Recent events in my life and work remind me of an old joke.  When adults ask kids "what do you want to be when you grow up?" it is not small talk, we are looking for ideas.

I was in Maine recently. I love it up there. When i was thinking about the trip and when people asked if we got caught in any bad weather it made me think. One of the things i love about Maine coast is the fog.

Fog makes you focus your attention somewhere. That change of focus can have a major affect. The landscape hasn't changed just your focus and perspective.

So my thought for the day when things feel overwhelming just imagine there is some fog.

I was listening to a song i have heard many times before "Backstreets" by Bruce Springsteen and the final verse gave me pause.

Here it is:

"Laying here in the dark you're like an angel on my chest
Just another tramp of hearts crying tears of faithlessness
Remember all the movies, terry, wed go see
Trying to learn how to walk like heroes we thought we had to be
And after all this time to find we're just like all the rest
Stranded in the park and forced to confess
To hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
We swore forever friends on the backstreets until the end
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets"

Specifically "Trying to learn how to walk like heroes we thought we had to be"

Who are the heroes are trying to be?
How hard are we trying?
Are those the right heroes?
Is it working?

No answers today just questions.

Recently i went to my towns annual christmas tree bon fire. It was a nice event.  It reminded me there are things i life that are not there to be photographed or cataloged just enjoyed while there and to do that more often.

This phrase "show up" also was used at our Ken Wilber meetup group when we discussed new years resolutions and everybody shared theirs.  http://kenwilber.meetup.com/88/boards/view/viewthread?thread=2586493



Joe

Yesterday we were driving along on our way home in rush at the end of busy day.  We saw a couple hundred sea gulls flying a tight formation along the beach  (yes we are fortunate enough to have a beach in our commute).  We stopped for a few minutes.  It was a flock of Bonaparte gulls a couple hundred of them and some Least Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones. 

We stayed until we got cold (it was raw day) and we had dinner.  It was a nice pause in a hectic day.  i have no moral or point just rambling.

Joe

Recently we took a family trip to an amusement park with my 3 year old nephew Ashton.  His favorite ride was the pony cart where he sat in this little cart where a wooden horse rocked back and forth as he rode round in a circle.  His second favorite ride was a similar ride except on the other ride every car was different.  There was a stage coach, a motorcycle a firetruck, a racecar.  Part way through smorgasbord you tell by the look on his face he wanted to be on a different car, horse, whatever.  At the end of the pony cart ride he wanted to go again and was really excited.

I wouldn't be the first to point out that lots of choices often leads to stress and anxiety.  So I merely want to mention a reminder we are all on a smorgasbord ride with lots of choices but with some mindfulness practices can have as much fun as the pony cart.

Enjoy the ride.

Joe

Week 15: Choices

From  holy memes and kosmic blog starters

This week's questions are once again by the great   Zoe.  thank you!!
FRIDAY FIVE - CHOICES

1.  Do you consciously choose to live your life in a particular way? 

Yes, I try to live with a focus on introspection and quest for knowledge.   Kindness  and compassion  are important but not as an appearance as an expierence.  I don't people care if people think i am a jerk.

2. What life experiences have influenced how you chose to live your life?

All of them I think.  (I am not trying to be cute no specifics come to mind.)

3. Reflect on a specific good/positive choice that you made at a particular time in your life.
  a.  Was it like to make that choice?
  b. What were the consequences of that choice?

Once I had a chance to get an intern to help me with work for the summer.  There were 2 interns and 2 people wanting interns.  The other person was senior to me and had first choice.  I had a strong preference based on a gut feeling fortunately the other guy wanted the other intern.  We worked great together all summer. 

I know this doesn't sound like a choice but there are times were going with the flow is the best choice.

4. Reflect on a specific bad/negative choice that you made at a particular time in your life.
  a.  Was it like to make that choice?
  b. What were the consequences of that choice?

too many too personal.

4. Are there any choices you have made that you would choose to do differently if you could?

Yes,

***BONUS ROUND*** 
Do you feel that you influence others and shape yourselves more with the “bigger” (new career) choices you make or the smaller (holding a door open for someone) choices that you make?

I think of how a grumpy person on the train (I often take a commutter rail) or on the road can affect me.  I try to affect me demeanor to have a posive affect on the people around me.

I heard this Joke on the bonus features of "The Aristocrats" (A great movie!) i want to discuss.

Some people go to visit the holy land. The fly into Jerusalem and the go to wailing wall and look around. The visit Bethlehem and the Dead Sea.  A week goes by and it is time to go home.  They have some time before their flight out of Jerusalem so they go to the wailing wall again.  This time they notice that an old man is in the same spot as a week before.  We he takes a break to get some water one of visitors goes over and talks to him.
"Hello, If you don't mind can I ask you a couple of questions?"
"Not at all ask away."
"Have you been here all week praying?"
"I have been here everyday for the last 5 years."
"That is great. What are you praying for?"
"I am praying for peace in the middle east."
"How has that been going?"
"What do you think I am praying to a frigging wall!"

--

This reminded me sometimes you need devotion and purpose.  It may not hep in the relative realm but what is the other choice.  Beliefs need to be embraced, loved and swallowed whole.  Then and only then can they be transcended.

Here are my answers to Week 14: Something Greater .

1. How do you know something greater than you exists?

The little miracles we see everyday.

2. How do other people relate to this something?

By relating to each other.  By serving each other we serve the higher around us.

3. How can we affect changes in our lives?

By pulling the weeds of unconstructive and planting the seeds of hope.

4. How do you talk with this something greater?

By resting in silence.

5. What have you been asked to do by this something greater?

Be nice.

JBM

Almost everyone agrees on the fact that we should be tolerant of other world views, but most people disagree about how to got about that.  This occurred to me when i saw people protesting  `Body Worlds 2: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies" an exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston.  http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/07/23/coming_soon_the_invasion_of_the_body_watchers/?page=1

So for what it is worth here are my thoughts:

Any religion or social construct can have whatever rules internal  to the with a couple of exceptions:
1. Adults are free to leave the group.
2. Children in the group are unharmed .

Where problems arise when someone tries to apply rules that should be internal to someone outside the group.  Any rules that apply to multiple groups need to be based on the principle:

Do what you want just don't harm others.

I am curious to your thoughts or experiences with tolerance or intolerance.