Ever Have One Of Those Days? May 26, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Happiness, Mindfulness, Spirit & Ego.comments closed
If you’ve been following along, you’ve seen that the last several posts have had a decidedly negative bent to them.
There’s a reason for that . . . the virtually inevitable backslide.
No matter how far we’ve traveled along the spiritual path, no matter how many times we’ve ascended to the zenith, no matter how many times we’ve told our EGO to “shut it” . . . life has a way of getting between us and our happiness.
We lose our peace of mind.
Spirit is drowned out by anger, fear, anguish, and pain.
We flounder around wondering why we even bother.
We cry, and sigh, and want to say “good-bye cruel world.”
Then, hopefully, we pick ourselves up,
dust ourselves off, and
start all over again.
And, now, we return to our regularly scheduled broadcasts . . .
Related posts: The Path To Enlightenment * Progress, Not Perfection * The ABC’s of Happiness * Spiritual Milestones
Let the Punishment Fit the Crime May 26, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Nature.comments closed
Some dude in Philadelphia mummified a cat using duct tape. He encapsulated the animal in duct tape from head to tail, except for its face.
Attribution: Joshua Sherurcij
Then, because he found its horrified howling annoying, the dude dumped the cat in a neighbor’s back yard, where it languished a few more days, unable to move.
Eventually, someone spotted the cat and it was rescued.
The cat survived the ordeal, after being put to sleep for an hour so rescue workers could safely remove the duct tape by cutting it away from the feline’s fur. Several animal friendly souls have offered to adopt the cat.
A spokesperson for a local animal rights group said the dude needs counselling, noting that he had shown real “remorse” after being charged with animal cruelty.
Apparently, the dude didn’t understand that duct taping a cat and leaving it lying in the sun without food and water for several days was inappropriate behavior.
Hmm . . . I’m not sure that I believe him.
Let’s tell the dude he’s going to be wrapped in duct tape and left in someone’s backyard without food or water for a few days and watch his reaction.
If he claps his hands and says, “Yay! A picnic,” then we know that he is seriously disturbed and needs our counselling and compassion.
On the other hand, if he recoils in horror at the thought, and starts howling in anguish (like the cat), then we know that he did understand the consequences of his actions and should be punished accordingly.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Got Milk? Toss It Out! May 26, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Nature, Sustainable Living.comments closed
As you may have noticed, I’m a vegetarian ~ no meat, no chicken, and seafood only on rare occasions.
I have resisted becoming a vegan because (1) many of my favorite meals include cheese (e.g., pizza, lasagna, quesadillas, macaroni and cheese), (2) butter and corn on the cob are perfect together, and (3) ice cream is a sweet treat on a hot day.
After watching the following video (which captured sadistic dairy workers abusing calves and cows with crowbars, pitchforks, and hooks), I am giving serious consideration to abandoning dairy altogether:
Undercover Video ~ WARNING: Disturbing Images
To see what the experts have to say about this gratuitous, sadistic behavior:
Obviously, the dairy industry is incapable of regulating itself.
Of course, the same can be said of the oil industry, the meat industry, the banking industry, the . . .
Problem is that putting politicians in charge of fixing these abuses is like putting a fox in charge of the hen house. If we want to change the world, we need to vote with our pocketbooks and raise our voices until they are heard above the carnage and the lobbyists.
Boycott dairy. Boycott veal. Boycott foie gross. Boycott beef. Boycott Big Oil.
Change. Change is good. And long past overdue.
Quote: The ultimate measure of a man or woman is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Related posts: Go HSUS! * All The Gory Details * Top Ten List ~ Vegetarian
Press *1* For Disconnect May 26, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Health & Wellness, Humor, Mindfulness, People.comments closed
How do you greet the day? Are you a Grumpy Gus . . .
Or a Tigger raring to go?
If you wake up like Grumpy Gus, what tricks in your carpet bag (or coffee cup) maneuver you in a more positive direction as the day wears on?
If you wake up like Tigger . . . does your energy level flag by mid-afternoon ~ making you want to crawl back into bed?
Whether we call them morning rituals, ablutions, or sadhanas, the way we start our day has an impact on everything that follows.
This morning, instead of rolling out of bed and heading straight for the coffee maker . . . I grabbed my keys and headed out the door, after a twelve hour fast, to have blood drawn for routine testing.
On the way to the lab, I sipped water ~ wishing with each sip that I could transform it into a hot cup of steaming coffee. Water is often my beverage of choice these days . . . but only AFTER I’ve had my java juice.
This morning, each sip of the clear tasteless liquid caused me to hit the “disconnect” button.
Arriving at the lab, I signed in and sat down in the sterile environment under harsh flourescent lights ~ very different from my regular practice of sitting in front of a window, or outside, to drink my coffee and wake up aided by natural sunlight.
Once again, I felt myself “disconnecting” from reality and dissociating myself from the harsh landscape of the lab.
A tall man, dressed in scrubs, walked through the corridor and reached up to flick on the TV. News about the Gulf Oil Spill, and eight dachshunds dying in a house fire, filled the air. I retreated still further ~ shrinking back from the talking heads on the screen.
For me, especially in the morning, no news is good news. Hearing bad news and sad news first thing upon waking is discouraging, causing me to reject reality . . . rather than reaching out to seize the day.
The technician called my name. I wandered into the lab proper, answered the questions required to establish my identity, and winced as the needle entered my vein.
Rather than remaining “in the moment” to watch blood exiting me to enter three carefully labeled vials, I went within, and continued repeating this morning’s mantra, “This too shall pass.”
Bandage on, I drove home, still disconnected with the world around me, as if in a trance wandering through unfamiliar territory.
An hour after waking, back home in our kitchen, I hit the button on the coffee maker.
As the aroma of coffee filled the air, it pulled me back to the moment at hand. I fully entered “the NOW” ~ no longer recoiling from the day’s offerings.
Without waiting for the machine to finish brewing, I filled my cup and drank deeply of the day ~ reconnected with reality at last.
Related post: 5 in the morning (Agrigirl’s Blog)
Spirit Lights The Way 