Freewriting on holistic living, love, and faith...
In the last few years, I've begun to develop a very rich understanding of holistic living.
In truth, it was a holistic approach to my mental health that broke the cycle of psychotropic medications and hospital stays. I couldn't tell what I was feeling because I wasn't listening to my body. Emotions have physical components, and learning those physical states has helped me immensely to give birth to what I was actually feeling emotionally. That understanding helped me connect the two, and use my body to change my emotions and vice versa.
And so I've started to take that conceptual approach to other things that need work to function properly. Relationships, money, work, diet, movement....
Before I come off sounding like too much of a New Age fruitcake, let me assure myself (and anyone else reading this) that it's actually an outcrop of my Buddhist philosophy and my fierce Browncoat ideals that led me to this sort of approach.
"Got no need to beat you. I just want to go my way." (Mal, Serenity)
I'm learning a lot by comparison and contrast to my boyfriend, Michael. I see things in him I wish to emulate - he's incredibly driven, and does what it takes (sometimes regardless of the cost). But I also hear in him a lot of anger, and we've had conversations that lead me to believe that sometimes, he mistakes peace for complacency.
Am I sacrificing as much as he likely is? Yes and no. He works harder than I do in a traditional sense. But part of my role in his life is to be of solace and comfort. (That sounds odd, even to me, until I realize how true it is for more than just him...) There's a lot to be said for the context in which this relationship takes place, but a lot of what happens behind the scenes leads me to believe that part of the effort I need to put into this relationship is to develop a coordinated and harmonized approach to things.
I'm probably demonizing him because I'm leaving out context. I'm probably being vague. It's probably all much better than it sounds. (Or I wouldn't be dating him. I'm picky, most of the people reading this know that)
And so, I'm spending the tail end of the year taking the first steps towards aligning my actions with my values. (For the curious, Losar is the 27th of January in Tibet, meaning I'll be celebrating on the day before. And by celebrate, I mostly mean meditate)
Of course, the first step is determining precisely what those values are.
I'm ending up with this interesting blend of Stephen Covey, FlyLady, and assorted nearly-hippie sorts of literature, like Glickman's "The Mindful Money Guide." I'm mostly amused at the idea because Marla Cilley (FlyLady) is incredibly Christian conservative and I'm supplementing her with a sort of business approach and socialist ideas. Most of it is centered around the idea that I be aware of my life as I'm living it, no matter what that looks like or where I draw the inspiration and knowledge from.
What does that mean for the coming year? It means I've got intentions to be more mindful. I have things I want to change. More importantly, I want to continue to define and integrate my value system into my actions so that any hypocrisy is an honest failing on my part and not because I didn't think about it. (I will inevitably fail at this, as well, so please be patient when you can) I'm not so much setting a traditional resolution as I am steering every day closer to the Eight Fold Path with a more specific focus on the eighth (Right Mindfulness).
Perhaps this is better stated as a traditional resolution for the coming year. I'm told that it will be a challenge in many respects - Mercury in retrograde four times alone will make this interesting - but what does not kill me strengthens my resolve.
This year, I resolve to be a stronger warrior of faith, and a more tenacious bodhisattva.
Namaste,
~Samantha
In truth, it was a holistic approach to my mental health that broke the cycle of psychotropic medications and hospital stays. I couldn't tell what I was feeling because I wasn't listening to my body. Emotions have physical components, and learning those physical states has helped me immensely to give birth to what I was actually feeling emotionally. That understanding helped me connect the two, and use my body to change my emotions and vice versa.
And so I've started to take that conceptual approach to other things that need work to function properly. Relationships, money, work, diet, movement....
Before I come off sounding like too much of a New Age fruitcake, let me assure myself (and anyone else reading this) that it's actually an outcrop of my Buddhist philosophy and my fierce Browncoat ideals that led me to this sort of approach.
"Got no need to beat you. I just want to go my way." (Mal, Serenity)
I'm learning a lot by comparison and contrast to my boyfriend, Michael. I see things in him I wish to emulate - he's incredibly driven, and does what it takes (sometimes regardless of the cost). But I also hear in him a lot of anger, and we've had conversations that lead me to believe that sometimes, he mistakes peace for complacency.
Am I sacrificing as much as he likely is? Yes and no. He works harder than I do in a traditional sense. But part of my role in his life is to be of solace and comfort. (That sounds odd, even to me, until I realize how true it is for more than just him...) There's a lot to be said for the context in which this relationship takes place, but a lot of what happens behind the scenes leads me to believe that part of the effort I need to put into this relationship is to develop a coordinated and harmonized approach to things.
I'm probably demonizing him because I'm leaving out context. I'm probably being vague. It's probably all much better than it sounds. (Or I wouldn't be dating him. I'm picky, most of the people reading this know that)
And so, I'm spending the tail end of the year taking the first steps towards aligning my actions with my values. (For the curious, Losar is the 27th of January in Tibet, meaning I'll be celebrating on the day before. And by celebrate, I mostly mean meditate)
Of course, the first step is determining precisely what those values are.
I'm ending up with this interesting blend of Stephen Covey, FlyLady, and assorted nearly-hippie sorts of literature, like Glickman's "The Mindful Money Guide." I'm mostly amused at the idea because Marla Cilley (FlyLady) is incredibly Christian conservative and I'm supplementing her with a sort of business approach and socialist ideas. Most of it is centered around the idea that I be aware of my life as I'm living it, no matter what that looks like or where I draw the inspiration and knowledge from.
What does that mean for the coming year? It means I've got intentions to be more mindful. I have things I want to change. More importantly, I want to continue to define and integrate my value system into my actions so that any hypocrisy is an honest failing on my part and not because I didn't think about it. (I will inevitably fail at this, as well, so please be patient when you can) I'm not so much setting a traditional resolution as I am steering every day closer to the Eight Fold Path with a more specific focus on the eighth (Right Mindfulness).
Perhaps this is better stated as a traditional resolution for the coming year. I'm told that it will be a challenge in many respects - Mercury in retrograde four times alone will make this interesting - but what does not kill me strengthens my resolve.
This year, I resolve to be a stronger warrior of faith, and a more tenacious bodhisattva.
Namaste,
~Samantha