A Means to Survive: A Justification for Blogging

I love my wife to death. She is part of an inner circle club that has only ever had two members: me and her. She loves and accepts me with all my flaws, inadequacies, and mistakes. She is quite literally a part of me.

Maybe it is because of the tragic events that occurred earlier this month. Maybe it is because I study Buddhism (Bad Buddhist joke: Why did the Buddhist doctor get fired? Because he put down “birth” every time he had to answer “Cause of Death.”). Maybe it is because I am trying to be more empathetic with those who are grieving, but I have been thinking about what it would be like to lose the most significant bond I have made.

What would I do? Who would I turn to? How would I survive?

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(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding

Once again, thanks to Rarasaur for teaching everyone how to Wordcloud our blogs. It should come as no surprise that in my blog’s Wordcloud “Rarasaur” is one of the biggest words. Can you say, “Blog Crush”?

I really like this tool, because like Rarasaur said it gives us a pulse on our site. This picture is a pretty accurate representation of what Everyday Gurus is all about–Happiness, Mindfulness, Lovingkindness, and Hugs.

We Can Make a Difference–Right Here, Right Now

 

“Peace is not something you wish for, it something you make, something you do, something you are, something you give away.”–Robert Fulghum

In an effort to actively do something to create more peace in the world in 2013, I am dedicating a number of my posts specifically to peace. I invite you to join me. We can call ourselves “Bloggers for Peace.” Everyone is invited to join. The requirements are simple and flexible.

• Devote at least one post a month to/for/about peace. If you write poems or fiction, write a piece about peace. If you take photos, post a photo or gallery that reflects, symbolizes, defines, or creates peace. If you write rants, rant at something that disturbs the peace or rant about something that promotes peace. If you are into zen, post a blank white page. If you are an artist…you get the idea. Feel free to be creative. Peace has no boundaries. There are no mistakes. We have no enemies.

Prison Awakening

I originally wrote this fictional epistolary piece for the DPChallenge: Shift Your Perspective, until I re-read the challenge and found out that you had to write about blogging. I decided to post this story anyway after reading Professions for Peace’s posts about forgiveness and stumbling and Tracy’s post about letting go. I also think it applies to Mirth and Motivation’s post FOCUS: PEACE. I apologize for any offensive language; I was trying to portray the character as realistically as possible. 

Dear Edward,

I hope this letter finds you well. I know we haven’t spoken in sometime now, but I recently heard about your incarceration and I wanted to reach out to you. I know everything about the case, and I wanted you to know that I still love you. I will help watch over your kids until you get out.

If you want to write back, here is my new address:

Grace Osborne-Dufresne
199 E. Pearl Ave Gate #7
Harmony, Ca 93435

Hoping to hear from you,
Grace

A Knock Upside the Head by Mindfulness

Mindfulness is moment by moment practice. Sometimes we forget to be mindful and something will knock us upside the head to remind us.

International Label Day

The incredibly creative mind of Rarasaur came up with a new holiday called International Label Day:

“I’d love to see people wearing their subcultures proudly!  So the holiday is simple– just label yourself and wear it all day.  Use a piece of masking tape, or a Hello My Name Is sticker, or whatever– but let people know!  You are what you are, and you are glorious.”

November 21st is officially International Label Day. I know this is late notice, but it is not too late. Put on a label and see what happens. If you want, you can take a picture, post, and pingback to Rarasaur’s blog to join the party.

Stop Clicking on my Blog

Hello, my name is Kozo. Hi, Kozo. Welcome, Kozo. Hello, Kozo. And I am an addict. My drug of choice is Site Stats, SS, or as we junkies call it Eses–Spanish for the letter “S” but also slang for companions or friends because for many of us new users, Site Stats are our only friends. I started using Eses a few days after I joined WordPress. After that first click, man, I was a goner. I would refresh my SS twice as many times as the hits I’d gotten. Some days I would just stare at that little message icon waiting for it to turn orange indicating a new hit or perhaps a message from a fellow junkie.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Broken Buddha

“The saints of God dare to be ordinary.”–Hugh Prather

A friend of mine who owned an import/export shop gave me a large Buddha statue that had been damaged irreparably in shipping. Like everything else I receive for free, I didn’t give it much thought. When I was forced to live in my car, I left the statue with my mother who placed it on her front porch in the wind and rain like an Asian garden gnome. Years later, this battered moss covered Buddha became one of my prized possessions. Although my wife and I own other Buddha statues, this broken Buddha is still my favorite.

For me this faded sea green Buddha reminds me of the real Shakyamuni Buddha. Although many depictions of the Awakened One are artistically crafted in gold, we often forget that Siddhartha Gautama was a broken man right before he attained enlightenment. A former prince, Siddhartha abandoned his wife and newborn son to pursue a spiritual life as an ascetic.

Free Hugs: Hug for Freedom

This post is in response the Daily Post Weekly Writing Challenge: “tell us about a moment when your life changed in a split second.”

In my younger days, if I were at the trial of Jesus, I would have probably voted with the rest of the crowd to crucify him. I used to be such a judgmental and closed minded person, which is probably why in 1999 all my traveling companions abandoned me in Sri Lanka, a small island formerly known as the Island of Serendipity off the southern coast of India.

Luckily, right before they abandoned me I had just finished a week long meditation retreat; otherwise, I might have struck them down “with great vengeance and furious anger” Pulp Fiction style. At the retreat an experienced meditator whom other guests called the “sitting one” said that I needed to go to India to get a hug from a guru named Amma.

World Peace, Marital Bliss, and Blogging Fame–Not necessarily in that order

Eryn Vorn / Foter / CC BY

“Through compassion, through love, we can solve many problems, we can have true happiness, real disarmament.”–Dalai Lama

I wish I were a superhero who could step into the body and mind of others and force others to step into someone else’s body and mind.

I could have gotten my power after being bitten by a radioactive Tibetan Lama.

You could call me Empathico.

I would use my power for world peace, marital bliss, and blogging fame.