Tag: Henry Miller

Fasting

“If you are stressed out, maybe it’s because your mind is overcrowded with other people’s thoughts and activities. If this is the case, go on a “media fast” for three days- forgo your cell phone, TV, and internet. You will soon be able to listen to your own body and mind and return to a state of good health.” – Haemin Sunim

I gave this gift to myself for the most part this week. I haven’t done a total fast from my phone and internet, (TV is an easy pass for me) but I have drastically reduced my “media calories.” I’ve mostly stayed home. I’ve read two books, enjoyed quiet dinners and long dog walks with my husband, and gone to bed early each night. I’m feeling restored and refreshed after a “go-go” first half of the year.

Now admittedly, this isn’t too hard for me. As a natural introvert, I crave experiences like I’ve had this week. I need alone time like I need food and air. Still, in a particularly tumultuous year like this year’s election year (on top of everything else in this fast-paced, crazy world . . . .), I can’t imagine that anyone wouldn’t benefit from this “finest medicine.” It’s a way to get back in touch with yourself. It’s interesting, that just like Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz, and so many spiritual seekers of the world, what you often realize when you stop searching and grasping, and hunting, and you get to that quiet, solitary, special space, just within yourself, is that what you are craving and seeking is something that you’ve had with you all along. Peace is within.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Here is the question of the day from 3000 Questions About Me:

1766. What is your favorite thing about nature? (For me, everything – endless variety, unparalleled resiliency, the constant reminder that miracles abound.)

Let’s Just Rot

My daughter is home for her Thanksgiving break from her university. We were shopping yesterday and we were discussing what we should do in the evening.

“Let’s just go home, sit in front of the TV and rot,” she said to me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked her, as it sounded kind of gross to me.

“Well, when my roommates and I are all stressed out, we agree that we need a “rot day” and we all just sit in our pjs, piled up on the couch, and we flip through shows on the TV. We call it rotting.”

This made me laugh. I decided to adopt it into my vernacular. “Vegging” sounds better than “rotting” but I’m a “call it like it is” kind of a gal. And every once in a while we need to give into our rotting, instead of fighting it all of the time with movement and action and denial. Facts are, we are in a state of decay from the day we are born, but this isn’t a bad thing. Wine, sauerkraut, cheese, and balsamic vinegar are all better with a little bit of aging/rotting. And when you call sitting still and doing nothing, “rotting”, it kind of reminds you to not do it too much. We all may be in a state of decay, but nothing says that we have to decay quickly.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.