The earliest post in this blog is dated March 29, 2008. Today is Feb. 25, 2012 so this blog has been around for 1428 days. This post today is the 1000th one. So, in a way, I am 428 posts behind. Whose way? Nobody knows. A little division shows that I have averaged .7 posts a day. As that first message says, this "Fear, Fun and Filoz" (ophy) blog is actually my 2nd one. In the first try, I was interested in writing down the idea of meditation in a form that could be understood and used. Over time, that got to be a somewhat limited topic. At the same time, I realized that many thoughts came to mind during day, from events and observations around me as well as ideas and reactions to books and movies and news events.
I meditate 10-13 minutes a day and I find I cannot convince myself that I don't have the time each day to do that. It has turned out to be a valuable addition to my life, one of the very most valuable ever. Similarly, writing a blog post each day has also turned out to be fun, inspiring, and literally eye-opening.
I read somewhere that the French author Guy de Maupassant said that any difficulty can be borne if a story can be told about it. I have or had a book on study skills translated from the French that said all generals fight their battles twice, once on the battlefield and once in the apartments of the ladies. Psychology and related disciplines in medicine are converging on idea that anything which distances pain, confusion, fear, and related threats and challenges, anything which gives us a chance to see our lives, actually both the good and not-as-good parts from a bit of a distance, anything like that increases our ability to accept problems and losses, bear pain and fear, and enjoy what comes. Writing and other arts do exactly that.
As Thich Nhat Hanh says, looking deeply can enrich our minds and lives. Asking myself "What's up with me right now?" gives me a chance to step back from the day and review. What stands out from recent moments? What gave me a lift? What was difficult?
I appreciate all readers, both intermittent and steady, and I thank you for your attention and comments.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
