2013.01.22 _ 07

Sometimes that backward glance can be so revealing: I look over my shoulder at my 'involvement' in thought yesterday which now from a wider view I see more as obsessive (once again) rather than really creative. The wider view, the deeper breath, our rescuing companion who is not always at our side, but usually when bidden loyally returns.

::: Blizzard is howling
::: A lone wolf lost in the cold
::: Through white sheets of snow

did two 10 minute guided meditations from "headspace" today with my meditation buddy, similar to what I've been doing only guided (meaning a voice comes on uneecpectedly to wake me up) and added a body scan

Meditated in the morning. Having a cup of coffee before meditation is OK if I set a timer for the start of the meditation so I can't start drifting.

Re yesterdays comments. The very fact that those comments exist helps enormously. But yesterday there were two that I want to comment on.

Storm: your comment made me smile.

Druth: It's not just your personal "tendency to compose my entry here instead of concentrating", I think anybody who tries to meditate encounters this tendency to compose stories.
It's not a problem that needs solving, it's just one of those things to notice. Unless you are doing a very different kind of meditation than I am, in which case I said nothing.

A great day - I was more on top of things and completed tasks properly. SL has been buzzing - I could feel so much excitement and anticipation when it comes to the preparations for the building class fieldtrip & PaB bday - lots of metta was flying from one person to the next - Pablings are really cool ;)

Metta time : I was planning to do it outside - but the day got too busy to do a proper one. I do think a lot about it everyday - having many metta moments as I go about my day.

Quiet time with trees and stars : A bit too busy again - I keep planning it and finding it hard to just be quiet - I hope I will manage to slow down more and more.

South Africa - a moment of ponder, thanks and musings :

::Vuvuzela choir
::hypnotizing
::crowds

Having a rough time with the jetlag still. Today's sit was very unsatisfactory, between dozing off and being unable to concentrate at all. Had to keep telling myself to calm down, let the "failure" flow past without leaving a mark.

Two yolks from one cracked shell.

healing the heart of trauma ad dissociation. (Forgash, Copeley)

... kafka, one page forward, (Gustav Janouch). so what if it's fiction, enjoying ...

Sitting for my morning coffee at a coffee shop I had not been to two in a while, I decided to make my morning meditations for 20 minutes (in bed) after I woke up this morning part of yesterday(this days) blog knowing I will be more rigorous and blog about my Tai Chi later today on tomorrow's blog. This time thing can be very confusing when writing about it. I was never particularly consistent with my tenses anyway.

Awake.. looked at the clock, 20 minutes until the the alarm will go off... laying on my back breathing deeply, snoring next to me keeps my breath consistently deep :). Had a glimmer of good news in an email yesterday helps me with my focus at the same time distracted my thoughts so I let them go and relax and breath. 20 minutes arrives quickly, so does the cat who has been at my feet the entire night and now comes visiting looking for breakfast.

Continuing just one of my three "project" categories a day as a write-up. Otherwise things will get very long-winded and self-involved! ...

Mind: Tried playing chess against my computer. Windows 7 provides "Chess Titans" free of charge. It's not a strong program, but it's still a challenge for someone getting back into the game at its strongest level (10).

It made me think of how chess computers have evolved. In the 80s they were still weak to the point of embarrassment. By the late 90s they were beating World Champions. Now, a program running on a mobile phone can win an International Masters tournament!

So what? An active mind is good for your health. Those of us who have or have had friends or relatives with Alzheimers may know that there's now a corroborative link established between the level of one's habitual mental activity - expressed in applying oneself to arduous mental tasks, recreational or otherwise - to one's resilience to succumbing to these awful diseases.