Down time

I get to have a vacation coming up. I kept thinking I had to come up with some wonderful post so that folks will keep coming back while I am gone, but I haven't had any inspiration. It's difficult to be creative and mindful when you are running around trying to get everything done. However, it did all get done and there is still some time.

I don't take time off very often. When I am gone, so often I am at a seminar or something rather than taking time to rejuvenate. For me, this is a gift.

I realize as I type that, that creating peace within ourselves means that we have daily moments of mindfulness, where we are able to go internally and be still. I try and honor that daily or almost daily. We should also have time each week when we are able to get away from our worries and cares and get even more in touch. I do try and do that though not weekly. I think I succeed at least monthly. Now and then I suspect it is important to get even farther away and forget all our responsibilities and work on being kids again, just having fun. I hope to do that for this next week.

The rest of you readers, I hope that you are able to have those moments planned sometime and remember to take care of yourself. I know it's easy to forget that as I have tended always tended to. Still such moments are good for our bodies as well as our spirits.

An example

I read a post on a blog while I was surfing Blog Explosion this afternoon. I hope that the person who owns it may actually read this so I can link to his blog. I believe it was called A Year of Success. I am not certain.

I mention this blog, with all my uncertainties, because I loved the principle of it. He is working on doing something to make at least one person's life a little easier or better every single day for the next year. I think that's a wonderful goal and way of interacting with the world. What a womderful way to create peace within and without.

I found myself thinking of that blog when confronted by a task at work that wasn't my job to do. I could have left it undone, but found myself doing the small bit of cleanup around this job because it would make the life of our office manager a bit easier when she came in the next morning. As I did that I had to wonder if other people, inspired by this man's (I *think* it's a man, but I could be wrong) writing and idea, were also going out and making a point now and then to do something that would make another person's life a little easier.

Isn't it interesting then to think how we can be of influence to those around us? If we live from compassion then our influence is compassion. If it is kindness, then it is kindness. If we live from a place of hatred, then we influence hatred. I hope that I can continue to work from a greater place of compassion and loving kindness and hope that such an example can inspire a few others to do the same.

Words from the Dalai Lama

From Words of Wisdon from His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

Compassion, forgiveness,these are the real, ultimate sources of power for peace and success in life.

Interconnectedness

In his new book, The Universe in A Single Atom, the Dalai Lama talks about the belief in the independent existence of things. He asks David Bohm about this concept finds that the answer from a physicist is not so different from the ancient Buddhist thought.

He [Bohm] said that if we examine the vaious ideologies that tend to divide humanity, such as racism, extreme nationalism, and the Marxist class struggle, one of the key factors of their origin is the tendency to perceive things as inherently divided and disconnected. From this misconception springs the belief that each of these divisions is essentially independent and self evident.

As humans, I think we love to categorize people but from the quote above and reading, I think it's important to remember how divisive categories can be. Perhaps while mentally putting people in their boxes we should remember that the boxes are all one part of a greater whole.

Gratitude

No doubt I've written about this before and I'm sure I'll write about it again. In fact it maybe something to come back to regularly.

Gratitude is important. If what we notice is what exists in our life then why don't we focus on the positive. This goes beyond positive thinking. If I notice when good things happen to me and acknowledge this, then in my memory I have more good things happening than if I only acknowledge those things that trouble me.

So for gratitude, I'd like to thank the people who have commented on my blog and bookmarked it at the sites I surf it. I'd like to thank those bloggers who have left comments on my blog. Feedback is wonderful and it's uplifting to read that other people like what I have to say, even if they don't agree with it.

I'd also like to thank On the Left Tip for quoting something I wrote a week ago.

Of course, the I'm also grateful to the other bloggers out there who have written things that made me think and post about, even if I haven't agreed. This has been a great experience to be learning about things and finding out new points of view.

And that, for the moment is my gratitude list and I apologize if I've forgotten anyone who should be thanked.