What it Means to Me...

A Way of taking care of the only vehicle we've been given in this lifetime,
     the vehicle we permanently reside in.
A Way of decreasing the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's,
     impotence of heart and body.
A Symbolic Way of extending kindness and love towards other beings
     by means of non-harm, by means of Ahimsa.
A Union of body, mind, and spirit.

The "We" Inside of Us?

Today I caught myself saying, "We need to start writing more."  As if writing were some type of team effort...  As if my conscious everyday being could not completely take credit for that which comes from me.

I notice many of my of the thoughts I want to write down, come during times of the in-between-state of waking and sleeping.  The times when my self-consciousness drops, allowing something else to come forth from me.

So who exactly is this team I refer to when I said "We?"  Is it another "Me?"  Or is it beyond me?

Enlightenment

Do we point to light discovered,
For others to better see?
Or do we point a sun so scorching,
Causing everyone to flee?

Do we shine light and nourish,
To tend to seeds within?
Or do we break, force, and pry,
Until the inner light goes dim?

When My Blinders Fall...

There are times my blinders fall... I do my best not to see, not feel, not to experience certain things in their entirety... But now I'm experiencing one of those times when I can no longer create walls shielding me from what I feel deeply, truly... I literally feel pain... a deep aching within my chest... Thinking of the pain that other beings must endure because of our actions as human beings... In a country of abundance... A country of choice... I'm deeply saddened by our food choices... I'm inundated by commercials on TV... Burgers, chicken, lobster... Imagining the pain they must experience for our sake. A pain so unnecessary... It hurts me so much to think about it... Posts on social media... People celebrating food... food I see as suffering, death... Celebrating as if it's so cool to eat certain foods... How do we as humans celebrate that which causes so much pain. People so proud to eat things like foie gras... pain of ducks and geese... People so proud to eat crabs and lobsters... a painful death of scalding hot water... Where's our humanity? Our connection to that which exists outside of ourselves? Our innate ability to empathize with other beings? Our desire to spread as much kindness as we can throughout our world? Our desire to work for the greater good? The way my heart works, I'm hurting right now... The deep ache inside... Like a place of infinite sadness I cannot mask. Maybe it's better if I couldn't feel these things... Right now I lack strength, I lack courage... I hurt and I don't like it... But at the same time I disdain the feeling of ignorance... Ignorance is bliss for whom??? In this world there's so much that's hard for me to accept... At this moment I feel so weak and powerless... I feel the dull ache around my heart... The irony of feeling connected... it also makes me feel disconnected...

I'm happiest when I'm hungry... Ennui is the death of me...

Mistakes...

Mistakes are the whittlings
That give rise to the honed...

Photo analogy...

The moments in my life I spent running away from experiencing something in its full intensity... are moments I've felt dull aches, numbness, a feeling of something not fully fulfilled...

I've come to the conclusion it's best to experience the lowest of lows and the highest of highs to fully deepen our experience of living... To know the most beautiful and the most ugly that lies within ourselves and within others... Understanding the human experience and the duality of our nature...

Like a photo with greater "exposure latitude..." From the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows... a clearer picture can be experienced, seen, felt...