Therapy tools like CBTs challenging distorted thoughts are fine, but they just don’t go to the heart of the cause while Buddhism does guide you to that. When we explore deep down what our deepest wants and needs are and whose lacking being addressed can cause our greatest hurts, we can find the greater truths that show us how to meet the ones that actually matter the most and are without greed, repulsion, delusion or ignorance. We give ourselves true love of compassion, loving kindness and equanimity; we find and take in unburdened joy. In these ways we heal and thrive without conditions.
Reading the Paper
Overdose deaths exceed 100,000 again.
Seems to me that we currently deal with those overweight, with drug addiction and such with a combination of scolding and some support for change; that we fight against smoothing over the repercussions of their crutches and addictions like acceptance and clean needles. But what I try to keep in mind, is that re-routing from these behaviors is really, really hard. Harder than most anything really. First, we don’t really understand the mechanisms to help them meet the urgent need to feel better without using those crutches, and it is really hard to stay with such huge discomforts. Secondly, the actual process of fixing from this situation is brutal. Losing weight is very hard, frustrating, filled with uncertainty and conflicting information. Our bodies do not want to lose weight. Getting off a drug is brutally hard too – our bodies physiologically fight it.
So that’s my thought. I wonder what life would be like if we discovered better ways to make getting away from overeating, drugs and other crutches, how would we be looking.
Peering Mugs
These little friends are enjoying time with you.
Reading the paper today
Far right party in Germany can be spied on since they are designated a potential terrorist group. Objections include the relative popularity of the party as justification for their legitimacy.
but Hitler and the Nazi party were elected by popular vote so we don’t rule by the masses. Mobs aren’t known for their discernment.
Flowers are magical
flowers have such an effect on so many people, including myself. My favorite flowers are peonies hydrangeas, wisteria, Gladiola Calla lilies. it seems to me there’s probably a reason why I chose those big exuberant flowers. I suspect it reflects something in our personalities.
Flower frog with peonies from my garden
I made the flower frog and grew the flowers in my yard.
Revving back up
I am going to try to get the blog back up and running for ideas, writing and creations esp my pottery
So this is an example of my pottery. I love hand building but plan on wheel throwing to make some hand building projects less time consuming.
Problems with (the) Gym
I went to the gym to do my weekly step class, and a woman, who is there occasionally, comes up to me, friendly enough, and says “Hi! I always see you in this class. It’s great!” and she gives me a “thumbs up” type of gesture after which she retreats to her spot. I thought it was nice. At first. But then I realized. She was talking to me as if I was a large person doing my little-blue-engine best to exercise despite my heft. She was exceedingly thin and there was a funny tone in her voice – patronizing but not insulting on purpose. She might as well of said, “Good for you, squishy, flabby person for trying to move with all that inertia!” I stared back at her – trying to convey my irritation and that I didn’t deserve her “encouragement.” I wasn’t that overweight, maybe 15 pounds, and this only happened after I turned 50 after which my metabolism up and walked out on me like a 60-year-old man leaving his wife of 35 years for some sweet young thing. I think I could probably survive eating nothing and simply taking all nourishment from molecules in the air. I wanted to tell her I did 11 hours of cardio a week and 2 hours of weights and I could probably kick her skinny little ass across this very floor! I think people would think I was crazy, unfairly. Yeah, and I’d be the bad guy.
Which takes me to another gym story …
Awooo to you
I became a dog owner at 26 years old and have always had dogs. And I was a big dog person. 100 pounds, 70 pounds and the “smallest” was 50 pounds. I didn’t care for little dogs – no interest in them. They were yappy and meant for ladies who wore heels to go shopping. Not for me. When my daughter wanted a little bischon-shih tzu puppy I was opposed. I never wanted a little dog. I was a big dog person. But she was struggling with high school pressures and I finally gave in. We got our little dog.
I looked down on this little white puff ball. I noticed his wee little black nose, his black eyes set against the white curly fur, his mouth curve like a sting ray’s smile. I saw his tiny little feet and heard the tapping of his toe nails across the tile floor. His floppy ears flung up and down when he tore across the back yard chasing a frisbee. He stared into my eyes when I carried him up the stairs for bedtime.
Children’s emotions fill them up – toe to finger to top of the head. ” Happy or sad, it is all encompassing. “I love him,” I said as everything under my skin became packed with child-joy. I loved all my dogs, but this was different. Within 10 months we had another little dog – a shih tzu-poodle we named Bea. They love me, and tolerate my affection when it is excessive. I don’t think they realize how excessive it is compared to others – I honestly don’t know how they react. In the meantime, they ignorantly indulge my playtimes. At least they’ll never see me grocery shopping in high heels.
Beware the Tchai Crocodile! 
Bea in her pouch. 
He does love me just not right now 
Coolest hair style ever 
No Sense
When I enter an elevator I know where I am, where my car is with respect to my current location, where major roads are, the locations of offices along the hall, but, after the ride and the elevator doors open, it’s as if I am transported to a new dimension, floating in an ambiguous cartesian coordinate system where I know virtually nothing about my position in the universe. Where is the front of the building? No idea. Where is my car? On Mars as far as I can tell. Whether there is one wall of elevators or two facing elevators doesn’t matter. Which way to the doctor’s office? I couldn’t tell you. Ever.
