The think thought trot

The mind is part of  the body,
This mind contains thought,
Those thoughts create reality,
This reality is a culmination of perceptions
Those perceptions are the story of life

So when thoughts roll through your mind, churn them into a damn good story.

We all got them sometimes

What a purdy rainbow

Don't worry. Things will get worse."- George Skelton
     We all have those days where we see  this to be true. Can't wake up, feeling a step behind everything and everyone, nothing quite fits in your puzzle. I know how easy it is fall into that negative mind set. But do you really want a cloud over your head all day?
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”- Dolly Parton
     Yet it could be easier than you think to not let it get to you. A lot of things happen in our lives that are out of our control. Bad timing means a lot of these in an afternoon, if you can see that most of the bad things in your day were an accident or out of your reach than seeing that rainbow is in your grasp. It wasn't your fault the bus was late or your boss was agitated. Recognizing these simple little things can bring your day back into your command and clear those clouds looming overhead. Just remember feeling like you're having a bad day can only stop you from having a good one!

If you can't beat em..

Man I love dusting!

Some things in life you have to do, like  it or not. Clean the bathroom, wash the dishes and talk to people on the phone that you don't really want to. How we approach these tasks can change their affect on us. For example, in monastery life, apprentices start with the simplest, most mundane tasks (see above). But they are required to do them with complete focus and awareness of every moment; they say work then becomes a place for their meditation. Now I'm not saying you should try and meditate while scrubbing the toilet, but be like a monk and find a way to do simple things with joy.
If your train of thought is, how much do I have left? Why am I doing this? Or I would much rather be doing this or that, time will crawl by, and tasks will seem long and daunting. Much like a child asking if they are there yet, if we focus on how miserable we are, then we are just that miserable! Our mind has a powerful influence on how we feel, think about it next time you are flustered.
I for one used to hate reading. Excluding harry potter and a couple others, I used to start looking to see how many pages were left after 10 minutes. But I started to notice how other people loved reading, and I thought how can we be doing the same activity but looking at it so differently? With time I cracked a book again and decided I was going to try my best to enjoy it. My imagination responded by taking me into whatever world I turned the page to, I haven't closed the book yet.

No soup for you!

Maybe one day...

Sometimes a no is better than not seeing if there is a yes.

     You shouldn't ask a air stewardess if there is bomb on the plane. You definitely don't want to ask a police officer if you can see his gun. But there are alot of times where not asking the question can leave you farther behind than you were before. Life is full of opportunities, unfortunately some are at the end of mazes while others are on silver platters. I often ask myself what would be better, hearing a no or discovering a yes? You would be surprised how much more you may find if you just ask:
    "The road is not always on yellow brick but the end can still be where you want to be. Follow what excites you, do what makes you happy, and all you have to do is ask. Ask yourself what you really want and ask how to get it. Then you can start asking outside yourself without worry. Then you will see all you needed to do was ask, then you will see, you are where you wanted to be."

Family matters

He must have a pretty big family!


 I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.  ~Dan Wilcox, M*A*S*H


Lets be honest, there are a lot of things we take for granted here in the US. Clean running water, electricity, paved roads and excellent medical care. But what I fear most is the loss of appreciation for family. In the digital age, the things that entertain us can easily distract us from what really matters. And out of all the things that really matter, what can matter more than family? I certainly wouldn't be writing this if it weren't for my parents. Ask yourself what which would be more valuable, facebook, a nice car, or a loving family? Families have been around for thousands of years, what about everything else we call "necessary'? There is a reason that humans have come this far, we have learned to love and care for each other.
Family is not a atm machine, fake smiles or a restaurant only service. Family is all you need when everything else is gone, family is your deepest roots, strongest branches on your growing tree. Instead of surfing the web, ask a loved one how there day was, or make a home cooked meal. It doesn't take much but it can make a big difference. 

Ode to America

As I was enjoying our countries independence day in usual fashion; beer, friends, food and fireworks, I came up with a simple but powerful analogy. Don't let yourself be a firework, be the show. Life is not about building up to a glorious moment; a big promotion, getting rich or getting power, a single explosion of self happiness would be a sad life indeed. Instead let everyday be a firework and your life be the a collaboration of colors, sounds and sights that only you could create. Let a happy moment lead to another so that the simplest of pleasures can bring a smile to your face. And what a better place then in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I'm Awake!

 Simple can be beautiful

http://www.michaelppowers.com/wisdom/awakening2.html

I've read about this in The Peaceful Warrior and in a Buddhism class I recently took. It is in movies, sports and just about anything you can imagine. Its definition is elastic and viewed differently from experience to experience. But this awakening can have a profound affect on many. I would not be writing this blog if it were not for a similar experience. It had such a profound influence on my life I decided in my future medical career and in life in general, I plan to do everything I can to pass on this experience to my patients and peers.
Life is meant to be lived. You live by creating what you want, pursuing what makes you happy and not letting yourself get in your way. Freeing your inhibition can only help create opportunities for what I saw as a brand new world. Colors became vibrant and simple actions such as a bee pollinating a flower became a bold note in life's orchestra. To see fear and failure as oppurtunity  instead of defeat only allows for expansion and improvement. Mental noise becomes clear and life is easier to pour half full then half empty. Simply put life's meaning is no longer a search but an adventure.