Okay, so as we head into the last days of Lent, I want to encourage everyone to make an earnest effort to reflect on his/her goals and what they truly meant. Did you stick to everything on your lists, if so, how has it helped in your everyday existence? If not, what have you determined about yourself? Have you altered your view of yourself because of your experiences during this process? What values have you discovered about yourself?
For me, I have stuck to my goal of not eating the flesh of 4-legged animals. I have noticed that I do not feel as sluggish as before and I don't have as many body aches or cramping. I feel like my blood flows more evenly (I know it sounds weird, but that's the best way I can describe it). I have has spontaneous flashes of cravings for Speed Queen or a juicy steak, but they quickly passed and I felt okay afterward. I think that after Lent, I will definitely limit my beef and pork intake, and stick to more of the fruits and vegetables, chicken and turkey.
Now as for my other goal of exercising, I have not had much success. I have pretty much maintained my previous status of little to no exercise, unless you count playing Wii games. What I have learned is that starting a routine or a task is more difficult for me than stopping, especially if I don't have to or am obligated to do it. For example, in high school gym part of the course required doing a certain number of reps of sit-ups, push-ups and jumping jacks at the beginning of class. I was able to stick to that routine because it was required of the class. If, however, it was an optional part, I believe I would not have been as consistent in following the routine.
It's sort of like blogging here. We weren't required to participate, and so, the blog posts were sporadic and at times, unfocused. All in all, though, I really enjoyed this blog and hope we can continue, if not under this specific heading, then under a more general family heading.
Peace, Happiness and Harmony,
Stacey
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Living the Days of Lent 2009
Wednesday, April 1
Grace
"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36
Oh, yes! How I long to be free and how often I have pondered freedom as
*freedom from...commitments that burden, pains that sear, afflictions that haunt
*freedom to...play more, pray more, be more
...But I just never seem to be so free. There must be more to the freedom of God than what I understand or desire in my life. What is that grace that Jesus offers me this day?
So I beseech you, Son of God, make me free by thee and I will be free indeed!
Today, I will invite Jesus to set me free in one area of my life that has not yet experienced the freedom offered me as a child of God.
Readings: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; Daniel 52-56; John 8:31-42
Living the Days of Lent 2009
Tuesday, March 31
Discipleship
So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own." John 8:28
As I go through this busy day, chances are I'll be lost in my busy-ness, be it
*mending the wounds of a hurting brother or sister,
*sharing the dreams of an enthused child,
*remaining attentive in long but important meetings.
They all warrant my full attention. May I provide my attention responsibly and with love.
Yet, may I pause this day to lift you up, Jesus, and realize again and more fully, who you are. Now, at this moment, in word, in song, or in dance, I will praise your name!
Readings: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 102; John 8:21-30
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Upping the Blog
It's been a more than week since anyone has posted and since I don't want this to completely die, I guess I should put down some of my thoughts.
Lent had been going fine. I am sad to say, however, that I broke down a few weeks ago. I was down in North Carolina visiting my girlfriend- we went to go visit one of her friends. His parents were in town, and since they were from Louisiana they decided to make some gumbo for all of his friends. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, so I had some. And man was it good! But the thing is, it wasn't like I forgot about what I'd given up. I made a conscious decision, and I should suffer some kind of consequence. So, I will try my best to go an extra week without beef, pork, or chicken. And if I foul up again, I'll make it an extra two weeks.
Other news? I flat out failed when it came to reading, again, no excuse for that either. I didn't expand myself culturally either, unless going out to bars to have a beer and commiserate counts as taking advantage of living in New York. The only thing I can say in my defense is that work has been extremely hectic lately. At times it's been stressful and when it hasn't been stressful it's been numbing. Not in the sense of being boring, I actually enjoy the work I do very much. No, what I mean is that I invest so much of my mind at work that I don't want to have to think about anything when I get home. It's a weird feeling, wanting to be mindless. I guess this has been my first feeling of going through "the grind."
Young men, especially those steeped in "hip-hop" lingo, love to talk about how much they grind, how hard the grind, I definitely loved to talk about it while I was in college and working. But, it's an all together different feeling now that I'm working for a living rather than going to school. Having to go to work when I had a paper due put a nervousness in my stomach that bordered on fear. It wasn't tedious by any means. But for work, though, it's sloshing through a project, which, you enjoy in the abstract, but which also consists of a bunch of tedious number crunching that ultimately gets you to your ultimate goal at some distant point in time. Sometimes it's two weeks, sometimes it's a month, sometimes your project withers up and dies because your boss wants to go in a different direction. The minuteness can be compared to the busy work you received in school, but it's ultimately much more necessary. But, since sometimes in a single day, or even a single week you don't feel that you've produced much, it feels just like you're spinning your wheels, inching forward as slowly as the ocean encroaching on an island. That's what the grind is, nothing exciting, nothing physical, there's no sweat involved. In other words, coke dealers don't grind, office workers do.
Lent had been going fine. I am sad to say, however, that I broke down a few weeks ago. I was down in North Carolina visiting my girlfriend- we went to go visit one of her friends. His parents were in town, and since they were from Louisiana they decided to make some gumbo for all of his friends. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, so I had some. And man was it good! But the thing is, it wasn't like I forgot about what I'd given up. I made a conscious decision, and I should suffer some kind of consequence. So, I will try my best to go an extra week without beef, pork, or chicken. And if I foul up again, I'll make it an extra two weeks.
Other news? I flat out failed when it came to reading, again, no excuse for that either. I didn't expand myself culturally either, unless going out to bars to have a beer and commiserate counts as taking advantage of living in New York. The only thing I can say in my defense is that work has been extremely hectic lately. At times it's been stressful and when it hasn't been stressful it's been numbing. Not in the sense of being boring, I actually enjoy the work I do very much. No, what I mean is that I invest so much of my mind at work that I don't want to have to think about anything when I get home. It's a weird feeling, wanting to be mindless. I guess this has been my first feeling of going through "the grind."
Young men, especially those steeped in "hip-hop" lingo, love to talk about how much they grind, how hard the grind, I definitely loved to talk about it while I was in college and working. But, it's an all together different feeling now that I'm working for a living rather than going to school. Having to go to work when I had a paper due put a nervousness in my stomach that bordered on fear. It wasn't tedious by any means. But for work, though, it's sloshing through a project, which, you enjoy in the abstract, but which also consists of a bunch of tedious number crunching that ultimately gets you to your ultimate goal at some distant point in time. Sometimes it's two weeks, sometimes it's a month, sometimes your project withers up and dies because your boss wants to go in a different direction. The minuteness can be compared to the busy work you received in school, but it's ultimately much more necessary. But, since sometimes in a single day, or even a single week you don't feel that you've produced much, it feels just like you're spinning your wheels, inching forward as slowly as the ocean encroaching on an island. That's what the grind is, nothing exciting, nothing physical, there's no sweat involved. In other words, coke dealers don't grind, office workers do.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
What I Should Have Given Up....But Happy I Didn't
Well, it's been about week since I have had my new gadget. The sad thing is that I thought it would be the last thing I'd buy for a few months, but while helping Pam shop for a computer I ended up purchasing something for myself. But first lets start with the one from last week.
Okay, so you guys know how much I like to read, right. Well, all of us like to read either for enjoyment, relaxation, or self-improvement. Well, there are devices on the market that can actually store hundreds of articles of reading material (books, magazines, newspapers, etc...) and you can take them with you just about anywhere. Download books quickly and start reading in under a minute. It reads very much like a book only without the weight of a book. I've read sitting at a desk, on the couch, on the floor, in the bed, standing up and all ways were very comfortable. In bed if I drift off to sleep, instead of the book falling out of my hands and losing my place, the device will go into a standby mode and when I return to reading the book it starts up on the last page I left off. This device even has a speech option that reads the text to you so you don't even have to pick up the device to read if you don't want to. There are other features like the ability to download or email Word or PDF documents, and even downloading mp3s to set as background music.
So what is it? Which one did I get? It's the Kindle2 from Amazon. I know, "What!" some of you are thinking. Yes, it is a bit on the pricey side - at over $300 ($359 to be exact). And that has been the number one complaint from people who have either purchased one or want to purchase one. Now, when the first generation Kindle came to market about 4 years or so ago, it too was the same price, and it was on my "to buy" list. But I decided to wait until I cleared some of my other expenses. While it is a little more than what I wanted to pay for, after looking at some other ebook devices on the market, I would have chosen this one anyway. There are some other aspects that I don't care for with the Kindle2. One is that the software is proprietary and you can't read ebooks in other formats that are out there or that are protected files. The other big feature that isn't available (yet I hope) is that there is no color; everything is in black and white / or shades of gray. Now that is only a problem if you are reading something that has a lot of pictures, like a magazine or newspaper that have photos corresponding to the stories or articles, or if you are searching for something on the Internet (yes, you can search Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia and a few other search engine sites). Aside from those things, I love it, mainly because I don't have to carry around extra pounds of books that I am reading, or have to choose which one's to take with me. To me, having options and variety is worth it. I consider it an early birthday present to myself.
Now, the second thing I bought I was not expecting to buy so soon. I bought a Guitar Hero from Best Buy while helping Pam with her computer shopping. While I probably would have gotten one eventually, this was a complete impulse purchase. I am glad I got it, though, so that I can practice and take on those who think they easily beat me (Tylar and Deondray!!!!) Just give me a few weeks to perfect my techniques and then it's on!!
Until next time,
Stacey
Okay, so you guys know how much I like to read, right. Well, all of us like to read either for enjoyment, relaxation, or self-improvement. Well, there are devices on the market that can actually store hundreds of articles of reading material (books, magazines, newspapers, etc...) and you can take them with you just about anywhere. Download books quickly and start reading in under a minute. It reads very much like a book only without the weight of a book. I've read sitting at a desk, on the couch, on the floor, in the bed, standing up and all ways were very comfortable. In bed if I drift off to sleep, instead of the book falling out of my hands and losing my place, the device will go into a standby mode and when I return to reading the book it starts up on the last page I left off. This device even has a speech option that reads the text to you so you don't even have to pick up the device to read if you don't want to. There are other features like the ability to download or email Word or PDF documents, and even downloading mp3s to set as background music.
So what is it? Which one did I get? It's the Kindle2 from Amazon. I know, "What!" some of you are thinking. Yes, it is a bit on the pricey side - at over $300 ($359 to be exact). And that has been the number one complaint from people who have either purchased one or want to purchase one. Now, when the first generation Kindle came to market about 4 years or so ago, it too was the same price, and it was on my "to buy" list. But I decided to wait until I cleared some of my other expenses. While it is a little more than what I wanted to pay for, after looking at some other ebook devices on the market, I would have chosen this one anyway. There are some other aspects that I don't care for with the Kindle2. One is that the software is proprietary and you can't read ebooks in other formats that are out there or that are protected files. The other big feature that isn't available (yet I hope) is that there is no color; everything is in black and white / or shades of gray. Now that is only a problem if you are reading something that has a lot of pictures, like a magazine or newspaper that have photos corresponding to the stories or articles, or if you are searching for something on the Internet (yes, you can search Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia and a few other search engine sites). Aside from those things, I love it, mainly because I don't have to carry around extra pounds of books that I am reading, or have to choose which one's to take with me. To me, having options and variety is worth it. I consider it an early birthday present to myself.
Now, the second thing I bought I was not expecting to buy so soon. I bought a Guitar Hero from Best Buy while helping Pam with her computer shopping. While I probably would have gotten one eventually, this was a complete impulse purchase. I am glad I got it, though, so that I can practice and take on those who think they easily beat me (Tylar and Deondray!!!!) Just give me a few weeks to perfect my techniques and then it's on!!
Until next time,
Stacey
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Lent, Buddhism and Non-attachment
Hello All
It's been a while since I last posted. I'm doing the best I can. It seems it is all I can do to keep most of the things I've committed to this Lent...hanging on!
I have lost 13 lbs. just by not eating meat, avoiding sweets and drinking mostly water. I still have not done much(any) exercise. I keep telling myself to at least walk around my neighborhood, but I don't do it. I have tried to move around a bit more, up and down the stairs a lot, parking a good distance away in parking lots and lifting small weights while watching TV. Aaron's coming home for spring break and I'm going to get him to help me jump start my exercise program. Thanks in advance Aaron. I have only missed one day of meditation. I simply forgot one day. Strange! And now my BIG failure---the Internet. I did not realize how hooked I am to this damn thing; mindless, useless searches for information and wasted time.
I have thought a lot about Lent and the Buddhist concept of attachment. In Buddhism attachment is at the root of all suffering. As a Buddhist, Lent is a time to try and be liberated from a few of my attachments if only for a while. Today I read the following: "If it leads to compassion, you know it's knowledge. Otherwise, it's just more information." (by Gerald Grow,c.1996-rev.2008) (I'll post more about my thoughts on attachment and lent later)
In the Theravada tradition of Buddhism (practiced in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma Thailand, parts of Vietnam, Bangladesh and a few other places) there is a Buddhist Lent, called Vassa. This year it is from July 7 to Oct. 4. This is the rainy season in most of Asia and the monks and nuns stay in the temples and lay followers try to spend this time abstaining from things like meat, alcohol and other luxuries.
Although Mahayana Buddhist(practiced in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam ) don't usually have any formal recognition for Vassa, I am going to find a way to observe this time, again working on my attachment to my laptop.
More on Vassa:
http://sunsite.au.ac.th/thailand/special_event/khaopunsa/index.html
It's been a while since I last posted. I'm doing the best I can. It seems it is all I can do to keep most of the things I've committed to this Lent...hanging on!
I have lost 13 lbs. just by not eating meat, avoiding sweets and drinking mostly water. I still have not done much(any) exercise. I keep telling myself to at least walk around my neighborhood, but I don't do it. I have tried to move around a bit more, up and down the stairs a lot, parking a good distance away in parking lots and lifting small weights while watching TV. Aaron's coming home for spring break and I'm going to get him to help me jump start my exercise program. Thanks in advance Aaron. I have only missed one day of meditation. I simply forgot one day. Strange! And now my BIG failure---the Internet. I did not realize how hooked I am to this damn thing; mindless, useless searches for information and wasted time.
I have thought a lot about Lent and the Buddhist concept of attachment. In Buddhism attachment is at the root of all suffering. As a Buddhist, Lent is a time to try and be liberated from a few of my attachments if only for a while. Today I read the following: "If it leads to compassion, you know it's knowledge. Otherwise, it's just more information." (by Gerald Grow,c.1996-rev.2008) (I'll post more about my thoughts on attachment and lent later)
In the Theravada tradition of Buddhism (practiced in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma Thailand, parts of Vietnam, Bangladesh and a few other places) there is a Buddhist Lent, called Vassa. This year it is from July 7 to Oct. 4. This is the rainy season in most of Asia and the monks and nuns stay in the temples and lay followers try to spend this time abstaining from things like meat, alcohol and other luxuries.
Although Mahayana Buddhist(practiced in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam ) don't usually have any formal recognition for Vassa, I am going to find a way to observe this time, again working on my attachment to my laptop.
More on Vassa:
http://sunsite.au.ac.th/thailand/special_event/khaopunsa/index.html
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
What I Should Have Given Up....
The only re-wind buttons today are on electronic equipment. I should know, I am an electronic fiend. I've managed to curtail my manic episodes of late, however, always in the farthest recesses of my brain there is that bug that is fighting it's way to the forefront of my thoughts. Birds gotta' fly, fish gotta' swim, Stacey's gotta' have her electronic gizmos [I was going to say "toys" but that's a whole other topic, and I know how y'all think!!! ;-) ].
Well, a few days ago it made it. Yes, I have another new gadget. I won't say yet what it is, but suffice it to say it is something that I probably could have done without. I know, I know, some may think that buying anything frivolous or optional in today's economy is just not smart. But I say that if no one spends or buys anything, how is this economy supposed to turn around. Is there some "magic bean" that we're supposed to plant and everything will spring up all nice and pretty? (I know Pam will get that movie reference -- think courtroom comedy)
Okay, back to what I should have given up. Well, it's obvious to me now that I should have made a commitment to fore go purchasing any electronicy, gadgety, thing-a-ma-jings that light up and make your whole life "easier". Maybe I'll set a reminder on my laptop, cell phone, work laptop, work phone, and IPOD to commit to this next year.
'till next time.....
Stacey
Well, a few days ago it made it. Yes, I have another new gadget. I won't say yet what it is, but suffice it to say it is something that I probably could have done without. I know, I know, some may think that buying anything frivolous or optional in today's economy is just not smart. But I say that if no one spends or buys anything, how is this economy supposed to turn around. Is there some "magic bean" that we're supposed to plant and everything will spring up all nice and pretty? (I know Pam will get that movie reference -- think courtroom comedy)
Okay, back to what I should have given up. Well, it's obvious to me now that I should have made a commitment to fore go purchasing any electronicy, gadgety, thing-a-ma-jings that light up and make your whole life "easier". Maybe I'll set a reminder on my laptop, cell phone, work laptop, work phone, and IPOD to commit to this next year.
'till next time.....
Stacey
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