Journeying forth

Felt like coming back to my blog this morning.  Feeling comfortable in this space after a long time.  The last two years were quiet on this front and I am opening myself to this space again.  Not focused on cohesive frameworks yet, just enjoying the thrill of being in this space again.  I love being in the zone of writing and expressing myself and discovering myself in the process.

Writing is a journey to discover me.  I have to think of myself as another person when I write and this helps me to appreciate me better.  My focus of attention is the tapping of my fingers unconsciously revealing the inner workings of my mind.  Journey forth and enjoy the adventure of me.  

From Twitter to Blog

I was working on increasing my "followers" on Twitter and came across a tweet that reminded me about the importance of having a practice for writing.  It reminded me of "Morning Pages" that Julia Cameron recommends in her book "The Artists Way".

This morning, I determined to start writing as soon as my coffee was ready and now I am here at my desk, sitting on my exercise ball and typing into a blog on my Macbook Pro.  It is very pleasing just to be here and doing this activity.  It makes me feel alert and in the moment.  My coffee tastes great too!

On my wall, in my room, I have written, "Luckily the world is absolutely full of interesting things to do!"  This is an exciting time in our lives when we can cross from visual, to sound, to written word, to conversation.

Let's not forget smell, taste, and touch.  The digital world has not taken over smell, taste, and touch.  I cannot touch my mother, nor can I touch my great-niece, through Skype.  I cannot get a full feel of them through digital media.  I still have to be there to enjoy them with my whole brain and all of my feelings.  The gentle touch of our hands, the cuddle, the whiff of scent, the after-taste of a kiss on my lips.  I cannot reproduce these through digital media.

We get so much stimulation of simulation, lol, where did that come from?  Our two senses of sight and sound are inundated and saturated with triggers that create expectations for the other three senses.  Only to disappoint them.  Two tempt the three and leave them bereft of closure.  No wonder we have a sense of incompleteness in our lives.  The crescendo of visual and auditory stimuli leave us longing for the stimuli to our other three senses and a deep sense of longing for the wholeness of the experience.

Memory can fill in a few gaps.  Our brains are miraculous and can do fill in the sensory gaps.  The brain does not know the difference between a fantasy and a reality.  I could pretend to be on vacation in my mind and actually feel like I was on a vacation.  I could pretend to have sex with a gorgeous woman and actually feel like I did have sex with her.  Really?  Can I really derive the full benefits of those physical experiences through my imagination alone?

I am not trying to make "sense" of my lack of stimulation to the other senses.  Remember that this kind of like a morning page and I am doing this to exercise my writing skills without inhibition.  I am exposing my raw thoughts in a blog that I will make public for those who "stumble upon" my blog.

Interestingly, I am confident enough in my writing skills that I am not worried about judgement and the media of the blogosphere leaves me talking to an anonymous audience.  Maybe then, this is the ideal way to throw my thoughts out into the universe.

Julia Cameron recommended three pages for morning pages, what is that equivalent to in a blog like this one?  Before I close this blog, I would like to acknowledge the author who reminded me of morning pages.  For that, I will need to open another tab and look in my tweets.  Wait a moment, I will be back with that information from the other tab momentarily.

Her name is Arielle Ford, see link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arielle-ford/fitting-your-author-life-_b_1199107.html?ref=tw

I am following her on Twitter now.  Thank you Arielle Ford for reminding me of a practice!  

Whitewater rafting

If your efforts feel like whitewater rafting, be glad. It means that you are doing something right. Life is at its best when you feel somewhat out of control. You become focused and subconscious strengths take over.

Unlearning

My latest theme is unlearning. Unlearn bad habits, unlearn bad practices, unlearn irrelevant cultural riturals. Unlearn the crap. Our minds are so full of irrelevant learning so often that it is difficult to experience and live in the present. The joie de vivre comes from letting go of the trash thoughts and the trash learning. Engage without the baggage and live forth with renewed energy.

Interest

Live with interest and zest in 2012. Keep your spirits up and engage in activities that inspire and interest you. Overcome obstacles and press on with liveliness and energy. Life is short, live it to the full! Live up to your potential, listen to your inner voice. Make time for your inner voice and be gentle to yourself.

My new favorite poem for 2012 is Desiderata. "Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle to yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

Move with confidence in the New Year! Embrace new opportunities and look for growth in yourself. Plan for the next twenty years. This is the Kindergarten of your life. Use a beginner's mind to take a fresh look at everything that you have achieved and realize your good fortune. You are much better off than so many people in the world. Be grateful, live with an attitude of gratefulness.

The past two days were spent with my young nephew and niece and their fresh outlook has helped me to refocus and recharge my mind. I am grateful for this time with them.