by Jen on October 5, 2011
I want to blog.
I have SO many ideas. They come when I’m walking driving cooking showering. When I can’t sleep in the middle of the night.
Yes! I think. Yes! So perfect.
But I don’t write anything down..
Because I’m walking or driving or cooking or showering or lying in bed next to my husband in the dark of the night. Then I get home or to yoga or to East Jabib or to sleep and I tell myself I’ll remember. I’ll write it down later.
But I don’t.
So the ideas disappear.
Ha! Not really. They may get fogged in from time to time but they don’t disappear.
The truth? I get to dream about blogging and what a fabulous, even infamous, blogger I’ll be.
I tell myself I know how. I’m a professional writer for you know who’s sake.
I tell myself I’ll start soon. Later tonight probably. Definitely tomorrow..
Then the dreams disappear. I start thinking about how my blog is supposed to speak directly to my ideal client.
And I don’t know who you are yet. So how the heck can I talk to you?
Can’t blog until I know that. For sure.
Not a problem. I’ll know that tomorrow. Or maybe next week. Definitely by the end of the month. For sure.
But before I know it I’m 92, cruising around Ft. Lauderdale in a used Caddy, wearing a Marilyn wig and smoking cigarillos.
And I’ll be thinking about how I’m going to start blogging. Later today. Or maybe tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow.
Only… I don’t want be 92 holding my dream at arm’s length (even though I imagine my 92-year old self with totally ripped arms).
So maybe I’ll start blogging now. Just one post. About the way the moths drive my husband nuts or the mold on my Trader Joe’s basil plant or the blisters on my big toes.
Not to be the next Brooke Castillo or to make a million or to impress all those nameless faceless people in my imagination.
Just for the fun of it.
Who knows what might happen?
by Jen on September 12, 2011
Sometimes struggle just plain sucks. But looked at another way, struggle can be used as fuel to propel you into a better place (and that’s putting it mildly). The essence of this process involves three steps:
- notice what you notice–and then give yourself a break! (a.k.a. notice with compassion and nonjudgment)
- feel what you feel…and feel it physically, in your body
- question your thoughts (not the same as “change your thinking”)
In upcoming posts, I’ll share real life examples of how this process translates into practical life stuff like losing that weight you’ve been hanging onto for years, finding fulfilling work, or writing that book you’ve been dreaming about. And for now, I’ll leave you with this Thich Nhat Hanh quote I found through Ocean Earth Wind Fire, a yoga studio where I teach. If you live in the Philadelphia area, I’d highly recommend checking it out.
If you feel irritation or depression or despair, recognize their presence and practice this mantra: “Dear one, I am here for you.” You should talk to your depression or your anger just as you would to a child. You embrace it tenderly with he energy of mindfulness and say, “Dear one, I know you are there and I am going to take care of you,” just as you would with your crying baby. There is no discrimination or dualism here, because compassion and love are you, but anger is too. All three are organic in nature, so you don’t need to be afraid.
You can transform them.
Let me repeat: In the practice of Buddhist meditation, we do not turn ourselves into a battle field of good versus evil. The good must take care of the evil as a big brother takes care of his little brother or as a big sister takes care of her little sister–with a great deal of tenderness, in a spirit of nonduality. Knowing that, there is a lot of peace in you already. The insight of nonduality will put a stop to the war in you. You have struggled in the past, and perhaps you are still struggling; but is it necessary? No. Struggle is useless. Stop struggling.
you are here Thich Nhat Hanh
