I consider it as a gift and a blessing. I am more appreciative of life and to look at in both sides.
What do you think of depression or any so called “mental illness”?
The Gift
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Tag Archives: Body, Mind & Soul
As a matter of fact
In our reception area at work, there is a bowl of goodies: candies and chocolates. I must admit every time I walked by, I took one or two chocolates. How many times did I do that in a day? A lot! Every time, I went to the loo, took a break, or just made an excuse to pass by the reception. One too many.
This month, I did well. Yup, proud to say. I manage not to dip my little hand in the bowl of chocolates and candies at the reception area for the whole month.
The power of self-control is so dull! Thank goodness the month of chocolates is coming up, Valentine’s day.
In the meantime, wishing you Gong Hay Fat Choy.
Silence and/or Less – Neuroscience of Peace
Question: What one thought will you focus on this year to bring more peace?
Silence and less are good thoughts.
Think about this.
“How would spirituality help a man of the world like me?” said the businessman.
“It will help you have more,” said the Master.
“How?” “By teaching you to desire less.” — Anthony de Mello, SJ
MORSEL: After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box. –Italian Proverb
January Peace Challenge: Neuroscience of Peace
Happiness: Buddha style
Happiness is not about maximizing and accumulating pleasurable experiences. As the Buddha pointed out, impermanence is the order of the day. Pleasures are inherently fleeting and don’t provide a solid foundation for enduring satisfaction.
When you take care of meaning, positivity has a way of taking care of itself. In other words, you don’t have to strive to be happy and collect all those extroverted types of “happy” experiences. Instead, when you engage with meaningful projects in the present moment, particularly ones that benefit others, positive emotions naturally follow.
The Buddha’s version of happiness might be most aptly captured by the term that often gets translated as equanimity. Equanimity refers to being there in the middle of things, without needing things to be different than they are. Equanimity brings acceptance and interest to what is happening at the moment.
From this perspective, it is possible to be “happy” even when things are not going well. There is great freedom found in the capacity to be equanimous. Perhaps this is why the Buddha always has that contended little half-smile on his face.
The Buddha didn’t need excitement, thrills, and “good times” to be happy. His happiness was quiet contentment that abided in every moment, regardless of what was happening. Introverts, like the Buddha, have access to a rich interior experience. We need to learn to keep that inner intensity from becoming an obsession, rumination, and worry.
We can embrace this aspect of our Buddha-nature when we expand our definition of happiness to move beyond high arousal, extrovert-dominated one to include low-arousal introverted-based feelings.
Happiness resides in contentment, peacefulness, and appreciation of everything that is happening around us in every moment. This version of happiness is more robust, available, and enduring. Happiness is always ever a breath away.
To read the full article, click on this link: Psychology Today: The Buddha was introvert
Question: What good shall I do and did today
Three thing I will change on this schedule:
- Wake up at 6 am
- Change “shall I do” to “I will do”
- Sleep at 11 pm
Find the good on a given situation. Sounds like Pollyanna? Not really, it’s easier to become pessimistic than being optimistic. No should or could or would. These are pitfalls in everyday life. Do or do not. The daily examination, I agree with this wholeheartedly. It reminds me of the quote “unexamined life is not worth living.”
Photo credit by: Nick Bilton
The Seeker: I’ll never find another you.
Singing is a form of prayer. This is another song that I sing since childhood. It is not a traditional hymn but it draws me nearer to the Lord. I know there is a Promised Land. 
There’s a new world somewhere
They call The Promised Land
And I’ll be there some day
If you will hold my hand
I still need you there beside me
No matter what I do
For I know I’ll never find another you There is always someone
For each of us they say
And you’ll be my someone
For ever and a day
I could search the whole world over
Until my life is through
But I know I’ll never find another you It’s a long, long journey
So stay by my side
When I walk through the storm
You’ll be my guide
Be my guide If they gave me a fortune
My pleasure would be small
I could lose it all tomorrow
And never mind at all
But if I should lose your love, dear
I don’t know what I’d do
For I know I’ll never find another you But if I should lose your love, dear
I don’t know what I’d do
For I know I’ll never find another you
Another you
Another you “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” ~ 1 Corinthians 14:15 Related Links:
There’s a new world somewhereThey call The Promised Land
And I’ll be there some day
If you will hold my hand
I still need you there beside me
No matter what I do
For I know I’ll never find another you There is always someone
For each of us they say
And you’ll be my someone
For ever and a day
I could search the whole world over
Until my life is through
But I know I’ll never find another you It’s a long, long journey
So stay by my side
When I walk through the storm
You’ll be my guide
Be my guide If they gave me a fortune
My pleasure would be small
I could lose it all tomorrow
And never mind at all
But if I should lose your love, dear
I don’t know what I’d do
For I know I’ll never find another you But if I should lose your love, dear
I don’t know what I’d do
For I know I’ll never find another you
Another you
Another you “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” ~ 1 Corinthians 14:15 Related Links:
Break the cord and fly like a bird.
When you feel as if you are in a deep darkness because of doubt, fear, illness, or depression, rather than try to desperately climb out perhaps it would be better to “walk in the dark.” Often when we try too hard we only get more discouraged and if we go with the flow while we try, we slowly feel better.
We can be attached to our pursuit of happiness and health to the point of forgetting we are human. We can expect ourselves, our doctors, therapists, spiritual directors, and priests to completely heal us, as if they were god. Pursuing health and happiness are good but need to be kept in balance. If we pine for them too much, we ignore the fact that only God can fully heal us and bring us lasting happiness.
When you feel overwhelmed by life’s difficulties St. John of the Cross advises:
“If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.”
“In tribulation immediately draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.”
“The soul that is attached to anything however much good there may be in it will not arrive at the liberty of divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast; for until the cord be broken the bird cannot fly.”
Links:Talitha Koum
Little Girl, Rise! Talitha Koum is a Spiritual House of Healing for women in conflict with Society who are recovering from alcohol and drug addictions.
Starr Peardon has since retired and a new star takes over. Meet Kimmie Jensen, the new Mother of Talitha Koum. Kimmie and I met at the church and heard her story.
This is part of her story.
I have struggled with addiction since the age of 6. For many years my family and the people I love became victims to my drug addiction. Although I am not able to change the past, the regrets that I have around the people I love and society as a whole, I am making positive changes in my life so that I can be someone my children will be proud of and a positive influence in the community and society at large.
While in prison, Talitha Koum was available to me. I had heard of this house that will take women who are falling through the cracks when no one else would. I was willing to do what I had to, to change my life. I made a call and took the direction given to me over the phone by Starr. I called her for about 2 months straight and on the day I was to appear in court to get out on bail, she was there to support me. I arrived at Talitha Koum in January 2007 from Surrey Pre-trial and my journey began.
I came into the house broken spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. I had lost any kind of beliefs or values I had. I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t trust anyone, especially myself. I didn’t believe that I deserved to have a good life because of the damage I had done through the years. I simply existed, not living life. I didn’t think that the walls I had put up would ever come down. I recognize that the walls were shame, guilt, anger, fear, low self-esteem, abandonment, judgment and control. I had no clue what the walls were; I just knew that I was a mistake.
I can remember the first time I walked through the doors of Talitha Koum; I felt peace wash over me and something I had never felt before. And for the first time in my life I thought everything would be OK. I know that what I had felt was the love of Starr and of all the people who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself (that is God’s love).
Even the dog and cat at Talitha Koum showed me unconditional love.
Although I am not a religious person, I do go to Church to learn discipline and obedience to God. I have a belief that religion is for people who don’t want to go to hell, and spirituality is for people who have been there (Hell) and I don’t want to go back! The opportunity to search out various Churches, I have since found a church community who holds the same beliefs of the Beatitude’s spiritual principles.
I am blessed to be a part of something so amazing. I wouldn’t have taken the risk had it not been for the program at Talitha Koum. I have received so many gifts in my recovery and I have God, Talitha Koum and the program of Beatitudes to thank for this, for the women God has brought into my life and never giving up on me. Even when I went astray God accepted me back by placing people in my path to help me and teach me forgiveness and love.
I have the honor and the opportunity to continue the vision that Starr has started. To freely give back what was given to me, love, compassion, empathy, structure and a new way of life. To be given this privilege to believe in a woman until she can believe in herself. To see life come back in these women and reunite them with family and their children is the most ultimate fulfillment. To walk this journey with them and truly understand where they came from is a gift for us all. Every time I share my experience, strength and hope with another woman, God’s presence and healing.
I believe in Talitha Koum and all that it stands for. I believe what the founder Starr Peardon has begun and vision she sees.
Related links:Keep Talking
I have been in many places, but I’ve never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can’t go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.
I’ve also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.
I have, however, been in Sane. They don’t have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.
I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I’m not too much on physical activity anymore.
I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.
I’ve been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.
Sometimes I’m in Capable, and I go there more often as I’m getting older.
One of my favourite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!
And, sometimes I think I am in Vincible but life shows me I am not.
People keep telling me I’m in Denial but I’m positive – I’ve been there before and its quite a nice place to be!
I have been in Deep shit many times; the older I get, the easier it is to get there.
Mental Health Day is all year long.
“Life is short. Smile while you still have your teeth.”
Source: e-mail
Live Young
Come on. Dance!
Bring out your inner child.
Who cares if you can’t dance well.
Just get up, shake your body and dance.
Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn’t music.- William Stafford
Falling Upward
Unless you let the truth of life teach you on its own terms, unless you develop some concrete practices for recognizing and overcoming your dualistic mind, you will remain in the first half of life forever, as most humanity has up to now. In the first half of life, you cannot work with the imperfect, nor can you accept the tragic sense of life, which finally means that you cannot love anything or anyone at any depth. Nothing is going to change in history as long as most people are merely dualistic, either-or thinkers. Such splitting and denying leaves us at the level of mere information.
Whole people see and create wholeness wherever they go; split people see and create splits in everything and everybody. We are meant to see in wholes and no longer just in parts. Yet we get to the whole by falling down into the messy parts—so many times, in fact, that we long and thirst for the wholeness and fullness of all things, including ourselves. I promise you this unified field is the only and lasting meaning of up.
Adapted from Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr
Image from: stepstoself.blogspot.com
Defy the law of physics
I had my ups and downs. My fair share of bumpy roads and heavy winds. That’s what made me what I am today. Now I stand here before you. What you see is a body crafted to perfection. A pair of legs engineered to defy the law of physics and a mind set to master the most epic of splits.
“The point is, not to resist the flow. You go up when you’re supposed to go up and down when you’re supposed to go down. When you’re supposed to go up, find the highest tower and climb to the top. When you’re supposed to go down, find the deepest well and go down to the bottom. When there’s no flow, stay still.” ~ Haruki MurakamiTo find more about Following Flow, visit Eric Tonningsen’s “Awakening to Awareness. Thank you Eric.
The Silence
“The Silence” (1997)
I listened
And waited a long time
For what was to be said
And nothing spoke
but a silence so deep
it could be speech
or a primed hesitance
of speech to say
what’s true
for ear or mind
as yet unborn
to take it in
so that the longer
and deeper
it grew
the more
the unbroken silence
felt full
Poem by: Edwin Honig
Photo credit: BBC
Garden of Daily Living
How To Plant Your Garden First, you Come to the garden alone, FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING, 1. Peace of mind PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH: NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS: 1. Turnip for meetings 1. Thyme for each other WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW. Source: e-mail author unknown |
Understanding Zen
And the monk said:
Source: Paulo Coelho’s blog
Buddha says “Life is suffering.”
Photo by: Daehyun Kim
Source: New York Times
Meteor Showers
Many years ago, a warm summer evening, I took Carson and Emma, my friend’s grandchildren up in the mountain to watch shooting stars. It was about the same month as now, August.
There were hardly anyone on Cypress Mountain. It was a perfect place for star-gazing and count shooting stars. Of course it was more fun to challenge each other and see how many shooting stars we could count should our eyes are fast enough to spot them.
The best way to look at the sky is to lie down on the pavement and we did exactly just that in the middle of the parking lot. We just hope that nobody will drive up and run over us.
As it turns out, the shooting stars became meteor showers. It was spectacular.
The Meteor show which occurs in mid-August is called the Perseid Meteor Shower. It is also known as “The Tears of Saint Lawrence.”
Who is Lawrence?
Lawrence was an early Christian deacon tortured to death by the Romans in AD 258. His saint’s day of August 10 coincides with the Perseids buildup.
Lawrence’s responsibility is to handle the material goods of the Church, and to distribute alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sold the material goods of the church and gave all the money to the poor of Rome.
The prefect of Rome thought that the Church is rich because they use silver cups for the sacred blood and golden candlesticks. He asks Lawrence to bring all the Church’s treasures for the emperor.
Lawrence replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”
Needless to say, this angers the prefect and sentenced him to death.
According to legend, Laurence was martyred on an iron grill over a fire, during the ordeal he quipped to his persecutors: “Turn me over. I’m done on this side!”
Related Articles:
Cypress Mountain: Photo credit vancity
Daily Prompt: Use It or Lose It – Going, going, gone
Write about anything you’d like, but make sure the post includes this sentence: “I thought we’d never come back from that one.”
I know what you are thinking. Every end of the year, you are thinking of New Year’s resolution.
- Resolutions vs. My take on this
- Loss weight – I can’t, this is me.
- Eat healthy – go vegan? No way
- Quit drinking – I’ll go thirsty
- Exercise – is lifting a finger to type Daily Prompt counts?
- No clutter – okay, just one corner, the bedroom
- Join the gym – this I quit. Spent too much monthly fee for naught
- No more war – I’m moving to Switzerland
- Turn a new leaf – time to rake the autumn leaves
- No this, no that – tit for tat
- Do’s and don’ts – do or do not according to Yoda
- Talk less – who can out talk to you?
- Listen more – I’m plug-in to my iPhone
- Go back to church – this I love doing
- Meditate more – much oblige
- Less is more – no money to spend
- Save more – no money to save
“Just for today, I will adjust myself to what is.”
“Just for today, I will face reality.”
“Just for today, I will change those things I can change.”
“Just for today, I will accept things I cannot change.”
DP: Forever Young – I happen to enjoy aging.
If there were a real Fountain of Youth, would you drink the water?
IF, the BIG IF, let’s play along with this idea, shall we?
Researching the history behind the Fountain of Youth at Wikipedia , this water has a restorative power; it will restore me back to my youth days.
Do I want to go back to my youthful days and have to go through the growing pains again? I definitely will forgo drinking the water. Why? I happen to enjoy aging. It is fascinating how the skin losses its elasticity, hair color turns into an arctic white, being long in a tooth or losing a tooth or more. Elders have so much experience in life, for they have gone through it and lived to tell tales. Listening to their stories is so enthralling. So, again, the answer is a resounding NO.
Looking back at my youthful year of 16, I was sweet and never been kissed. Being youthful also means my mind will never mature, none the wiser, no wisdom at all. Being young, there can be a negative connotation behind it, because I was up to no good. I must say I was still climbing trees at that age. I remember my Mother sent someone to get me down the tree because I had suitors waiting at home. Yuk, men, I’d rather climb trees. I reluctantly went home to face those Peter Pans.
I’d rather grow old, have a youthful mind and remember. It’s better to have a good memory and remember those days I thought would never end. (click to play the song).
Faith is better than drinking the fountain of youth. And in my faith, I’d rather drink the Water of Life.
One Minute Meditation:
“How shall I attain Eternal Life?”
“Eternal Life is now. Come into the present.”
“But I am in the present now, am I not?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you haven’t dropped your past.”
“Why should I drop my past? Not all of it is bad.”
“The past is to be dropped not because it is bad but because it is dead.” | Anthony de Mello, SJ
MORSEL: Every man is his own ancestor, and every man is his own heir. He devises his own future, and he inherits his own past. – Frederick Henry Hedge (1805-1890)
“How shall I attain Eternal Life?”
“Eternal Life is now. Come into the present.”
“But I am in the present now, am I not?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you haven’t dropped your past.”
“Why should I drop my past? Not all of it is bad.”
“The past is to be dropped not because it is bad but because it is dead.” | Anthony de Mello, SJ
MORSEL: Every man is his own ancestor, and every man is his own heir. He devises his own future, and he inherits his own past. – Frederick Henry Hedge (1805-1890)
DP: TIME CAPSULE – SURPISE ME.
The year is drawing to a close. What would you put in a 2012 time capsule?
Aaah…. Panic, aaah! Not enough time; that’s only 21 days from now. I need more time and notice. Can we change that to the year 2013, please, Mr. Michelle, please? OK, fine.
Let me see what I can gather in my treasure chest and a gold mine of ideas. Think, thank, thonk. Thonk, it is.
What I can see in my kitchen is a clear plastic bottle of pop, that’s good enough for a time capsule. In the pantry are dry goods; too big for the pop bottle. How about catching a genie and imprison it in the bottle. Be serious, now, thonk! Oh, a bag. What’s in this bag? Checking, more bags within the bags, checking the bags within the bags, more bags. Gosh, I am such a pack rat. But look what’s in the bags; small plastic bags of seeds. YES, seeds. They will fit in the capsule. Oh, this is so exciting.
Opsey, no name on the seeds. Well, that would be part of the fun.
These seeds came from my garden, collected them from the community gardens, from friends and families, from travels while on the pilgrim. They are seeds of flowers, vegetables, and trees. They are small things that will fit in the bottle, and I will leave instructions on what to do with them by following just six simple steps.
- Earth (garden soil in a pot or any vacant land will do)
- Bury the seeds on the earth (not all at once, space them out)
- Water (don’t drown the seeds)
- Lots of light and warm temperature
- Nurture it with love and patience
- Relax and wait for the seeds to sprout.
The time capsule will be sealed with a kiss, a prayer and a hope that it will be found by someone who will plant the seeds and eventually create a garden, just like mine. A garden that will attract little creatures like hummingbirds, butterflies, dragonflies. A garden where one can only be, to pray, be thankful and be grateful to Our God, whomever you may conceive Him to be.
Holy Garden
Once this is done, I will go the beach of English Bay, throw the time capsule in the waters, watch the waves carry the capsules into open waters and whisper Bon Voyage.
One Minute Meditation
The disciple asked for a word of wisdom.
Said the Master, “Go sit within your cell and your cell will teach you wisdom.”
“But I have no cell. I am no monk.”
“Of course you have a cell. Look within.” – Anthony de Mello, SJ
MORSEL: Seek refuge in the attitude of detachment, and you will amass the
wealth of spiritual awareness. Those who are motivated only by the desire for
the fruits of action are miserable, for they are always anxious about
the results of what they do. –Bhagavad Gita 2:49-50
Photographs and Memories 