Monthly Archives: August 2018

Life and Meaning, Night Shift Work, Psychology

MUSING FOR FRIDAY 24TH, AUGUST 2018

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“The fear of letting go prevents you from letting go of the fear of letting go.” – John Burdett (Novelist)

 

Well it has been another good week!! Finished working a stretch of four-night shifts and I have come to the conclusion that they really mess with your system.  Not sure why it took me that long to get it through my head that it really does muddle with your body’s clock.

Yep, screw with the body’s clock or circadian rhythms and you really do mess with everything else.  I used to pick up a lot of extra night shifts.  In fact, there was a time that I would work as many night shifts as physically possible to make extra money. These were 12 hours shifts.  The most that I did in a row was nine.  Nine night shifts, each 12 hours long.  Now that was the maximum but not the usual.  The usual was worse in some respects.  It consisted of about 5 to 6 per week with a day off so I would not get in trouble by management and then another 5 to 6.  Now I look back at that and think what the hell was I thinking??  And was it worth it in the cost it did to my body?  Probably not.  Oh well it did pay the bills.  Nice to have that extra cash.

But you come to a point that the extra cash does not really mean that much when it comes to your health.  So now, I still work the night shift but I don’t pick up any extra.  The problem I run into a lot is: “If you don’t have the money then you can’t buy it.”  Lol.  That is something that I still have trouble remembering.  But I am getting better at doing it.

I keep coming back to the above quote about letting go.  And I have come to the realization that there is much, much more meaning to it than just the statement of letting go.  Think about how many times you feel that you have to do something.  And ask yourself do you really have to do it today or tonight or even at all?  There are so many things that we do in our lives because of misconceptions of what success means, misconceptions about how to reach a goal (sometimes less is more), misconceptions about what people will think, misconceptions about what is necessary today and what has become nothing more than routine ritual.  Now don’t get me wrong… There are some situations that the answer will always be YES you have to do that now.  But I bet if you are like me, there would be a lot of situations in which the answer is no.  You don’t have to do it.  You can let it go.  Let the stress go, let that need for control go, let go of your attachment to being right, let the fear of loss go, etc.…

Let go and:  “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” – Joseph Campbell

Now I would like to say that I have mastered the art of letting go but that would be way, way, way far from the truth.  But I am working at it.  And that in the end is all that we can do.

Looking west towards the foothills in Fort Collins on Thursday, the readings were in the moderate range and climbing.

Well that is about all for me this week.  The only “fly in the ointment” so to speak has been the smoke layer here on the Front Range.  The last two weeks the air quality has been in the moderate range with a few days being in the really unhealthy range.  This does put a damper on outdoor activity that involves running, biking, etc…  I guess it could always be worse, at least our homes are not threatened directly by wildfire.  So, have a good weekend and maybe if the smoke clears I will see you somewhere out there on the trails.

 

Life and Meaning, Meditations, Psychology, Sociology, Truth and Perception

MUSING FOR FRIDAY 17TH, AUGUST 2018

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“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life.  It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”   Joseph Campbell
“Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.”   Nisargadatta
“The fear of letting go prevents you from letting go of the fear of letting go.”    John Burdett, Novelist

Damn it has been a good week.  I just have to say, “Life is good and I really cannot complain too much.”  Yep, I know, there is still death and destruction in the world, that is the nature of our species and our existence since time immortal but there is hope too.  Nothing stays the same, everything changes, and there is hope that as the human species evolves that we will change in a way for the better….  And for some that is really hard to accept.  THE IDEA THAT THINGS CHANGE?!  Religion changes, science changes, societal norms change, all of life changes.  To believe there are things written in stone.  Too funny.  Someone that believes that, I mean truly believes that…. Well I think that they do not know their history all that well.  The one constant through all of antiquity, is change.  Nothing is permanent.  Absolutely nothing except “change” itself.

RIVER BEND PONDS OPEN SPACE

RIVER BEND PONDS OPEN SPACE

Thinking about change and how it is always happening can leave you feeling rudderless.  Like a boat on the water going in circles, or at the whims of the current.  How do you steer, what’s the goal, what’s the reason for life?  And if you find a reason how do you get there?  Some find a rudder in religion, some find a rudder with a specific cause, some never find the rudder and are the happier for it.  Joseph Campbell said it best.

“Life has no meaning.  Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life.  It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”

POUDRE RIVER FROM LEMAY BRIDGE LOOKING EAST

NORTH END OF THE POWERLINE TRAIL LOOKING SOUTH, POSSIBLE JUVENILE OSPREY?

Or maybe it is something from the Indian Guru of nondualism, Nisargadatta.  Maybe he had the right idea about the meaning of life??

“Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself an ecstasy.”

 

I could just go on and on, quotes by Mooji, Osho, Buddha, Mohammad, Jesus, etc.…  They are all trying to tell you how to get to a metaphorical Disney Land.  The question I have, were they ever there themselves?  Did they actually make the trip so to speak or was it just pretending and made-up?  I don’t really believe that anyone has ever had a full explanation for how to get there AND what it actually means to be “there.”  What is that?  What works for one person and culture, may not work for another.  As soon as you think that you know “what is the “RIGHT” way – then you might as well be lost.  We each have to find our own way and defiantly not expect others to follow the same path.  What hubris.

TRAIL APPLES ON THE POWERLINE TRAIL – GETTING RIPE!!

My path took a turn for the better back in 2008.  I did not see it as such but looking back now I realize how important that year was because of what I started doing.  The only thing that I wish I could do differently is go back in time, way, way back in time and start what I call the “practice” much sooner.  In 2008 I started to do “meditation” and now looking back I cannot believe that it has been 10 years!  Unreal.   The practice started slowly but has gradually built over time to the point that I try and do meditation each and every day.  Some days it is only 5 minutes and some I get close to an hour.  I believe that I am a much more relaxed and focused because of the meditation.  It has opened me up to new thoughts and ideas, exposed some of my more hubris inspired ideas and I like to believe made me a much more caring and compassionate person.  I really like reading about Buddhism but I do not consider myself Buddhist.  I look at it as a philosophy that has lasted the test of time.  And it does not require you to believe in “magical beings.”  This has been my path for the last 10 years and for me it has been a good path.   But at the same time, I realize it is just a tool, like a boat, to get across a metaphorical river and once you are across, then you may not need it anymore.  And that is OK too.

SUNSET FROM THE POWERLINE TRAIL

I have just been rambling on and on and on.  But I guess that happens sometimes.  Oh well, one last thing before going.  I have learned and am still learning the benefit of “letting go” and how hard it can be to do this sort of thing.  Especially letting go of the control.  Letting go of the anger, letting go of fear, letting go of old hurts, letting go of anything that is not really a benefit anymore, mental or material.  So hard to do.  I came across a quote by the Novelist John Burdett that speaks to this very well.

“The fear of letting go prevents you from letting go of the fear of letting go.”

Let that sink in for a bit.  And if you are like me, it really hits home.  I started to laugh after pondering this quote for a while – so true of us all.  And in a roundabout way a good reminder that “Nothing is Permanent”, all things CHANGE.

Well until next time.  Have a great weekend and hopefully I will see you out there!!

 

 

 

Book Review, Life and Meaning, Psychology, Religion

MUSINGS FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 6TH, 2018

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“Practice at any stage is just being who we are at that moment.  It’s not a question of being good or bad, or better or worse.” – From the book of Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck

Wow!!  This is my 14th post this year and that is saying a lot for me.  I hope that I am getting better at this and not boring you dear reader too much.  I like writing a blog and I am trying to make it a habit.  Funny how “BAD” habits come much more easily than the ones  you want to incorporate as good habits….  Well…. They seem to come a lot harder!! What is that about??  LOL- I did find  a book this summer that helps with this.  A book by the author Stephen Guise.

Stephen gives us a strategy to help develop habits that we want for lasting change.  I think that we do some of these behaviors already but because we don’t have a systematic way of doing them we don’t get lasting or consistent results.  In writing the book Stephen tells his own story of how he came to this realization and helps you to see how it can work for you.  From the book:  “A mini habit is a very small positive behavior that you force yourself to do every day; a mini habit’s “too small to fail” nature makes it weightless, deceptively powerful, and a superior habit building strategy.”  He goes on to explain that the problem is not with you.  It is your strategy.  And this is where the trouble begins in trying to achieve a goal.  I first listened to this book as an audio book and was so impressed with its simplicity and message that I bought the paper back version so that I could read it again and to have for easy reference.  This is a down side of audio books – no easy reference.  You can find the book at Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Habits-Smaller-Bigger-Results-ebook/dp/B00HGKNBDK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1533228099&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=mini+habits&psc=1

On a different note.  I did see in the news that the Attorney General of the United States – Jeff Scession created what he calls a “Religious Liberty Task Force.” The idea I guess is to protect religious freedoms.  But I am wondering whose religious freedoms and if your flavor of religious mythology does not go with my flavor of religious mythology does that give you the right to discriminate against me?  I believe that the quote from Rachana Desai Martin hits it on the head.  And this will be “Interesting” to see how this plays out in the future.

“This is just another in a long line of thinly veiled attempts by this administration to sanction discrimination in health care, often to the detriment to the health and rights of women, the LGBTQ community and other communities,” said Rachana Desai Martin, a federal policy advisor for the Center for Reproductive Rights.

I have come to believe that all religion is mythology.  People try to say that there is a difference but I think Joseph Campbell was right – “They are one and the same.”

 

I remember watching a lecture by him and he was talking about the “biggest religion on earth” and that got my attention because it was not what you thought it was going to be.  He stated, if I remember right, by saying that all religion is mythology.  And the “one mythology” that all cultures on earth believe in, all cultures accept, and the only one that has ever come true??  Then he pauses and keeps you in suspense for a moment…  He finally states:  “It is Science Fiction.”  And I am thinking What??  He then goes on to explain how SF is all mythology – it is all made up in the minds of men and women, just like religion.  The only difference is that all cultures at some point have practiced it, still believe in it and most of all, it occasionally comes true.  Every thing that we take for granted in the world today, from the technological to the social,  was once just a thought in someone’s mind.  Again you might be thinking What??  It does take a little time to get your head around it.  The first thing is to come to the realization that SF covers everything in life.  From the Scientific to the Social, not just Robots and Spaceships, but all of the human condition.  SF is the world’s largest and greatest unrecognized religion.  Oh well, interesting idea when you start to think about it.

You can find lots and lots of books on Amazon that touch on this thought.

Well I think that this is going to be it for me.  It has been a good week running but still a lot of smoke in the area from California wildfires.  I guess it could always be worse. So, until next time.  Adios Amigos!!  And I hope to see you out there!!