Musing

I love your outlook on life and can totally relate to it. Each day, as in life itself, is all how we chose to look at it. In my world, the glass is always half full (at least!). I have so much to be grateful and thankful for and I feel truly blessed. Yes, as with everyone, there are dark days, but I try to chose to figure out the lessons in them.... it makes us stronger and able to move on. I thoroughly enjoy reading things from someone so positive. Thank you, Mark! TA, Calgary

. . .

Hi Mark, I've been catching up on musings, having built up something of a backlog of them here. You sound very up at the moment. It must be your travels around the country looking at properties and dreaming that dream of your rural idyll. Well, it has been said that the hunt is more exciting than the catch anyway. The summer's just ending over here; we had a flaming June and July, August was a washout and September has given us a sultry Indian summer before the trees start to turn colour. Suddenly the screaming flock of swallows that swoop over my garden has left. So it's back to school for me. I'm teaching primary this term, which is a joy. Such a change to be working with little kids, still full of enthusiasm and amazement instead of the cynical, teenage public examination fodder which our British system churns out. I also have two adult evening classes on the go and some weekend special needs tuition, all to raise the funds for my trip to Canada, which I still haven't organised yet, but of course, I'm always late for everything. Also I've just embarked on a strange and fascinating relationship with a very unusual man; an esteemed author and entertainer who I would have considered to be right out of my league but who seems to think I'm the very epitome of mature, womanly sexuality. (Great! no more dieting). I was prompted to write to you because you mentioned the many neutral people in our lives, people we encounter frequently but to whom we have no particular association and who we neither like nor dislike and whom it's so easy to overlook or dismiss. I learned a system of meditation from the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order to gain some emotional equilibrium which involves focusing on all the people in our lives and specifically focusing in turn on one person we really like, one who is neutral and one we dislike or dis-favour. Using certain quiet thought patterns, it has really helped me appreciate others' point of view and appreciate how I fit into other people's scheme of things. I'd encourage anyone who wants to know themselves a little better and feel good about who they are to take a look at the FWBO sites. They don't sell buddhism, they're not pushy about it. You can just see if it's right for you or just take on board those aspects of the practice that suit you. Dog update: Nellie the greyhound has turned into the most loyal and treasured pet. We absolutely adore her and she loves us with a touching affection and poignancy that makes any Disney schmaltz look like Tarantino on speed. Very best wishes, Shelaghxx, SK, Suffolk, UK

. . .

So many smiles, now that it's every day again, now that it's safe again and doesn't hurt too much to stretch. Mark, thank you for your call. The smiles. Whatever, however, often whenever and wherever, you do bring other things to the table. Repeat, repeat, repeat. I responded, with this, sometime in July. Thanks again in September. I love the Don Quixote in you, as your personal windmill creates energy. I find it beautiful that you give people, whom you care about, who are swamped right now, a caring (yet) analytical grounding, in an attempt to define and tilt at pain, however powerful it seems. Always choices, when life and beauty triumph again, as they must for the loving living. Heartrending or life threatening pain causes chaos and temporary helplessness. Often, afterwards, one takes control with a lighter, sweeter and, yet, surer rein, awake and aware. Thank you for your thoughts today, VJP, Dewinton