Equanimity

 

“If you think that people should be nice to one another, then by all means be nice. But when you project that belief onto the people and the world around you as if it were an objective reality, or worse still, as if it were their job to be nice to you, you put yourself at odds with what is, and suffering will surely follow.”
— Adyashanti

 

So much of my frustration in life comes from expectations. I expect people to act a certain way and when they don’t I feel cheated. Sometimes it is an anticipation towards what I believe is going to happen. As much as I may want it to, life does not always answer the call. Usually that turns out to be a good thing. Life and other people have the endless capacity to surprise in pleasant way. It also has an equal capacity to disappoint. The more I can face both with equanimity the more I find myself at peace.
Blessings, G

 

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Creature that Stills the StormSpirit That Stills the Storm by G A Rosenberg

 

Crawling Through BlueCrawling Through the Blue by G A Rosenberg

 

Pattern Lost in the RainPattern Lost in the Rain by G A Rosenberg

 

Yes and…

 

“You want to know what my secret is? You see, I don’t mind what happens.”
— Jiddu Krishnamurti

 

One of the best lessons that I’ve been learning from my improv class is that of “Yes and…” In most of the exercises, someone else in the class will say something and I have to build on it. The easiest way to do this is to somehow negate what the other person has said and throw it back to them. However it is much more interesting and makes for a better (and often funnier) improv is taking what the other person has said and build on it.
“You smell funny.”
<em"Yes its this new musk oil I've been trying. It's supposed to make me impossible to resist, sexually."
This gives the first person something to build on. It also has helped speed up my reaction time somewhat.
Yes and fits in well with Ken Wilbur’s idea that everyone is right. There is no wrong thing to say, we are creating something together. Even if I find myself disagreeing with something that someone says or writes, I can take it and build on it in a way I do agree with. I find this to be a useful skill indeed.
Blessings, G

 

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Holding Strong Under FireHolding Strong Under Fire by G A Rosenberg

 

Blue Fire TapestryBlue Fire Tapestry by G A Rosenberg

A Life Set to Music

 

“Music really did mean something to him, he realized, and it always had. It called to him, although there were no words to describe what it promised. It was like a secret language he never forgot how to speak, a hometown he could always return to when he tired of what life was throwing at him.”
― Tad Williams

 

As I write this I am listening to Chasing After Shadows by the band Hammock. I find something about Hammock’s music to be fantastic to write to. Even when there is no music playing externally tho, my life has always had a soundtrack. Whole periods of my life represented by different bands. The Doobie brothers, Lynard Skynard or the Who are my high school years. Listening to Teenage Wasteland energizes me with a flavour of angst… Early adulthood is represented by Rush, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Bob Marley and the police. Jean Michel Jarre and Metallica played out through my thirties. Of course there were many others, a list wouldn’t do it justice. I hitch hiked down the road singing Willie Nelson and Neal Diamond and Cat Stevens. I had sex to the wild bass of club music and serenaded lovers to the Beatles. I found self-expression through the words and melodies in an ever expanding repertoire provided by others that has brought me to equanimity. Friends and family have been there (more often than not) but music has been my most constant companion.
Blessings, G

 

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The GateThe Gate by G A Rosenberg

 

Masked in ShadowsMasqued in Shadows by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – March 6 2013

“Learn to watch your drama unfold while at the same time knowing you are more than your drama.”
― Ram Dass

 

How hard is it to escape daily drama? At times it seems near impossible. I have spoken a lot about how foolish it seems to try to escape anything. We tend to bring it all with us especially the drama. Being able to watch it tho, stepping outside the situation we are caught up in and perceive it as a member of the audience, relating from that impartial witness element becomes priceless. Sometimes I believe we go through our teenage years and our kids as a means of teaching us exactly this lesson. I needed this reminder tonight and so I share it with you.
Blessings, G

 

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RepresentationRepresentation by G A Rosenberg

 

Lotus ReflectionLotus Reflection by G A Rosenberg