Shut off your cellphone and BE there for your kid - in the moment.
At times I feel guilty that I feel so content. There's plenty to be upset about these days, I know. Yet, life is so damn short - accept where you are now and find some contentment. Don't be like I used to be - I'd climb onto that ride at the amusement park and begin thinking how short a ride it was going to be, and start to anticipate that it would be ending soon, and sure enough when it was done, I thought damn that was too short...and I'd miss the butterflies in my stomach and the exhilaration of flying through the air, and the joy of screaming your head off. I knew it was a short ride and I wasted it thinking about how short a ride it was. Peace.
In Enneagram I am a "Five: The Observer" and I live in my head. Practitioners would say that's why I like to hide in the woods in my home. What I have learned from that paradigm is the need to seek out real contact with people and live the emotion in the moment. That has contributed to my sense of balance and well being -- that and the right dose of medication for my anxiety/depression.
I work very hard to live in the moment - exist in the now. It is so easy to ruminate over the past and worry about the future. Letting go of the past doesn't mean forgetting, but rather keeping the proper perspective. In the words of the Serenity Prayer, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..." The past should be one of the top items on the list of things that cannot be changed. It's a lesson Dick Cheney is struggling with these days. Worrying about the future could mean that as you sit there at your child's ball game you are mentally thinking about your next work day or the grocery list or anything along those lines. Shut off your cellphone and BE there for your kid - in the moment.
At times I feel guilty that I feel so content. There's plenty to be upset about these days, I know. Yet, life is so damn short - accept where you are now and find some contentment. Don't be like I used to be - I'd climb onto that ride at the amusement park and begin thinking how short a ride it was going to be, and start to anticipate that it would be ending soon, and sure enough when it was done, I thought damn that was too short...and I'd miss the butterflies in my stomach and the exhilaration of flying through the air, and the joy of screaming your head off. I knew it was a short ride and I wasted it thinking about how short a ride it was. Peace.
5 comments:
Alone in the woods.
Sounds great to me, ..as long as DSL is available. I've been libereted since Graduating from Rapid River High School (Tri-Township High) in da U.P., eh!!
Still around, ...not stealing caskets, ...caring for your teachers.
Wise words here, Larry. And I'm glad to hear you're in a good place.
Good to hear from you, Lisa. I hope you're hanging in there.
Yep. I'm ok. After my most recent "inflammatory" blog post, most of the loonies chose to have their Convention of the Pharisees on Mark Harris' blog ... thanks be to God.
BTW ... I'm really glad I wasn't on OCICBW when the wars broke out. I still don't know what happened ... and I don't want to.
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