Buddhism

I've always been fascinated by the Buddhist practice of meditation. It's the thing that initially attracted me to yoga. Performing agonizing poses for 30 minutes was, in my opinion, a small price to pay for 5 glorious minutes of relaxation/meditation at the end. Soon I was doing meditation without the yoga and enjoying the calm and well-being it produced. Unfortunately, I've been too undisciplined to keep the practice up.

My fascination with meditation turned into an interest in Buddhism once I learned that 1) Buddhism is less a religion and more a way of life, and 2) the art of meditation can be applied to all areas of your life. This has motivated me to start discovering for myself what our friends to the East have known for at least two and a half millenniums.

Much to Brit Hume's chagrin, Tiger Woods is getting back to his Buddhist roots. Apparently, Tiger's mom exposed him to Buddhist principles as a child, but he turned away from those principles as he got older.

At a recent "press conference" apologizing for his playeristic ways, Woods said "Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint."

I kind of connected with Tiger when he said this because, through what little exposure to Buddhist ideas I've had, I've learned that the cravings-lead-to-suffering principle he spoke of is evident in my dealings with food as well.

Earlier this week, before Tiger's apology, I ordered Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays, a book that seeks to use the principles of Buddhist meditation to change our relationship with food. I'm not foolish enough to think that once I read this book I'll never binge again, but I'm hoping that it will at least put me on the path to a healthier relationship with food, a path where I eventually learn, just as Tiger's learning, to resist my cravings and to practice restraint. And maybe along the way, I'll develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of Buddhism.

A 21st-Century Valentine's Day Card

Approximately four years ago, in February 2006, I posted the lyrics to the song "Ready for Love" by India.arie on my blog. No commentary, no explanation, just the lyrics. It was a prayer of sorts to the love gods or to God, whomever was listening that day, requesting someone with whom to share my life. The thought of growing old alone had become so unbearable to me (as I lamented here) that I was finally ready to set aside my fears -- fear of getting hurt, of rejection, of the unknown.

The gods must have taken my post seriously because by the end of the month, I had stumbled across the blog of the man who would eventually become my fiance and I fell head over heels in love. The relationship had a rocky start (you can read about it here, here, and here) but it prevailed and developed into one of the best things that's ever happened to me.

I guess I really was ready for love.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, BABY!
You were so worth the wait.

10 Things That Make Me Happy

Thanks Em for the tag! She challenged me to come up with ten things that make me happy so here goes:


1. Blog Friends. This is gonna sound corny, a little sad, and maybe more than a bit kissie uppie, but one of the things that makes me happy are the blog friends that I have been fortunate enough to have emailed, talked to on the phone or let into my life via social networking sites. I'm proud to say that not one of you good people is a psychopath and I haven't felt the need to get any restraining orders or to change my email address. For that, I feel blessed.

Seriously though, some of you have been as good as friends to me as the ones I see in the flesh on a daily basis and you've helped me get through some difficult times and grapple with some difficult issues. Thank you.

2. SuzyQs. What's not to like?

3. The Boyfriend. I think I'm probably the most well-loved woman on the planet and that makes me very, very happy.

4. My Church. I've been a Christian for most of my adult life but I've been of the conservative evangelical variety. Now, I'm one of those uber-liberal heretics that your pastor warned you about and I love it!

5. Not working for soul-sucking Corporate America. Okay, not all of Corporate America is soul-sucking. I'm just happy I'm no longer working for one particular company that seemed determined to wring every ounce of life out of my decaying spirit.

6. Brim's Cheese Puffs. Brim's kicks Frito Lay's ass. Sorry, they're a local company though, originating right here in the Bible Belt, as evidenced by the page on their website entitled "Everlasting Life", where you can learn about the 4 Spiritual Laws complete with diagrams.

7. Facebook. I spend way more time on Facebook than any grown woman should.

8. Cooking. It makes me ecstatic when people thoroughly enjoy a dish that I've made. Cooking is also how I show someone I care. Just ask The Boyfriend!

9. Snow Days. For the first time in my life, I am working for an organization that has an inclement weather policy. That means when our local school system is closed due to snow, then so are our offices. Such a beautiful policy.

10. Chocolate. No further explanation is needed.