I was not familiar with Simone Weil and appreciate your post telling some of her story.
Q1. What orients you back to yourself? And to each new day?
A1. For me, it's a simple 15-20 minute earlymorning meditation with a coffee. No lights or music or anything besides me, coffee, darkness, quiet.
Q2. Do you have a favorite list?
A2. My favourite list would be 2 books I read again and again: "The Zen Teaching of Bodhidhama" as translated by Red Pine and "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach. My absolute top-tier favourites.
Q3. What 8-letter word, if you had to choose one, would you put in ink on your body?
A3. I thought about this one for awhile and would get "ONLY THIS" as a finger tattoo. This phrase is shortened from one of my favourite Zen/Chan stories in "The Blue Cliff Record Record" as translated by Thomas and J.C. Cleary. The scene is an elder monk shouting to a younger monk: "From birth to death, it's only this..." p,132. Sort of a Zen koan/awareness thing that has always stuck with me and is now mentally tattooed in my brain. ;)
Journaling, in some capacity, always seems to lull my senses back into their places. It’s like bringing myself home to myself. My fiancée and I spent last week in Canada, hoping for a much needed vacation away from the election stress (we voted by mail weeks prior). While we couldn’t avoid the election news (or keep it out of our heads), we journaled. We came home to ourselves, and to each other. Although list-making didn’t cross our pages while abroad, we got set on our lists when we returned to our actual home. Lists for the wedding, lists for chores to finish before going back to work, and my personal favorite: a list of anything that could help me emotionally regulate. I listed 10+ items - and promptly endeavored to initiate at least two on the list that day (journaling and sipping my favorite loose-leaf tea). Also, I think I’d get “gorgeous” tattooed on my knuckles - it is a frequent scripted response of mine, and I really just love that word.
Good morning! Our minds, our uncontrollable minds. Thoughts appear without our permission at any moment, and hah! especially during dream time. So we can't control our thoughts, at least I can't, but we can filter them, use them to our advantage, cull them, and...make lists, which are thoughts put to action. I make daily lists, and there is anything more satisfying than swiping a horizontal line through one of our "to-dos." Love, Bill
I was not familiar with Simone Weil and appreciate your post telling some of her story.
Q1. What orients you back to yourself? And to each new day?
A1. For me, it's a simple 15-20 minute earlymorning meditation with a coffee. No lights or music or anything besides me, coffee, darkness, quiet.
Q2. Do you have a favorite list?
A2. My favourite list would be 2 books I read again and again: "The Zen Teaching of Bodhidhama" as translated by Red Pine and "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach. My absolute top-tier favourites.
Q3. What 8-letter word, if you had to choose one, would you put in ink on your body?
A3. I thought about this one for awhile and would get "ONLY THIS" as a finger tattoo. This phrase is shortened from one of my favourite Zen/Chan stories in "The Blue Cliff Record Record" as translated by Thomas and J.C. Cleary. The scene is an elder monk shouting to a younger monk: "From birth to death, it's only this..." p,132. Sort of a Zen koan/awareness thing that has always stuck with me and is now mentally tattooed in my brain. ;)
omg--that is a GOOD choice regard #3. Dang.
<3 I was so delighted to read all your answers, Neil.
Journaling, in some capacity, always seems to lull my senses back into their places. It’s like bringing myself home to myself. My fiancée and I spent last week in Canada, hoping for a much needed vacation away from the election stress (we voted by mail weeks prior). While we couldn’t avoid the election news (or keep it out of our heads), we journaled. We came home to ourselves, and to each other. Although list-making didn’t cross our pages while abroad, we got set on our lists when we returned to our actual home. Lists for the wedding, lists for chores to finish before going back to work, and my personal favorite: a list of anything that could help me emotionally regulate. I listed 10+ items - and promptly endeavored to initiate at least two on the list that day (journaling and sipping my favorite loose-leaf tea). Also, I think I’d get “gorgeous” tattooed on my knuckles - it is a frequent scripted response of mine, and I really just love that word.
Eeeeee, this makes me so happy to read, Katie!!
Also, I'll share my own back-up knuckle tattoo option: slowpoke. (Sun + moon Taurus over here...)
So grateful for you.
Ooooh that’s a good one! So grateful for you, too 💜
Good morning! Our minds, our uncontrollable minds. Thoughts appear without our permission at any moment, and hah! especially during dream time. So we can't control our thoughts, at least I can't, but we can filter them, use them to our advantage, cull them, and...make lists, which are thoughts put to action. I make daily lists, and there is anything more satisfying than swiping a horizontal line through one of our "to-dos." Love, Bill