Sunday, January 31, 2016
"Naked Yoga Anyone?"
I got caught up in 'Criticizing' myself yesterday for the extra 15 pounds I let creep on over the last year, as I've really gotten lax in my nutritional and exercise habits. Kim, always eager to help, suggested the WiiU Fit that arrived for Christmas. Set up began with the initial weigh in on the exercise board. "How much do your clothes currently weigh?", it asked. How the heck do I know? I have an idea, I thought. "Kim, close the blinds and I will weigh in naked, so there won't be any discrepancy from my real weight." Most of my ideas aren't good ones you see. As I undressed and hopped up on the WiiU balance board, the thought struck me the ridiculousness of my plan. "Uh oh! Wait a minute Kim. I will have to exercise naked every time now, in order to keep the weight loss consistent." She looked at me with that mischievous smile of hers. Forget that 'Criticizing' thing. How about choosing to 'Be Positive and Playful' instead? You've heard of Hot Yoga, right? I smiled back at her. "Naked Yoga anyone?"
Monday, January 25, 2016
Thank You Snowzilla
Well, it's finally over! Snowzilla is gone. Thirty something inches of snow and a blizzard to boot. Most of the dig out done.
Mother nature sure does have a way of teaching us the futility of trying to 'Control' everything around us and the much better principle of 'Acceptance'. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to get out on the driveway to start shoveling the falling snow, to be sure we could get the SUV out in case of emergency, only to be beaten back by the freezing wind and snow. I wouldn't get more than six feet out and turn around to see the quickly falling and blowing snow covering all of my previous efforts. I slowly walked to the top of the street to see how bad the neighborhood roads were looking, stopping half way up the hill, out of breath. We were 100 % snowbound and I didn't like it one bit. I thought, "what if we need to get to the hospital?...Oh well...what could I do right now instead? How about just being, a little relaxation, and some much needed patience until tomorrow when the storm finally passes? After all, there's plenty of time for shoveling later."
A special thank you goes out to Kim's sister Julie for pointing out this valuable lesson, curtesy of Mother Nature. Thank you Julie, and I can't believe I'm saying this, thank you Snowzilla.
Mother nature sure does have a way of teaching us the futility of trying to 'Control' everything around us and the much better principle of 'Acceptance'. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to get out on the driveway to start shoveling the falling snow, to be sure we could get the SUV out in case of emergency, only to be beaten back by the freezing wind and snow. I wouldn't get more than six feet out and turn around to see the quickly falling and blowing snow covering all of my previous efforts. I slowly walked to the top of the street to see how bad the neighborhood roads were looking, stopping half way up the hill, out of breath. We were 100 % snowbound and I didn't like it one bit. I thought, "what if we need to get to the hospital?...Oh well...what could I do right now instead? How about just being, a little relaxation, and some much needed patience until tomorrow when the storm finally passes? After all, there's plenty of time for shoveling later."
A special thank you goes out to Kim's sister Julie for pointing out this valuable lesson, curtesy of Mother Nature. Thank you Julie, and I can't believe I'm saying this, thank you Snowzilla.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
"I'm Feeling Lucky Today"
How much did they win this time??? Anyone hear about or perhaps even play the latest lottery? Wow!!! What a serious amount of money, huh? Ever felt like your life would be better, challenges disappear, and constant happiness would be forever found if such luck would only happen to you? Kim pointed me to an interesting article recently about so many past huge lottery winners who, after a relatively short period of time, found themselves broke or worse, even in prison. All the scientific research on happiness shows that after basic needs are met with a baseline financial level reached, more and more money doesn't bring more happiness into our lives. In fact, many of the past lottery winners even reported being less happy than before they won. How does this happen? Is it possible that such a windfall might actually be a curse?
I wonder if 'Chasing' isn't coming into play here, maybe even for all of us from time to time? Could it be that no matter how much money one gets, there will always be more to chase after? Could whatever sum of money never in fact be key to satisfying whatever unmet desire or need we think we may still have in order to finally be happy or happier? While I feel pretty confident that our family won't ever fall into the lottery kind of money to personally experience the opportunities and challenges this would bring, I can't help but think we already have more than enough, with all of our needs met. Oh wait, there is that college thing looming, isn't there? HA!
Perhaps the flip side of the happiness equation is simply working to be content with modest desires and needs? I suppose most of us could probably use a bit extra here and there, but don't we really already have plenty to spare? If you stop and think about it, most of us are already living better than kings and queens of old, aren't we? Could we somehow choose to stop 'Chasing' after more and more and stop "Biggering" as Dr. Seuss once wrote? Could we trade striving for arriving? Could we let go of that crazy idea that somehow our lives would be forever, positively changed if we would simply win the lottery and get this or that, whatever this or that happens to be? Rather, could we 'Simplify' our desires and needs and 'Let go' of our 'Clinging' to literally all of our current material possessions, in order to find a certain peace and richness beyond what our ego tells us would be so great? Isn't this simply illusory? Could we simply 'Be grateful and content' with our lives just as they are right now?
"What's that Jonah? You say you are feeling lucky today. Well then perhaps we should buy a ticket and just see what happens? On second thought, maybe we shouldn't. After all, we are already so lucky every day."
I wonder if 'Chasing' isn't coming into play here, maybe even for all of us from time to time? Could it be that no matter how much money one gets, there will always be more to chase after? Could whatever sum of money never in fact be key to satisfying whatever unmet desire or need we think we may still have in order to finally be happy or happier? While I feel pretty confident that our family won't ever fall into the lottery kind of money to personally experience the opportunities and challenges this would bring, I can't help but think we already have more than enough, with all of our needs met. Oh wait, there is that college thing looming, isn't there? HA!
Perhaps the flip side of the happiness equation is simply working to be content with modest desires and needs? I suppose most of us could probably use a bit extra here and there, but don't we really already have plenty to spare? If you stop and think about it, most of us are already living better than kings and queens of old, aren't we? Could we somehow choose to stop 'Chasing' after more and more and stop "Biggering" as Dr. Seuss once wrote? Could we trade striving for arriving? Could we let go of that crazy idea that somehow our lives would be forever, positively changed if we would simply win the lottery and get this or that, whatever this or that happens to be? Rather, could we 'Simplify' our desires and needs and 'Let go' of our 'Clinging' to literally all of our current material possessions, in order to find a certain peace and richness beyond what our ego tells us would be so great? Isn't this simply illusory? Could we simply 'Be grateful and content' with our lives just as they are right now?
"What's that Jonah? You say you are feeling lucky today. Well then perhaps we should buy a ticket and just see what happens? On second thought, maybe we shouldn't. After all, we are already so lucky every day."
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Who Is Who?
Kim told me a story a few days ago about growing up with her sister Debbie, closest to her in age. In the faith they grew up in, one would regularly meet one-on-one with the current bishop of their church to hear him offer advice and guidance on matters involving kids growing up. Well Kim believed, and found it rather funny, that one particular bishop severely confused her and Debbie to the point where he offered counsel and recommendations based on believing he was talking to the other sister. HA! While Debbie was very diligent in doing things right and being a "good" girl in all matters, Kim was...well lets just say..not so "good" and into all kinds of mischief (by church standards at least) as she grew up. She and her sister would laugh uncontrollably at the bishop's advice to each of them. "Kim, you are doing incredibly well. Keep up all your good work serving heavenly father." Meanwhile, he would offer Debbie, "I'm concerned by some of the choices you are making lately. Your grades are really suffering."
While the two girls probably should have offered their bishop their belief that he might have them confused, isn't it funny and interesting how convinced we get that we are right. "There isn't any chance I'm mistaken on this one", we think and so hold steadfastly to our position. And yet how many times does new information reveal that we were in fact partially if not completely wrong. Whether it was the girls' bishop or they themselves who were mistaken, communicating from a place of openness rather than certainty and trying to truly understand all aspects of the situation and the other person makes best sense doesn't it? Such an approach might lead to far less "Competing, Criticizing, and Controlling' if you ask me. Wouldn't you agree...or am I mistaken?
While the two girls probably should have offered their bishop their belief that he might have them confused, isn't it funny and interesting how convinced we get that we are right. "There isn't any chance I'm mistaken on this one", we think and so hold steadfastly to our position. And yet how many times does new information reveal that we were in fact partially if not completely wrong. Whether it was the girls' bishop or they themselves who were mistaken, communicating from a place of openness rather than certainty and trying to truly understand all aspects of the situation and the other person makes best sense doesn't it? Such an approach might lead to far less "Competing, Criticizing, and Controlling' if you ask me. Wouldn't you agree...or am I mistaken?
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