Anam Cara - The Blessing
March 15, 2008
In Corrogue it is frosty.
The ramp into our "acre of diamonds" is now firm underfoot where before it was a sea of mud. Murphy our dog runs excitedly by my side. We are on our way to release the chickens from the coop. They are to be fed porridge oats in milk.
Murphy has become an honorary chicken. He has been self-appointed. He now eats with the hens and cockerels as I give them their long awaited breakfast. They are now together, dog and birds, loving this life that is secure and satisfying for them.
I am becoming clearer. I am becoming more integrated and more know of the flow of this life. I am become a soul friend. I am becoming what is known in the Celtic tradition an Anam Cara. This translates as Anam meaning "soul" and Cara meaning "friend."
Like our beautiful dog Murphy I am busy rounding up different aspects of my less integrated self. These are pieces that are like different chickens within a roost. I gently bring them together in love and acceptance. I imagine myself sitting atop a chicken coop with my chicken friends and we would debate various life questions.
When Dieting Should You Weigh Yourself Every Day?
March 14, 2008
How to Break the Weighing HabitFace it, if you weigh yourself more than once a day, you are a serious scale addict, and if you let the number on the scale affect how you feel, and whether it’s going to be a good day, you are probably a bit too involved with that appliance. Danger, danger! Step away from the scale!
The scale simply cannot tell the difference between muscle and fat, and while fat is bulky and lumpy, muscle is sleek and shapely. Muscle also gives you strength, agility and power. Muscle tissue can be used as fuel, but it is not your body’s primary fuel source.
Fat on the other hand is a storage fuel for times of famine. It also shields our body’s organs and provides a protective layer from the outside world. Without some body fat we cannot survive, and without some muscle you’d not have the strength to get out of bed. But while fat is necessary, many of us have a bit more saved up than is necessary.
Being There: A User’s Guide to Mindfulness
March 13, 2008
Being There: A User’s Guide to Mindfulness
by: Abby Straus
I’m on the phone with my son, who’s telling me a story. But I’m also checking my email. “So what do you think?” he asks. My mind goes blank. I have no idea what he just told me. “I’m sorry, honey, could you go over the last part?” I get up and move to the sofa, determined to pay attention and to be there—really be there—for my boy.
I get in the car and turn on the radio. A piece of music comes on that rubs me the wrong way. As I reach over to change station I think, just for kicks, why not be there with this music for a while. Explore it. Find out why you don’t like it. Maybe you’ll learn something.
I’m on my way to a party. I don’t want to go. I don’t know many people there, and I keep thinking about what it will be like. I might feel uncomfortable, or not know what to say. Then I think, why not just show up? Why not just be there, without all this thought baggage, and see what happens? You can always leave. I go, I stay and I have a great time.
When Performance Reviews work against you!
March 12, 2008
When Performance Reviews work against you!
by: Martha Rice
“Your assistant, normally gregarious, happy, and extremely helpful has become sullen and, withdrawn. At first, you assume that he/she is having some problems at home. But after thinking about this sudden and drastic change for awhile, you realize this shift of attitude came shortly after the yearly performance reviews were completed. Your assistant seemed to be pleased at the time with the rating, especially after you explained that you do not give the highest ratings to anyone because no one is perfect.
Today, your HR manager told you that this person has requested to interview for another position within the company and the position tells you the whole story. The manager of this department is known for his/her extra high ratings under the current review system. His/her team members always get the highest percentage raises and his assistant was given $1000 more a year than your assistant even though both assistants do the same job with equal proficiency. This manager’s attitude, “reward high so you don’t cause trouble,” may be working for him/her but it is causing you a big headache.
Dieting While Partying!
March 11, 2008
It’s really difficult for a person to socialise if he is on a Diet. Totally ignoring parties and invitation is definitely not a solution.You have to strike a balance between your diet and social parties which, trust me, isn’t easy at all. But we can always take necesaary precautions so as to avoid overeating.
Here is some valuable tips to keep everyone happy.
a) Try eating light snacks aroung 6 PM before leaving for the party. The problem with late night parties is that dinner isnt served before 11 and by that time rats are running in everyones stomach , so people end up eating a lot which they shouldnt.
b) At dinner, try eating vegetables only along with some fat free yogurt. If you cant resist non-veg, go in for grilled chicken.
c) Caution : Do not drink soups at parties as they have cornflour which is by any means not good for people who are on diet.
d) Avoid unhealthy food like white bread, deep fried foods and oily vegetables.
e) Choose salads with combination of chicken and and greens with marinated vegetables. Chinese greens are great choice anyday.
Why You have the Right to Choose to Think
March 10, 2008
Sexuality is a fundamental part of being human and alive. It is powerful, even in its distortion it carves our lives in the same way that flowing water engraves the planet. As we struggle to harness hydropower for its best use, so it is with our sexuality (in the best cases). This is not a result of some philosophical hiatus; it is the effect of day-to-day choices. So is it really so arduous to accept that thinking humans should view their choices around sexuality in a larger context?
Take honor for instance. Honor and its sister Integrity are issues normally presented as side dishes on the buffet of religious dogma, untimely asides to the cornucopia associated with sexual bliss. I often wonder why this happens. Am I the only one who feels these issues are essential to an individual really being attractive enough to be considered sexy? To me, this means going beyond the (dehumanizing) objectification of persons towards (humanizing) evaluation, to place "sexiness" in a holistic framework. How can the presence or absence of the substances which make us really human be regarded as "irrelevant"?
Be Wise - Go For Total Wealth
March 10, 2008
Be Wise - Go For Total Wealth
by: Emmanuel Emezie
When we lack certain things, the joy of living is diminished. In some instances we may become considerably distressed and even incapacitated. When we are sick, in other words, when we lack good health, it is usually not a happy circumstance and we do all we can to regain our health. When someone is poor, that is, when they lack money and material possessions, life is not very enjoyable. Such a person is not able to live the way he or she wishes or do the things he or she wants. Poverty oppresses and incapacitates. As individuals and as nations, we all are desirous to distance ourselves from poverty. Likewise, life is not so full and satisfying when we fail to find happiness and fulfillment in relationships and in our work. (By relationships, I mean relationship with God and our fellow human beings). The deep desires we have to commune with deity and to love and be loved by others are emotional needs we are born with. And so we find that human beings experience want in three identifiable areas. Life requires us to cope with physical, material and spiritual wants.
Technology and Stress- How to Prevent Technology From Taking Over Your Life
March 9, 2008
1. 5-minute rule. How many times do we say, "This will only take 5 minutes" and it ends up taking 20 minutes, making you late for an appointment or client! Anytime you think that something will take you 5 minutes, add on 10-15 minutes.
2. Remember, the news will always be there. You don’t need to print out every article you find over the internet! There will ALWAYS be information out there, so try not to worry that if you throw out this article, all is lost. You can always conduct research at a later date. Avoid paper/clutter build up.
3. Find one planner that works for you. Don’t buy an electronic planner just because you think you should have one or because everyone else has one! If your thinking flows easily typing in a keyboard, you’re more likely to look for something through a word search than trying to remember where it is, and you don’t need a visual overview of a month or week to picture it, then you may prefer an Electronic planner.
Are You a Microwave or Crock Pot?
March 8, 2008
In our fast paced society we often want everything done quickly or your boss wants it done yesterday. In your spiritual life are you a Microwave or Crock Pot? I think often we want God to answer our prayers in Microwave fashion. I prayed a specific request today and I want it answered today. If our prayers are not answered quickly, we often wonder, "What is God doing?" We also decide to go it on our own and not wait for God’s direction. Often it is difficult to wait on God’s timing.
When we are in Crock pot mode we pray and rest in the knowledge that God’s timing is best. Often, God may have to let several things simmer in our life before he answers our prayer. Many times in my life I have seen God’s handiwork after the situation is over. If God had answered my prayer the way I wanted him to, it would not have gone well at all. God knows what is best for us and when it is best for something to happen.
Your Power Of REAL Concentration
March 7, 2008
Your Power Of REAL Concentration
by: Dale Odeyemi
Did you ever stop to think what an important part your thoughts, I mean real concentrated thoughts, play in your life?
The ability to concentrate all your attention is so important, no matter what task or job you have to get done as nothing great or significant can be accomplished without proper effort and concentration.
And almost all of us have some sort of difficulty in the concentration of our attention.
Workers in business and industry, students in high school and college, and even professors in universities, complain of the same difficulty.
It is said that the power to concentrate all your attention is vital as it stands at the very centre of most (if not all) mental activity. No matter from what angle we view the mind, its excellence always seems to depend upon the power to concentrate all our attention.
Concentration may be defined as being that state of mind in which the entire energies of the individual, physical as well as mental, are focused upon the thing they are doing or thinking. All actions and all thoughts NOT connected with what they are doing or thinking are kept out of the mind
