Monday, October 31, 2011

On getting lost in the bustle

Sometimes I come to a harsh realization that I've just been going and going and going...pushing (fighting) through each day, through whatever I'm working on, against whatever problems I'm facing.  And then I see, all of a sudden, that I've been struggling and working only at the very surface of my life.  The underneath stuff, the real stuff, my mission here to serve God and others has gotten somehow caked over, covered up, lost to make way for the madness of everyday life. 
"There is a story in Zen circles about a man and a horse. 

The horse is galloping quickly, and it appears that the man on the horse is going somewhere important. Another man, standing alongside the road, shouts, 'Where are you going?" and the first man replies, I don't know! Ask the horse!" This is also our story. We are riding a horse, we don't know where we are going, and we can't stop. The horse is our habit energy pulling us along, and we are powerless. 

We are always running, and it has become a habit. 
We struggle all the time, even during our sleep. 
We are at war within ourselves, and we can easily start a war with others."

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

On Chocolate

"Dark chocolate, which should be at least 60 percent cocoa by weight, is one of the richest sources of the bioflavonoid antioxidants that counteract cell damage."

"It's absolutely magic food," Katz said. "Because it's so good, it almost feels a little naughty." (Dr. Katz, Yale)

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/chocolate-studies-headache/story?id=8530685

Friday, October 7, 2011

Peace is tough

When life gets crazy, sometimes I feel like it's almost impossible to pause and enjoy the simple things and feel at peace.  Sure, there are fun moments and stressful moments - but actual peace seems so much more elusive.  Earlier this week, in some strangely calm moment, I remember looking around the tube car I was on and feeling so peaceful...and then looking around at all the people looking so worn, stressed, busy, scattered.  I remember thinking "They look so down.  But it'd be nice if they could take a moment and just remember how beautiful life is."

But today I was definitely one of them.  Feeling busy and overwhelmed and like a million things were on my mind...and in those moments, it is SO tough to re-harness and tap into that feeling of simple peace and gratitude for life and perspective on all the really beautiful stuff in my life - friendship, physical safety, a world of opportunities open to me, lots of new experiences, so many supportive people in my life.  These are things that are always there, that we can COUNT on, that we can seek to remember.  I hope, as I move through life, I can better learn how to tap into and harness peace, even in the crazy, stressful moments.