ten things practice
lobster
Crusty Veteran
From another thread:
Twenty-two years ago while kicking drugs, a mentor told me to list ten things I'm grateful for before I get out of bed in the morning. If I couldn't keep track, then to keep a pen and paper by my bedside to jot them down.
I exclaimed, "TEN things?! You've got to be kidding me!" To which she replied, "You're right. Make it twenty."
Twenty two years later I'm still doing it. It's gotten much easier.
Today:
Life
My wife
My daughter
My dad
My brain still works
I slept in a bed last night
I didn't go to bed hungry
Plumbing (my last place I used an outhouse)
We made rent this month
My book got picked up by a publisher
The internet
I'm happy
I woke with no pain today
An unexpected check in the mail yesterday
...the rest are people you wouldn't know or fall into the category of tmi
Ah the unexpected . . . 'always expect the unexpected' . . . as if we can . . . how wonderful . . .
Here is my current top ten . . .
Life
The rain and its absence . . . oh it is back again . . .
Ipad
The night
New Buddhist and Dharma
People
Places
Breathing and relaxation
Body and mind
Earth and sky
What are your ten?
Comments
1my girlfriend
2coffee
3my mom
4my sanghas here and elsewhere
5bodhisattvas for helping me
6computer
7nature
8chemistry
9movies
10music
Michael Schumacher
Prawn
Rule 5
Randall Cowl Induction
Fog
Pine Duff
GoPro
David Lynch
Tulips
Leona's
Summer warmth
The lovely smell of lilacs
My garden
My husband and children
The antics of our ferrets
My foam roller
Our comfortable bed
A new book
Our sometimes divided but gritty and "we take care of our own" community
Yoga
I do this quite often, actually, on a private blog I keep. It's a wonderful practice! It sneaks up on me in times I am cranky or feeling down about something. Today on our way to watch a baseball game, our 5 year old said "I don't like itchy bugbites much, but I'm thankful it's warm and I don't have to wear winter clothes and the sun is out." Being grateful can carry us through so much. especially itchy bug bites.
Kia Ora @lobster,
Umm what am I grateful for ? ? ?
I'm grateful for :
the warm bed to get into and out of each day
the roof over my head
the clean water to drink
the choice of food available to eat
the warm clothing
the bird song that greets my ears each morning
the warmth I feel when thinking about my family and friends
that I have work to go to that I enjoy
that I don't live in a war zone
that I'm able to practice the Dharma
That's just some of the things I'm grateful for...I guess this will do for now....
Metta Shoshin
I am grateful for:
My son's warm hug (he deserves his own heading)
My family in general (hubby, mom, brother, beloved ones beyond)
Dharma
The sun after the rain
The smile after the tears
Resilience to pull back when we think we can't take it anymore
The epiphany of serendipity
Health
Peace
Puccini, Puccini, and more Puccini
And not necessarily in that order...
I am grateful for (also not necessarily in order):
Fear of the unknown
my family; (Husband, mother daughters....)
my cooking abilities
my humour
my current mental faculties
My current physical faculties
The Triple Gem
The sun when it shines
The rain when it falls
This Sangha.
Being Buddhist
My parents and brother
My health
My small flat which is comfortable enough for me
My job which pays the bills and keep me free of financial worries
My knowledge which I need for a living
My weekend breaks from work
Good night sleeps
Good eye opening books I had read
And of course reading wise posts on here
Nice to meet you all by the way
Thanks for this @lobster !
My family and fiancée
Realising the beauty of nature
Realising Buddhism
My dog Oakley, he is a wise teacher
Being able to help people as a job
Training the body
Living in Australia
My health
Living in a house with food.
The adventure that is life.
1 - Life
2 - My family
3 - My partner
4 - Discovering Buddhism
5 - My health. I am a lot better off than others.
6 - My job. It allows me to pay my bills, including my medical ones :P ...
7 - My house and amenities. Again, I have more than a lot of people and need to be more grateful more often.
8 - NB and everyone here
9 - Music
10 - Choices.
Metta,
Raven _/_
Today's list:
Numbers
Not having to count blessings
electricity
sunlight
mornings
sound
ears and having a pair
people
ipad and techno gadgets
voluntary simplicity
bonus pic which I took yesterday with a techno gadget (Greenwich peninsula ecocentre)
Now that's a cool looking place!
Wow you guys really like iPads. They should sponsor this site!!
C'mon then, what's Rule 5?
Rule 62 is my favourite and it's deeper than what most folk seem to think.
My list:
Sunday mornings
Coffee
My gorgeous and loving dog
The sunshine
The view from where I sit
A.A.
Being sober and happy about it.
Coffee - I know I've already got it on my list, but I'm very grateful for it.
Some peace of mind
My shower
Harden the F!@k up.
That's rule 5.
It a rule used in road cycling but is applicable anywhere.
And I try to practice it all time.
Don't like the news? Apply rule 5.
Taffic bothering you? Apply rule 5.
People giving you a hard time because you haven't taken refuge? Apply rule 5.
And so on.
the actual use of a profanity would suggest that the recommendation is unnecessarily strongly worded.
profanities are not essential, or even necessary, if one is in a calm state to begin with.
Ah, I run marathons and rell races; I don't sit on my bottom to get my exercise.
We don't have to tell ourselves to harden up; we're already tough I suppose.
Perhaps..
But Rule 5 is just the way it reads.
When you're 10 miles into a 20 mile ride with an average grade of 6% with switchbacks double that, you're far from calm. Lots of adrenelin. Lots of pain. Every fiber of your being wants to quit.
Time to mediate on Rule 5.
I mediate without any rules at all. I think I do pretty damn good, though I say so myself....
.
ten things for today:
I will have coffee too and tea, herbal tea with 50% fruit juice (that counts as one)
Dub Reggae (preferably in Church) . . . oh OK all music (also counts as one)
Walking, cycling, planes, transport
Taking pictures
Trees and plants (That is only one too)
Wind and water (how many elements? - all one choice)
Sport (how many meanings for that sport?)
Meditation and fun in general
Breakfast and all food
Today, yesterday and if lucky tomorrow . . .
Hard enough to be soft . . . oh that is eleven . . . I cheated . . .
:clap: .
garbage truck pick up
Clothes washer and dryer
lawnmower
being able to let go of my rose garden
eyeglasses
citrus vinaigrette
post its
hormone therapy
flip flops/sandals
AC
Today's word of thanks:
1 Music
2 Coffee
3 Pizza
4 Sunshine
5 Friendship
6 Meditation
7 Trungpa Rinpoche
8 My teacher Lama Shenpen
9 Facebook
10 Advocating end to all stigma
Does this raise some questions regarding desire?
Apple are world renowned for amazing marketing, and that of course is all about building desire.
Our daughter
Supportive siblings
Shelter
Food
Water
Sun/light
Information sharing
A job to feel good about
The dharma and you
Hum... That wasn't so hard after all.
Ah! Wonderful thread.
coffee
internet forums
a roof over my head
Chinese take-out
shrimp
free Hulu
The Simpsons
Bones (TV series)
comfy bed
people who care
when it finally rains in Southern California!
~0~
I soooo love "Bones," @silver!!
Ah yes ... they are an amazing ensemble!
I love making lists, so I'm gonna try again to come up with 10 more:
chili - med to hot spicy-ness
bubble gum
dogs
cats
horses
beautiful skies
(I took the picture in my avatar a few years ago-amazing)
restaurants
(I love listening to the hum of conversations going on around me.)
Christmas trees
snow
walking in my bare feet in the grass
~0~0~0~
coffee
music
being accepted
puja
winter fires in the fireplace
snow outlining tree branches
the winter ending eventually
football if team wins
hearing from people on computer
being with my girlfriend
I want the sun but that would take me up to 11
(1) coffee - always #1
(2) experimenting in the kitchen with slap-dash meals
(yesterday, I made gluten-free macaroni, stirred in some coconut milk, added it to canned chili, to which I'd added some jalapeno slices and juice -- I have leftovers too)
(3) leftovers!
(4) cooler weather
(5) fake plants that look real
(6) reminiscing through old posts
(7) reminiscing about holidays gone by
(8) listening and singing along with favorites like Tom Petty.
(9) listening to Al Stewart's Year of the Cat (Spanish guitar is awesome)
(10) people-watching at the beach
Some of these may be negative but I try hard to appreciate everything.