AN EXAMPLE OF FUN BEING A CHOICE

You simply have to wake up and affirm life, your life, which you have been fortunate enough to have. A friend died over the weekend, and that enhanced my sense of life. That, in a way, is one of the purposes of death for the living. Death, too, when it comes, is a gift, but is one, too, a great gift. I choose to live it fully, fun fully, with joy. I don't have to go outside my home to have fun, I have it right here and right now, wherever I am.

AN EXAMPLE OF HEALTH BEING A CHOICE

After long bouts of illness, I have chosen to take care of my health: see a naturopath (since the traditional way wasn't working), go on a diet -- the Paleo Diet. As soon as I made the choice, a friend recommended the naturopath, and another mentioned the diet which the naturopath endorsed. I'm feeling better already!

AN EXAMPLE OF LOVE BEING A CHOICE

Over and over in our relationship my mother's behavior /words could have alienated me. But I choose not be alienated. The consequence, we are closer than ever, and her heart has opened to me in love.

PEACE, SUCCESS, FUN, HEALTH, ARE ALSO CHOICES

No kidding. We think, shouldn't there be a Power outside of ourselves that should be bestowing all these on us? Aren't we helpless here, in the grip of forces beyond us? Here is a quote from Payson's poem and one of the Buddha from the short film on the Ajanta Caves that Payson is making these days:

Payson:

Life is all suffering . . .
Or not . . .
The choice is yours.

Buddha:

No once can save us but ourselves.
We ourselves must walk the path.

LOVE IS A CHOICE

Let me clarify right away: A choice is not an act of will, a power muscle sort of thing: I WILL love. No, it is a gentle turning towards, no more than an internal gesture, a quiet assent (the root of which words means "to join in feeling.") Let me always qualify that the space and time between the choice is the place for labor, prayer, and Grace.

THERE ARE NO ANSWERS, ONLY CHOICES

Payson had just turned off the movie we were watching (something stupid) and a movie on the TV turned on. From the very first sight of it, I was riveted to it, and not just because I like George Cloony. Why became clear to me when a dark character emerged from the shadows and said the words that are in the title: there are no answers, only choices. 

Just sit with this quote for a while, my friends, and I will tell you in the next post what the words mean to me. And they mean a lot. I will only tell you now that it is a great way to organize the mind and heart.

And by the way, the movie, I found out later, is an American remake of the Russian classic, Solaris, which I mean to watch soon, though I think I have already got the gist of it.

THE FOOL THAT I AM

The self suggestion about baby steps in the last part of the last blog, worked for me, friends. Even though I know fully that what gets me stuck is some mistaken idea of having to do something all at once, in one fell swoop is completely stupid, that everything in nature has its process, that it takes seeds days and weeks to germinate, I forget it and have to remind myself over and over and over of this truth. When it comes to conducting my life efficiently, I am an utter fool.