Comments on: Clean Floor, Oh Yeah!

By: kmcdade

kmcdade — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:24:13 +0000

Thank you! I have a copy of Brother Lawrence’s writings, too. That does sound just like him.

By: Gary Walter

Gary Walter — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:25:48 +0000

Hi Kathleen, I was reading @Mettadore’s post on meditation and had to come over here and see what inspired him to write such a great post.

I miss living in the city. While in Colorado, we lived in a sprawling subdivision with 6000 homes and only five variations in floor plans. Both my wife and I commented on how boring it was to walk there. But put me in SE Portland and I find myself walking (and exploring) sometimes for hours. I’ve gotten so far away that I had to take a bus back home – more than once.

I can do the same thing in the woods. Even old farms. By giving my eyes a place to explore, I find my mind is better able to wander.

I recently read an article that was promoting the idea that our lives can be like living in a monastery. IOW, we don’t have to hole up in some Swiss Retreat Center to gain the benefits of service and solitude, rather we can consider our daily lives and chores to be acts of service and use the time to contemplate life. I think Brother Lawrence would be proud.

Eastern religions have done a great job of maintaining and promoting a myriad of spiritual disciplines. Most of these have been lost by Western Christians. Yet, no matter what your belief structure, it is important to practice all the disciplines.

In our home, we have unplugged the TV, the stereo isn’t on all the time (like it used to be), and I am even contemplating no web surfing after dinner (maybe? scary).

Living up here on the banks of the Mighty Columbia River, I often drive into town with no podcasts, no phone calls, no music, and no talk radio. If I’m not careful, that 30 minute drive is the only meditative time I get.

Thanks for opening the door and reminding me of a need I need to feed more often!

Good writing!

Gary Walter’s last blog post..Our Little Flower is Blooming

By: kmcdade

kmcdade — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:55:14 +0000

I will be sure to let you know how the book is going.

By: kmcdade

kmcdade — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:54:49 +0000

Cool — that made me start thinking about what clears my mind. I used to play guitar to clear my mind at camp, but I haven’t been playing regularly. Hm.

By: kmcdade

kmcdade — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:54:02 +0000

Thanks for coming by – and thanks for the review.

By: SimplyForties

SimplyForties — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:45:01 +0000

Love Kabat – Zinn. I hope you can get something from him.

SimplyForties’s last blog post..Lower Gas Prices, A Mixed Blessing?

By: Jojo

Jojo — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:02:35 +0000

I often find myself in the middle of several things, not really paying attention to any of them outright.
The one thing that clears my mind, and makes me feel better is riding my motorcycle, it has always been my one form of escape from the world. I become very in tune with all things around me,it is very cheap therapy.

By: Nancy Spivey

Nancy Spivey — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:36:00 +0000

I am curious as to how the relates to the treatment of depression. Nearly everyone in my family has suffered from depression to some degree, and I am always looking for “cures”.
I am another one of those who is constantly hyperactive in my mind. I can juggle 88 things at once. But that is clearly not always a good thing.
I need to get that book.

Nancy Spivey’s last blog post..Madonna’s Millions v. My Lack Thereof

By: kmcdade

kmcdade — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:27:51 +0000

I love your description, and yes, I see mindfulness as being very good for my writing.

By: thelittlefluffycat

thelittlefluffycat — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:04:22 +0000

Mindfulness, wow. Yes, being completely in the moment is an amazing thing, especially when you write. I do mostly fiction, so I am pulling in everything, all the time; even as I type this, listening to the sound of the keys, feeling the response of them under my fingers, like live things, bouncing back at me. Me and the computer, talking the way we talk. Dancing. Everything you hear, feel, see, integrating somewhere in your head. Making a picture out of it that’s 3D and complete, replicating your experience so someone else can experience it too–so someone else can, for just a moment, BE you.

thelittlefluffycat’s last blog post..Mousely