Hello Internet-
So, while I say my farewells and bags are packed- it has sunk in. I leave tomorrow morning for Ecuador. Scared shitless but yet SO excited! With that- tonight will be my last post/lesson until about July 10th.
What to say- opinions. We all have them all, but how do we use them? Normally when we have opinions we tend to get passionate about them. We tend to get an attitude because we want people to see things from how we see them. We have been taught that wrong is bad, so our opinions should be right.
"When Things Fall Apart" by Pema Chodron says, "cultivating nonaggression is cultivating peace." Why do we get so defensive when someone attacks our ideals, morals, or opinions? I mean we all think differently therefore we all have different opinions, so what is wrong with that? Like Pema says, "we have a lot of opinions, and we tend to take them as truth. But actually they aren't truth. They are just our opinions. We have a lot of emotional backup for these opinions. They are often judgmental or critical; they're sometimes about how nice or perfect something is."
But let's keep in mind...
"Opinions are opinions, nothing more or less. We can begin to notice them, and we can begin to label them as opinions, just as we label thoughts as thoughts. Just by this simple exercise we are introduced to the notion of egolessness. All ego really is, is our opinions, which we take to be solid, real, and the absolute truth about how things are."
So, I ask you Internet- what is so important about these opinions that we hold on to them so dearly? Why can't we all just be open to other people's ideas, and possibly adapt ours to theirs.
There is a lot in this world that we are unaware of- and if we hear other opinions- another door may be opened that we never saw before. Facts is something we learn in school- but what we need to realize, is these opinions or thoughts are what we learn from experience. From taking those facts and applying them to life- that is how we form our opinions.
AND- Since I have said in previous posts, everyone experiences things differently, everyone will hold different ideas, but what is wrong with that? Think about it: the more opinions we are exposed to the more we grow as a human being- there is NOTHING wrong with that.
On that note- think about this quote- "I want to taste and glory in each day, and never be afraid to experience pain; and never shut myself up in a numb core of non-feeling, or stop questioning and criticizing life and take the easy way out. To learn and to think; to think and live; to live and learn: this always, with new insight, new understanding, and new love." From The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.
The point of that quote is open your mind. Do not be so closed off to others opinions, because you will open up new insights, new understandings, and new love. And if you don't believe me Internet- once I opened up my mind and started listening to other people's thoughts, I ended up with an amazing man, I found new understandings, new insights, and like I just said new love.
So- if those are the things you are looking for, than what are you waiting for?
-Miss Optimistic
P.S.- I hope everyone has a great month! I will be back before you know it :-)
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
From Forwarded Mesages
Hello Internet-
Came across another blog the other day and found some interesting advice from Forwarded Messages.
Things you can not take back:
1. The stone after the throw.
2. The word after it's said.
3. The occasion after the loss.
4. The time after it's gone.
Think about these four things. I will post again later on this evening.
-Miss Optimistic
Came across another blog the other day and found some interesting advice from Forwarded Messages.
Things you can not take back:
1. The stone after the throw.
2. The word after it's said.
3. The occasion after the loss.
4. The time after it's gone.
Think about these four things. I will post again later on this evening.
-Miss Optimistic
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Most Difficult Times
Hello Internet-
Sorry it has been a while, I spent the weekend at my boyfriend's home. Not only have I fallen in love with him, but I am in love with his family too. HA! But anywho, I leave for Ecuador in 4 days and am very nervous. I am scared to leave for the month, but can not wait to grow and experience things. I guess we will see how it all unveils.
But- for the my thoughts of today.
"The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves. Yet it's never too late or too early to practice loving-kindness. It's as if we had a terminal disease but might live for quite a while. Not knowing how much time we have left, we might begin to think it was important to make friends with ourselves and others in the remaining hours, months, or years." - From "When Things Fall Apart".
We are so caught up in running around and trying to finish and complete all these tasks we forget to just relax. We build these emotions and thoughts in our heads to become more than what they are.
"Our personal demons come in many guises. We experience them as shame, as jealousy, as abandonment, as rage. They are anything that makes us so uncomfortable that we continually run away."
The weird thing about humans is we build drama, and then we run from it. So, how does that make sense? We want the ugly and we want the disease as Lady Gaga says in her song Bad Romance, but then we don't want to actually deal with it.
But why Internet? Why can't we just leave what is as it is? It's like- we always need something to be going on. Great. I am soooo glad that shitty T.V. has taught us that drama should always be going on, but when we think about it- drama is EXHAUSTING!!!!!!! It stresses me out, I can't focus, I'm emotional- how is that some one I'd want to be...oh yea, it's not.
"Like the tides of the sea, like day and night--this is the nature of things. Being able to appreciate, being able to look closely, being able to open our minds--this is the core of maturity."
We need to stop creating things that aren't there. I have made many mistakes in over exaggerating situations. For example, my boyfriend tells me umm I dunno 3 months after the actual situation happened that he lied and actually met up with his ex over spring break. UMM WHAT?!- was my initial reaction. My mind went straight to my dad- he's gonna leave me just like every other man in my life. He's gonna find something better, well my dad found work not some one else but...when I think about it- the guys in my life never really left me...I pushed them away. I made a huge deal out of something stupid.
Then of course, for a while when he went out I would kinda question him- oh who'd you go with? Did you really go to the movies with your parents? Our minds are non-stop- they never slow down!
So Internet- that is my challenge to you. SLOW DOWN. Enjoy the details in life, enjoy the man or woman that is by your side. Don't create more than you need in your life. If he hasn't called he doesn't want to talk. Take another day to yourself and just reflect. Go for a walk- breathe in the sweet summer air, look at the beautiful colors summer has given Earth, and feel the gravel; dirt; concrete; and/or grass under your feet. You have five senses- use them.
-Miss Optimistic
Sorry it has been a while, I spent the weekend at my boyfriend's home. Not only have I fallen in love with him, but I am in love with his family too. HA! But anywho, I leave for Ecuador in 4 days and am very nervous. I am scared to leave for the month, but can not wait to grow and experience things. I guess we will see how it all unveils.
But- for the my thoughts of today.
"The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves. Yet it's never too late or too early to practice loving-kindness. It's as if we had a terminal disease but might live for quite a while. Not knowing how much time we have left, we might begin to think it was important to make friends with ourselves and others in the remaining hours, months, or years." - From "When Things Fall Apart".
We are so caught up in running around and trying to finish and complete all these tasks we forget to just relax. We build these emotions and thoughts in our heads to become more than what they are.
"Our personal demons come in many guises. We experience them as shame, as jealousy, as abandonment, as rage. They are anything that makes us so uncomfortable that we continually run away."
The weird thing about humans is we build drama, and then we run from it. So, how does that make sense? We want the ugly and we want the disease as Lady Gaga says in her song Bad Romance, but then we don't want to actually deal with it.
But why Internet? Why can't we just leave what is as it is? It's like- we always need something to be going on. Great. I am soooo glad that shitty T.V. has taught us that drama should always be going on, but when we think about it- drama is EXHAUSTING!!!!!!! It stresses me out, I can't focus, I'm emotional- how is that some one I'd want to be...oh yea, it's not.
"Like the tides of the sea, like day and night--this is the nature of things. Being able to appreciate, being able to look closely, being able to open our minds--this is the core of maturity."
We need to stop creating things that aren't there. I have made many mistakes in over exaggerating situations. For example, my boyfriend tells me umm I dunno 3 months after the actual situation happened that he lied and actually met up with his ex over spring break. UMM WHAT?!- was my initial reaction. My mind went straight to my dad- he's gonna leave me just like every other man in my life. He's gonna find something better, well my dad found work not some one else but...when I think about it- the guys in my life never really left me...I pushed them away. I made a huge deal out of something stupid.
Then of course, for a while when he went out I would kinda question him- oh who'd you go with? Did you really go to the movies with your parents? Our minds are non-stop- they never slow down!
So Internet- that is my challenge to you. SLOW DOWN. Enjoy the details in life, enjoy the man or woman that is by your side. Don't create more than you need in your life. If he hasn't called he doesn't want to talk. Take another day to yourself and just reflect. Go for a walk- breathe in the sweet summer air, look at the beautiful colors summer has given Earth, and feel the gravel; dirt; concrete; and/or grass under your feet. You have five senses- use them.
-Miss Optimistic
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