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Anyone here know how when you first join a new site or message board, at first it's like joining a new company. It feels like this huge office that's just a massive maze full of places you've never been-yeah, I'm still at that stage with this site. I pop in daily and read a thread or two. I like listening alot, so I just absorb the conversations over coffee before work. I'm not sure what or where I had been reading, but BAM...I go down this hall, and there's all these threads I didn't even know existed. Soooooo cooool.
My day was truly fantastic. Steller, even. Took me 33years to learn how to make every day that way, but here we are. I truly hope everyone had some laughs today.
Now where was the bathroom in this place...... *wanders off down another hall*
Agreed on size, and I would like to add feelings. I think that a place takes on a unique feel that's dependent on its relationship with your life. Like how it feels to walk into an office building you work in versus walking into that place for the first time and hoping to get a job there. The place is the same, but he atmosphere it produces for you is different. I read this forum for awhile before joining and now that I have my own account and post on occasion, it has a different feel to it. There are so many rooms to explore and so many people to meet along the way. Sounds a lot like real life, doesn't it?
Oh, and if you find the bathroom in this place, let me know.
~nomad
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Anyone here know how when you first join a new site or message board, at first it's like joining a new company. It feels like this huge office that's just a massive maze full of places you've never been-yeah, I'm still at that stage with this site. I pop in daily and read a thread or two. I like listening alot, so I just absorb the conversations over coffee before work. I'm not sure what or where I had been reading, but BAM...I go down this hall, and there's all these threads I didn't even know existed. Soooooo cooool.
My day was truly fantastic. Steller, even. Took me 33years to learn how to make every day that way, but here we are. I truly hope everyone had some laughs today.
Now where was the bathroom in this place...... *wanders off down another hall*
You haven't opened that far door in your room, have you?
It's an en-suite'....
but every floor has a WC....
And the sauna hut at the bottom of the garden is fully equipped too....
This may be a first: I have survived half of the weekend, and dread surviving the second half. Hello, anxiety and all the other happy emotions that travel in your SUV.
I went to the stables where I normally ride - I can't ride at the moment but I saw all my friends, horses and human, and I made a decision.
My friend O'Hara gave me a big kiss on the cheek (O Hara is the most gorgeous black stallion and I don't know a softer, kinder, more agreeable male in this world)
My friend Cowboy gave me a big hug and worried about me being so very ill and promised that he would stay in touch even though he is re-enacting the American Civil War - and he is dedicated
My friends Jacky and G worried that I wouldn't be able to come to the barbecue next week but were delighted when they found that some of my family would be around for it ........... even if I can't eat it.
My day has been filled with nervousness. I am almost done packing up my home and getting ready to move to Ohio next week. It’s quite a trip, but I’ve done long moves like this before. It never seems to get easy to uproot and start all over, though.
Agreed on size, and I would like to add feelings. I think that a place takes on a unique feel that's dependent on its relationship with your life. Like how it feels to walk into an office building you work in versus walking into that place for the first time and hoping to get a job there. The place is the same, but he atmosphere it produces for you is different. I read this forum for awhile before joining and now that I have my own account and post on occasion, it has a different feel to it. There are so many rooms to explore and so many people to meet along the way. Sounds a lot like real life, doesn't it?
~nomad
I'd like to second that.
As a Christian (I'm not pretending to be otherwise) I find this site truly inspiring. I am not in the process of converting to buddhism, yet would love to open up respectful loving discussions with some of you. I'm not getting the feeling of irritation from you guys that I am here...just welcoming and dare I say, loving.
darn, that was hard to admit. lol.
If anyone can help me add smilies to my posts, I'd be eternally grateful (joke) I feel I have my arms tied not using them. Since I got my pc rebooted, they sometimes don't work on forums.
anyhow, the point of my post is, I am glad to pop in here and hope you don't mind if I stick around. btw I am not here to start a fight, sorry if you have met unloving christians in the past. I'll do my best to be sincere and represent christianity to the best of my knowledge. But I am only human and my theology is limited. : )
I'm very glad to know you feel welcomed here. That is definitely as it should be. Your posts have been full of respect, kindness, and open mindedness. That's the kind of attitude that makes connection and dialogue so fruitful and pleasant. It's lovely to have you here so make yourself at home. This is as much your place as it is anyone else's.
Wishing you peace and joy today and everyday.
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited July 2009
Yuh, I'd go with that......:D
(As for your smiley problem, send a note to Lincoln or Brian. They might be able to add tecchie insight.....)
As I am having a good day, I thought I'd just check in. The tailing off Prozac seems to be going OK. At least I hadn't been on it too long. My head seems to be clearing although writing is still hard: as I mentioned elsewhere, I am struggling with an imagined dialogue. Even if I have not written a line all day, imagining the debate gets me off to sleep at night.
Buying 10lbs of fruit on the side of the road was a very good idea while we were away on one of our three-day trips but ..... in this heat they need to be bottled, jammed or jellied pretty smartly.
But on the upside I have come to some decisions concerning my work which is a relief and turned my thinking upside down on some of my frightening thought patterns.
Buying 10lbs of fruit on the side of the road was a very good idea while we were away on one of our three-day trips but ..... in this heat they need to be bottled, jammed or jellied pretty smartly.
But on the upside I have come to some decisions concerning my work which is a relief and turned my thinking upside down on some of my frightening thought patterns.
Hi there Knitwitch,
Good to hear from you again. Merry meet and all that. Fruit is very useful stuff when traveling. We've got one of those cool bag things which you can put frozen cool elements into to keep stuff fresh. Fruit helps get the sandwiches down I find.
I am finally going to get to go riding again this afternoon, having had a break since mid-June when I was hospitalised. I was in a deal of pain in my lower abdomen and so the twisting and fore-back movements in Western Riding would have been impossible.
BUT - today is the day and I have whizzed through my chores this morning to leave my afternoon free
Anyone here know how when you first join a new site or message board, at first it's like joining a new company. It feels like this huge office that's just a massive maze full of places you've never been-yeah, I'm still at that stage with this site. I pop in daily and read a thread or two. I like listening alot, so I just absorb the conversations over coffee before work. I'm not sure what or where I had been reading, but BAM...I go down this hall, and there's all these threads I didn't even know existed. Soooooo cooool.
My day was truly fantastic. Steller, even. Took me 33years to learn how to make every day that way, but here we are. I truly hope everyone had some laughs today.
Now where was the bathroom in this place...... *wanders off down another hall*
I've been having an awesome morning thus far, and I must say Jerry this totally makes my day just that much better!
As far as life goes i've just been getting to know my family more and trying to move into another house, i'm loving life more and more!
Yesterday was alright; it was interesting. In the morning, I did yogilates. Then I had a class for which I am working on an essay about 'home' being a state of mind (and I include quotes from the Buddha) and I got good feedback so far. Then I sat in Washington Square Park and overheard people talking about theology, reality vs. perception, etc. Next was the first meeting for 'Buddhist Students Association.' We meditated for a bit, but I had a little trouble after a while. Some people asked basic questions, and it later turned into someone of Theravada beliefs 'debating' with someone of Mahayana beliefs. Most people I talked to after did not like that, because they don't follow a particular school, and neither do I. I don't believe it's necessary...?
Then my roommates came home, one of them is probably anorexic and a narcissist according to my therapist, and she has been mean to me lately.
Finally, I fell asleep to the Yankee game, which clinched a spot in the playoffs.
That sounds like a pretty interesting day Mel, heh what are Yogilates if you don't mind me asking?
Heh, i've got some pretty cool news, I was at the gym yesterday playing around with some poi balls, and A very tiny woman came into the arobics room where i was practicing..she walks over and says "That's very cool, what martial art are you practicing?" I smiled and told her that they were poi balls, basically they were tennis balls in socks..then she asks me "Have you ever been interested in martial arts?" I hestitated and just said yes...I told her that i wanted to join but i didn't know which martial art would fit me. Heh she started going off on all of these really cool different styles and saying how some are for competition, and others are self defense..little did i know she is a black belt in San Soo Kung Fu! She was such an awesome lady..I asked her about meditation and she guided me through a couple where i would put my right arm over my left and very carefully grab my ear lobes, and she says "Ok do you know why buddha had such a big belly?" I told her i had no idea..she went on to explain that it was better to breath from my stomach rather than my chest..and we would kneel down as we inhaled and raise up as we exhaled.
After a few sets of that, she asked me if i believed in aura's and i do. She told me that she was into tantric healing and she wanted to feel my aura..
so we sat down and she put her hand close to my hand..gave a face, then slowly did it around my leg..then again at my forehead. In my mind i was very worried, I've done alot of ectasy in my life and my energy is almost gone..:( she looks up at me, tears in her eyes and tells me that I have damage in the left part of my brain and i very well may suffer from a stroke within the next 7 years. She said my energy almost like...tickles, that it is tainted and needs to be cleansed. I believe this to the fullest. She said for me to take a bath in apple cider vinegar and a pound of salt, then to breath through my stomache and listen to some music for a half hour within the tub.
I'm scared...anyways. I hope you guys have a good day I just thought this was a little fun to share lol.
The wife and I went into Chicago last night and saw Porcupine Tree in concert. One of my favorite bands in my favorite city, a pretty good day/night overall.
Today has started well. 35 years ago (35 YEARS???!!!???) today my first child (Crispin Benjamin) was born. It was a fine, autumn day just like today.
The sun is shining. I am due to meet a friend for coffee. I have avoided letting myself be drawn into the pointless and fruitless, and deeply disrespectful, war of words elsewhere on these boards - stupid, as Brother Palzang says.
That sounds like a pretty interesting day Mel, heh what are Yogilates if you don't mind me asking?
Heh, i've got some pretty cool news, I was at the gym yesterday playing around with some poi balls, and A very tiny woman came into the arobics room where i was practicing..she walks over and says "That's very cool, what martial art are you practicing?" I smiled and told her that they were poi balls, basically they were tennis balls in socks..then she asks me "Have you ever been interested in martial arts?" I hestitated and just said yes...I told her that i wanted to join but i didn't know which martial art would fit me. Heh she started going off on all of these really cool different styles and saying how some are for competition, and others are self defense..little did i know she is a black belt in San Soo Kung Fu! She was such an awesome lady..I asked her about meditation and she guided me through a couple where i would put my right arm over my left and very carefully grab my ear lobes, and she says "Ok do you know why buddha had such a big belly?" I told her i had no idea..she went on to explain that it was better to breath from my stomach rather than my chest..and we would kneel down as we inhaled and raise up as we exhaled.
After a few sets of that, she asked me if i believed in aura's and i do. She told me that she was into tantric healing and she wanted to feel my aura..
so we sat down and she put her hand close to my hand..gave a face, then slowly did it around my leg..then again at my forehead. In my mind i was very worried, I've done alot of ectasy in my life and my energy is almost gone..:( she looks up at me, tears in her eyes and tells me that I have damage in the left part of my brain and i very well may suffer from a stroke within the next 7 years. She said my energy almost like...tickles, that it is tainted and needs to be cleansed. I believe this to the fullest. She said for me to take a bath in apple cider vinegar and a pound of salt, then to breath through my stomache and listen to some music for a half hour within the tub.
I'm scared...anyways. I hope you guys have a good day I just thought this was a little fun to share lol.
Cameran,
This post worries me a bit. Please don't believe what that woman was telling you. There is no way she could diagnose the possibility of a stroke in 7 years. No way. Period. Please stop believing it. And taking a bath in apple cider vinegar and salt to ward off a stroke is just plain ridiculous.
She was manipulating you to massage her own ego. She has no 'magical' powers nor insight to help you in any way. She was using you. Period. I'm sorry but I need to speak plainly.
So please stop being scared of what she said. True healers never purposely instill fear in those they treat. Ever. Fear, i.e. stress itself eventually leads to disease. You have nothing to fear.
By the way, the character with the big belly is definitely not the Buddha. It's most probably the figure of an ancient Japanese monk called Hotei. Whenever someone describes the Buddha as having a fat belly, red flags should go up for you and tell you that this person knows nothing about Buddhism. Don't trust them if they are trying to 'teach' you something.
Well, apart from getting gang-raped by Stupa and Dharma Datu the last couple of days I'm just doing great.
What's a Mahayana Buddhist have to do around here to not get mugged by sectarian thuggery in his own thread? Half the time its like dealing with Baptists...
The days are getting to be ever so lovely here in the desert southwest. The juniper aroma is a little more intense. The play of light is ever wondrous.
This year there has been a huge flock of turkey vultures. Gliding on the thermals with their wing span of nearly six feet.
Well, apart from getting gang-raped by Stupa and Dharma Datu the last couple of days I'm just doing great.
What's a Mahayana Buddhist have to do around here to not get mugged by sectarian thuggery in his own thread? Half the time its like dealing with Baptists...
Phenomena are preceded by the heart, ruled by the heart, made of the heart. If you speak or act with a corrupted heart, then suffering follows you — as the wheel of the cart, the track of the ox that pulls it. Phenomena are preceded by the heart, ruled by the heart, made of the heart. If you speak or act with a calm, bright heart, then happiness follows you, like a shadow that never leaves.
'He insulted me, hit me, beat me, robbed me' — for those who brood on this, hostility isn't stilled. 'He insulted me, hit me, beat me, robbed me' — for those who don't brood on this, hostility is stilled. Hostilities aren't stilled through hostility, regardless. Hostilities are stilled through non-hostility: this, an unending truth. Unlike those who don't realize that we're here on the verge of perishing, those who do: their quarrels are stilled.
Barrasoto zenniewandering in a cloud in beautiful, bucolic Victoria BC, on the wacky left coast of CanadaVeteran
edited October 2009
First of all - Brigid - thanks for your advice for Cameron. Absolutely - stay away from that woman! Cam - given that you have had bad experiences with ecstacy, this will make you especially vulnerable to being influenced by others, especially hippy-trippy woo woo ladies wanting to impress you, and maybe take advantage of you.
As for my day - I spent it at a workshop on fabric dyeing and painting at a local downtown quilt store. At noon I went out to the square to get some take out from the Noodle Box (they serve their take out in old fashioned cardboard Chinese food take-out boxes!) and it was the most fantastically sunny, warm day. Because the angle of the sun here - just south of the 49th parallel - is starting to get more acute, the place was awash in a strong light coming from the south, and there were people everywhere - sitting around the square, taking photos of the Chinese gate that bridges the street, skateboarding, having coffee outside Starbucks..... I ordered Nasi Goreng, which turned out to take longer than anything else on the menu, and they were playing some really cool techno music with an interesting drum beat, so I started playing in time by rapping my chopsticks on the top of my (unopened) juice can. It made such a neat sound that I got a second set of chopsticks and laid down a base beat with my left hand and a quicker beat with my right. So the time went quickly, and then I got my lunch and went back across the street to the workshop room. By the time 4 pm rolled around, we were all at mental overload and feeling sort of woozy. I had two buckets with sealed 'baggies' each with cotton pieces dyed in different ways, and a large piece of printed linen that I overdyed. Went home, put my feet up for a while, and then took it all to the laundry room in my condo. Put a tarp down on the floor and was nervous about getting 'busted' for breaking some imaginary condo rule for dyeing in the communal laundry tub. Anyway, I had to rinse, rinse, rinse out the dyed pieces, and then wash them in hot water, using a stabilizing medium. After washing they went in to a hot dryer for an hour. I just took them out, and they look really interesting! Tomorrow - after going to my sitting group and then to a craft fair - I will iron them out and take a photo. Maybe I will post the photo here, if I can figure out how to do that....
Today was busy abd tiring for me. I moved my Boss's parents into their new house, with help of course. I'm an appliance recycler with my Boss and one other co-worker. We work out of a 26-foot truck, so we used the truck to move my Boss's parents things with.
Yesterday - I did a lot of walking and a bit of shopping I had to do and more that didn't have to be done. Then I tried to catch up on some work. Then I checked to see if this guy answered a message I sent him, and I have the feeling he ignored it .
THEN, I checked my e-mail, and got one from my dad and it made me cry. He's never been there and can't provide financially but now that he wants to 'be there,' he just feels like an acquaintance, not a dad, so it's hard to have the relationship he wants, I find it difficult to talk to him about anything below surface emotions. Basically, this e-mail was just him telling how much he blames himself for everything and how he wants things to be and how he can't go into his grave until he corrects things. (He also said he's been depressed. he has no idea how depressed I've been.) I don't know how to respond...
So I was up late because of that, and overslept this morning into a couple of my classes..
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Barrasoto zenniewandering in a cloud in beautiful, bucolic Victoria BC, on the wacky left coast of CanadaVeteran
edited October 2009
Hi, Mel.
Sounds frustrating - probably a pattern that has gone on for a long time, and a lot of disappointment. Very familiar story in my family. Buy why not take him at face value? Sounds like he wants to make ammends, but doesn't know how to do it. The intent is there, even if it comes and goes. When you go to talk to him, he may or may not be receptive, but give it a try. Just - "Hi, Dad - how's it going?" and leave an opening for him to talk about whatever is on his mind. Something like - "I know things haven't always gone well for us - its been challenging, but you know, we gave it a try, didn't we?" You might be surprised how he answers. On the other hand, it might still be difficult for him.
I spent a day of mindfulness with Thich Nhat Hanh. It was wonderful.
Started out with meditation, then his dhamma talk which was largely about the importance of the sangha as well as the four types of nourishment (there is really lots to say on what he said...and some pictures, as well). We then had a meal (all at once in this huge theater) and then did a walking meditation for which the block was closed down (in Manhattan, remember)! We finished up with deep relaxation.
I learned a lot, feel very refreshed, and am eager to continue practicing.
Im having a sad day
One of my hamsters, Katie is old (old for a hamster) and the end is getting near. She is very fragile.
My hamsters are my whole world
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited October 2009
You really are obsessed with Hammy-Hamsters,aren't you?
Unfortunately, they don't have a very long life-span.... be glad she had a good life with a Kind Buddhist person, who cared for her and kept her well.
I'm sure she is a good hamster, and will know a favourable re-birth....
Just take care of her, and know that all compounded phenomena, and life, is impermanent.
What a wonderful lesson in the fleeting nature of things....
I hope everything will be ok with her......
Toyko_Rose,
Our companion animals can become such a part of our life. Yet they must leave us from time to time. Their passing takes a little of our heart with them. I hope that all works out for you and Katie.
Im having a sad day
One of my hamsters, Katie is old (old for a hamster) and the end is getting near. She is very fragile.
My hamsters are my whole world
Oh, bless her precious wee heart.
She had a good life with you though, didn't she? Especially when you think about the kind of life she could have had. She probably had the best life any hamster has ever had. You did right by her. Allow that knowledge to be your comfort.
I live on a non-working farm out in the middle of nowhere and every once in a while a stray cat will show up at our door, or window, and we take them in and take care of them until they die. We've had a total of 9 cats over the years, never more than 5 at one time, and right now we have 4. We love them dearly.
We've had to say goodbye to 5 of them over the years and the thing that comforted me the most was when I reminded myself that we did right by them, just as Fede said. We did everything in our power to give them long, comfortable, happy lives. We kept them healthy, well fed, warm, cuddled, and protected and we loved them with all our hearts.
We always tried to love them unselfishly and we learned from them and were healed by them. Sometimes physically healed. With purr therapy. Really. I'm not kidding. It's a real thing. 'Purr therapy'. It's when they lie down on your healing broken hip, or bad back, and purr. The soft, warm vibrations work like magic. My big orange tabby, Tom, always comes to me when I've put my back out and am confined to bed. He'll lie beside me leaning his weight on the injury site and purr and sometimes he'll even knead the area like they do with their mother's teats to stimulate milk production. Our little black tabby Samantha did the same thing for my father when he broke his hip.
When Samantha died a few years ago I accepted her death much better than previous ones because I kept reminding myself that we gave her a very good life. I don't know if that would help you too but I hope it does.
They have to go. We all do. But there are always more hamsters and cats out there that need good, loving homes and the death of one makes space for another. There's comfort to be had in that.
^ ^ ^ No, its not long, you're right.
They bring us so much love and happiness
Your cats sound lovely, though Katie and Holly just want to admire them from afar :eek:
Yes, Katie had a very good life, full of love.
Tonight, the two of them are having hamster pizzas (yes i actually stand and make miniature meals for them both)
I know i have to let go, i just hate the pain of doing it.
She will be buried in the hamster grave (yes i know :rolleyes:) at the bottom of my garden. I'll miss her ever so much.
........................
She will be buried in the hamster grave (yes i know :rolleyes:) at the bottom of my garden. I'll miss her ever so much.
Thank you again for your kind words
X
I am so glad you have space to bury - and remember - all your companions. We have a 'graveyard', too: cats, a dog, many mice, a few birds, a fish or six, gerbiuls and, even, a handful of my late wife's ashes: she loved the 'mules' too and they loved her. The space is marked by a simple stone which says "Peace".
My day, so far is very tired *yawn* Ive spent the last couple of nights sitting up with Katie hamster. She's very wobbly, but still eating well. Ive been sleeping next to her in case she needs me during the night. Monday night she was unsettled, I was awake at 4.30am pulling apart bits of nesting for her. Yes, hamsters are 'nocturnal' to an extent, but when they are so old like Katie, and the end is near, they sleep most of the time, usually through the night too, so obviously she just couldn't get comfortable. When i had to get up in the morning, she just went off to sleep! No ''thank you mummy'' nothing!
Think i might do one of my hamster meal recipes tonight. Give her and Holly a nice treat
Right now I have two cats, three kit-cats and three kittens. There's a wild female cat that's been giving birth and taking care of her kittens outside my house. I didn't really want to take in the last bunch, but the temperature dropped into the 20s and I just couldn't leave them out in the cold. I'm already too attached to them...
So I got up early today and fed the kittens and then the rest of the felines. Then I went to the car fixer place and had my rear windshield wipers fixed (winter is just about here). Meditated a little while I waited. Afterwards bought a beginner yoga DVD because I've been having trouble settling into my meditation practice (achy back) and yoga used to really help me to meditate. Picked up lunch on the way home (Wonton soup and shrimp rolls). Ate lunch, not very mindfully and then checked online to track where my two packaged paintings had wound up today. They're going to arrive at their new home sometime tomorrow in Florida. So I sent an email to the man who bought them to let him know. Tomorrow is a painting day.
Comments
Agreed on size, and I would like to add feelings. I think that a place takes on a unique feel that's dependent on its relationship with your life. Like how it feels to walk into an office building you work in versus walking into that place for the first time and hoping to get a job there. The place is the same, but he atmosphere it produces for you is different. I read this forum for awhile before joining and now that I have my own account and post on occasion, it has a different feel to it. There are so many rooms to explore and so many people to meet along the way. Sounds a lot like real life, doesn't it?
Oh, and if you find the bathroom in this place, let me know.
~nomad
You haven't opened that far door in your room, have you?
It's an en-suite'....
but every floor has a WC....
And the sauna hut at the bottom of the garden is fully equipped too....
have you seen this thread?
I went to the stables where I normally ride - I can't ride at the moment but I saw all my friends, horses and human, and I made a decision.
My friend O'Hara gave me a big kiss on the cheek (O Hara is the most gorgeous black stallion and I don't know a softer, kinder, more agreeable male in this world)
My friend Cowboy gave me a big hug and worried about me being so very ill and promised that he would stay in touch even though he is re-enacting the American Civil War - and he is dedicated
My friends Jacky and G worried that I wouldn't be able to come to the barbecue next week but were delighted when they found that some of my family would be around for it ........... even if I can't eat it.
Blessed be - there is more to life than you think
Doesn't get that much better -
~nomad
I'd like to second that.
As a Christian (I'm not pretending to be otherwise) I find this site truly inspiring. I am not in the process of converting to buddhism, yet would love to open up respectful loving discussions with some of you. I'm not getting the feeling of irritation from you guys that I am here...just welcoming and dare I say, loving.
darn, that was hard to admit. lol.
If anyone can help me add smilies to my posts, I'd be eternally grateful (joke) I feel I have my arms tied not using them. Since I got my pc rebooted, they sometimes don't work on forums.
anyhow, the point of my post is, I am glad to pop in here and hope you don't mind if I stick around. btw I am not here to start a fight, sorry if you have met unloving christians in the past. I'll do my best to be sincere and represent christianity to the best of my knowledge. But I am only human and my theology is limited. : )
I'm very glad to know you feel welcomed here. That is definitely as it should be. Your posts have been full of respect, kindness, and open mindedness. That's the kind of attitude that makes connection and dialogue so fruitful and pleasant. It's lovely to have you here so make yourself at home. This is as much your place as it is anyone else's.
Wishing you peace and joy today and everyday.
(As for your smiley problem, send a note to Lincoln or Brian. They might be able to add tecchie insight.....)
Welcome home, dear one.
It's just not the same when you're not here.
So good to see you!
~nomad
Buying 10lbs of fruit on the side of the road was a very good idea while we were away on one of our three-day trips but ..... in this heat they need to be bottled, jammed or jellied pretty smartly.
But on the upside I have come to some decisions concerning my work which is a relief and turned my thinking upside down on some of my frightening thought patterns.
Hi there Knitwitch,
Good to hear from you again. Merry meet and all that. Fruit is very useful stuff when traveling. We've got one of those cool bag things which you can put frozen cool elements into to keep stuff fresh. Fruit helps get the sandwiches down I find.
I am finally going to get to go riding again this afternoon, having had a break since mid-June when I was hospitalised. I was in a deal of pain in my lower abdomen and so the twisting and fore-back movements in Western Riding would have been impossible.
BUT - today is the day and I have whizzed through my chores this morning to leave my afternoon free
I've been having an awesome morning thus far, and I must say Jerry this totally makes my day just that much better!
As far as life goes i've just been getting to know my family more and trying to move into another house, i'm loving life more and more!
Then my roommates came home, one of them is probably anorexic and a narcissist according to my therapist, and she has been mean to me lately.
Finally, I fell asleep to the Yankee game, which clinched a spot in the playoffs.
Heh, i've got some pretty cool news, I was at the gym yesterday playing around with some poi balls, and A very tiny woman came into the arobics room where i was practicing..she walks over and says "That's very cool, what martial art are you practicing?" I smiled and told her that they were poi balls, basically they were tennis balls in socks..then she asks me "Have you ever been interested in martial arts?" I hestitated and just said yes...I told her that i wanted to join but i didn't know which martial art would fit me. Heh she started going off on all of these really cool different styles and saying how some are for competition, and others are self defense..little did i know she is a black belt in San Soo Kung Fu! She was such an awesome lady..I asked her about meditation and she guided me through a couple where i would put my right arm over my left and very carefully grab my ear lobes, and she says "Ok do you know why buddha had such a big belly?" I told her i had no idea..she went on to explain that it was better to breath from my stomach rather than my chest..and we would kneel down as we inhaled and raise up as we exhaled.
After a few sets of that, she asked me if i believed in aura's and i do. She told me that she was into tantric healing and she wanted to feel my aura..
so we sat down and she put her hand close to my hand..gave a face, then slowly did it around my leg..then again at my forehead. In my mind i was very worried, I've done alot of ectasy in my life and my energy is almost gone..:( she looks up at me, tears in her eyes and tells me that I have damage in the left part of my brain and i very well may suffer from a stroke within the next 7 years. She said my energy almost like...tickles, that it is tainted and needs to be cleansed. I believe this to the fullest. She said for me to take a bath in apple cider vinegar and a pound of salt, then to breath through my stomache and listen to some music for a half hour within the tub.
I'm scared...anyways. I hope you guys have a good day I just thought this was a little fun to share lol.
BTW, Cameran, tantric healing - whatever that is - has nothing to do with tantric Buddhism. Just thought you'd want to know.
And Mel, you're right, arguments over which kind of Buddhism is best are stupid.
Palzang
The sun is shining. I am due to meet a friend for coffee. I have avoided letting myself be drawn into the pointless and fruitless, and deeply disrespectful, war of words elsewhere on these boards - stupid, as Brother Palzang says.
Peace and joy to all of you.
This post worries me a bit. Please don't believe what that woman was telling you. There is no way she could diagnose the possibility of a stroke in 7 years. No way. Period. Please stop believing it. And taking a bath in apple cider vinegar and salt to ward off a stroke is just plain ridiculous.
She was manipulating you to massage her own ego. She has no 'magical' powers nor insight to help you in any way. She was using you. Period. I'm sorry but I need to speak plainly.
So please stop being scared of what she said. True healers never purposely instill fear in those they treat. Ever. Fear, i.e. stress itself eventually leads to disease. You have nothing to fear.
By the way, the character with the big belly is definitely not the Buddha. It's most probably the figure of an ancient Japanese monk called Hotei. Whenever someone describes the Buddha as having a fat belly, red flags should go up for you and tell you that this person knows nothing about Buddhism. Don't trust them if they are trying to 'teach' you something.
but I usually just stick to yoga.
Well, apart from getting gang-raped by Stupa and Dharma Datu the last couple of days I'm just doing great.
What's a Mahayana Buddhist have to do around here to not get mugged by sectarian thuggery in his own thread? Half the time its like dealing with Baptists...
This year there has been a huge flock of turkey vultures. Gliding on the thermals with their wing span of nearly six feet.
Nature is a profoundly wise mother.
grackle
The words of the Dhammapada are wise and healing.
Gassho.:)
As for my day - I spent it at a workshop on fabric dyeing and painting at a local downtown quilt store. At noon I went out to the square to get some take out from the Noodle Box (they serve their take out in old fashioned cardboard Chinese food take-out boxes!) and it was the most fantastically sunny, warm day. Because the angle of the sun here - just south of the 49th parallel - is starting to get more acute, the place was awash in a strong light coming from the south, and there were people everywhere - sitting around the square, taking photos of the Chinese gate that bridges the street, skateboarding, having coffee outside Starbucks..... I ordered Nasi Goreng, which turned out to take longer than anything else on the menu, and they were playing some really cool techno music with an interesting drum beat, so I started playing in time by rapping my chopsticks on the top of my (unopened) juice can. It made such a neat sound that I got a second set of chopsticks and laid down a base beat with my left hand and a quicker beat with my right. So the time went quickly, and then I got my lunch and went back across the street to the workshop room. By the time 4 pm rolled around, we were all at mental overload and feeling sort of woozy. I had two buckets with sealed 'baggies' each with cotton pieces dyed in different ways, and a large piece of printed linen that I overdyed. Went home, put my feet up for a while, and then took it all to the laundry room in my condo. Put a tarp down on the floor and was nervous about getting 'busted' for breaking some imaginary condo rule for dyeing in the communal laundry tub. Anyway, I had to rinse, rinse, rinse out the dyed pieces, and then wash them in hot water, using a stabilizing medium. After washing they went in to a hot dryer for an hour. I just took them out, and they look really interesting! Tomorrow - after going to my sitting group and then to a craft fair - I will iron them out and take a photo. Maybe I will post the photo here, if I can figure out how to do that....
THEN, I checked my e-mail, and got one from my dad and it made me cry. He's never been there and can't provide financially but now that he wants to 'be there,' he just feels like an acquaintance, not a dad, so it's hard to have the relationship he wants, I find it difficult to talk to him about anything below surface emotions. Basically, this e-mail was just him telling how much he blames himself for everything and how he wants things to be and how he can't go into his grave until he corrects things. (He also said he's been depressed. he has no idea how depressed I've been.) I don't know how to respond...
So I was up late because of that, and overslept this morning into a couple of my classes..
Sounds frustrating - probably a pattern that has gone on for a long time, and a lot of disappointment. Very familiar story in my family. Buy why not take him at face value? Sounds like he wants to make ammends, but doesn't know how to do it. The intent is there, even if it comes and goes. When you go to talk to him, he may or may not be receptive, but give it a try. Just - "Hi, Dad - how's it going?" and leave an opening for him to talk about whatever is on his mind. Something like - "I know things haven't always gone well for us - its been challenging, but you know, we gave it a try, didn't we?" You might be surprised how he answers. On the other hand, it might still be difficult for him.
Started out with meditation, then his dhamma talk which was largely about the importance of the sangha as well as the four types of nourishment (there is really lots to say on what he said...and some pictures, as well). We then had a meal (all at once in this huge theater) and then did a walking meditation for which the block was closed down (in Manhattan, remember)! We finished up with deep relaxation.
I learned a lot, feel very refreshed, and am eager to continue practicing.
One of my hamsters, Katie is old (old for a hamster) and the end is getting near. She is very fragile.
My hamsters are my whole world
Unfortunately, they don't have a very long life-span.... be glad she had a good life with a Kind Buddhist person, who cared for her and kept her well.
I'm sure she is a good hamster, and will know a favourable re-birth....
Just take care of her, and know that all compounded phenomena, and life, is impermanent.
What a wonderful lesson in the fleeting nature of things....
I hope everything will be ok with her......
Our companion animals can become such a part of our life. Yet they must leave us from time to time. Their passing takes a little of our heart with them. I hope that all works out for you and Katie.
grackle
They dont have a long lifespan, no. But they bring me more love and happiness than anything
Ive been here many times before, but it never gets any easier.
Katie is so gentle and loving, i will miss her terribly.
Thank you for your kind thoughts
The loss of our companions, human or other animal, will always hurt. That is the nature of love. There is blessing in the sense of loss.
She had a good life with you though, didn't she? Especially when you think about the kind of life she could have had. She probably had the best life any hamster has ever had. You did right by her. Allow that knowledge to be your comfort.
I live on a non-working farm out in the middle of nowhere and every once in a while a stray cat will show up at our door, or window, and we take them in and take care of them until they die. We've had a total of 9 cats over the years, never more than 5 at one time, and right now we have 4. We love them dearly.
We've had to say goodbye to 5 of them over the years and the thing that comforted me the most was when I reminded myself that we did right by them, just as Fede said. We did everything in our power to give them long, comfortable, happy lives. We kept them healthy, well fed, warm, cuddled, and protected and we loved them with all our hearts.
We always tried to love them unselfishly and we learned from them and were healed by them. Sometimes physically healed. With purr therapy. Really. I'm not kidding. It's a real thing. 'Purr therapy'.
When Samantha died a few years ago I accepted her death much better than previous ones because I kept reminding myself that we gave her a very good life. I don't know if that would help you too but I hope it does.
They have to go. We all do. But there are always more hamsters and cats out there that need good, loving homes and the death of one makes space for another. There's comfort to be had in that.
Geez, this is long!
They bring us so much love and happiness
Your cats sound lovely, though Katie and Holly just want to admire them from afar :eek:
Yes, Katie had a very good life, full of love.
Tonight, the two of them are having hamster pizzas (yes i actually stand and make miniature meals for them both)
I know i have to let go, i just hate the pain of doing it.
She will be buried in the hamster grave (yes i know :rolleyes:) at the bottom of my garden. I'll miss her ever so much.
Thank you again for your kind words
X
I am so glad you have space to bury - and remember - all your companions. We have a 'graveyard', too: cats, a dog, many mice, a few birds, a fish or six, gerbiuls and, even, a handful of my late wife's ashes: she loved the 'mules' too and they loved her. The space is marked by a simple stone which says "Peace".
What a lovely peaceful place you have.
Its lovely when you can have something like this isn't it?
My place is more of a patch, its a corner (my garden is very small)
Ive spent the last couple of nights sitting up with Katie hamster.
She's very wobbly, but still eating well.
Ive been sleeping next to her in case she needs me during the night. Monday night she was unsettled, I was awake at 4.30am pulling apart bits of nesting for her.
Yes, hamsters are 'nocturnal' to an extent, but when they are so old like Katie, and the end is near, they sleep most of the time, usually through the night too, so obviously she just couldn't get comfortable.
When i had to get up in the morning, she just went off to sleep!
No ''thank you mummy'' nothing!
Think i might do one of my hamster meal recipes tonight. Give her and Holly a nice treat
~nomad
So I got up early today and fed the kittens and then the rest of the felines. Then I went to the car fixer place and had my rear windshield wipers fixed (winter is just about here). Meditated a little while I waited. Afterwards bought a beginner yoga DVD because I've been having trouble settling into my meditation practice (achy back) and yoga used to really help me to meditate. Picked up lunch on the way home (Wonton soup and shrimp rolls). Ate lunch, not very mindfully and then checked online to track where my two packaged paintings had wound up today. They're going to arrive at their new home sometime tomorrow in Florida. So I sent an email to the man who bought them to let him know. Tomorrow is a painting day.
May you all be well,
Kate