There is one thing I have found very useful when I am afflicted by mental obsessions - craving cookies, what the labs will say, will her plane crash, I hate the government. Negative ideations grounded in fear. They rob me of my peace of mind. Or better stated, it is “I” who rob me of my peace of mind.
Some may have success with a mantra to remind them of their power to choose their thoughts, such as Marcus Aurelius suggests in his Meditations. Sadly, that had never been enough for me, that is, until I read the following story about an exchange with Chao Chou and one of his students.
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Keith and I started our life together when we were both seventeen. Over five decades later, I think one of the best things we did very early in our life together was create a strategic plan. We didn’t know that’s what it was called at the time, but we knew intuitively we needed a plan and how important it was for the future years ahead.
We charted our most deeply-held values, the ones that informed our very being on this planet. We discussed our biggest dreams, and brainstormed how to achieve them. We sketched out our life and its trajectory. We prioritized. We set goals. We wrote it down, reviewed and refreshed it each year.
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I decided to dive into making some goals for 2020. I made myself a cup of hot chocolate and sat by my Christmas tree. As I warmed to the task, I was distracted by the tree’s beauty.
Like so many people, I have many cherished ornaments filling the branches. Each one is a story that fills my heart, connecting me to people I love.
I was enjoying those ornaments when a troubling thought wedged in my mind: their stories die with me! That little crystal ornament, for instance, the one that brings me to tears of joy and pangs of loss will be just a pretty ornament someday. An ornament without a storyteller.
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Curate My Consumption | Binge Life
Decades ago, I wrote seven sets of life values, one for each day of the week. Each morning since, I review them and scratch some notes in my journal to deepen their imprint. One of them from my Tuesday set is “discipline” and here is what I wrote…
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Worthy Efforts | Unwinnable Battles
I have been thinking a lot about my energy. When I listen to the war-talk and impeachment-filled news rants, I can feel myself shrinking as if pummeled by a bully. The stinging frustration of being so very powerless drains my strength, my will, my purpose. I feel myself slipping toward a state of sadness and hopelessness.
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