It is 6:16 AM and I’ve had a productive morning. I’ve gone to the gym, put away the dry dishes and made the coffee. I thought I’d get a journal entry in since it has been a while.
Daisuke and his wife are here and we’re in store for a fun weekend of sight seeing. The last time he was here was 8 years ago and I find it hard to believe how quickly time goes and how much has changed. He came with our mutual friend Saori and now both Saori and Daisuke are married. Back in 2008 we still lived in a small apartment in the city, we worked for different companies and there were no kids. Life continues to speed up and I’m just thankful I have this journal so I can remind myself of how quickly time actually goes.
I haven’t been in the best of moods recently most likely due to the news. It is incredible how much news can affect the national mood. The news is such a negative influence as they focus 95% on the negative and thus give the impression that things are continually getting worse when that simply isn’t true. Perception is so easily modified by the amount of information that is available to us through technology. I also find it so very hard to believe that Donald Trump has made it this far. The Republican National Convention is a complete shit show but the news carries on, confetti still rains down and a thousand dumb Americans cheer and clap. I would really like to see the news break from their mold and say how ridiculous the RNC is, how it is such a low point in American history and we should just all put a stop to this nonsense.
I have to actively try to avoid the news, close my mind off to this barrage of information trying to continually grab my attention. It is as though I need to create my own world, shutting out the bad and focus on the absolute beauty of life. By doing so, the negativity ceases to exist for me and I can determine my own mindset, I can choose to be happy!
When I can push the negativity out of focus, life really is incredible and at 39 years old I’m experiencing it in a completely different way. Life has become mysterious, fascinating, magical, awe-inspiring just by focusing on life and consciousness itself. I didn’t just stumble into this mindset, there have been a couple of really good reasons why.
One is the discoveries NASA is making. We’re seeing Pluto and Jupiter up close for the first time and they are discovering innumerable planets outside the solar system. How awesome yet terrifying the universe is and NASA is giving us a front row seat! To really contemplate the vastness, the unknown of the universe and then to think it all might be just one little spec of dust to something larger takes ones breath away.
On our own planet, how many people have really ‘seen’ the beautiful nature which surrounds us. How many people listen to the songs of the birds or the dew on a flower petal in the morning? How many watch the sunsets and sunrises? How many are taken aback when the really inspect a bug and realize it looks like an alien from another planet? My kids have helped me with this as they are interested in pretty much everything. It made me realize how much I myself do not know and that the world I live in is absolutely fascinating indeed!
Finally, I’m at the age where people are starting to die. Parents of friends are passing away, sometimes friends, sometimes children of acquaintances. When you’re young there simply aren’t many people you know who have died except for grandparents. Now at 39 the shadow of death is still a faint specter in my consciousness but he has made his presence known, and will most likely grab someone I know in the next year or two. We do such a poor job in our culture preparing for death that it seems to always come as a shock when it does happen. We would do well to remind ourselves that the shadow of death faintly flicks and flickers around us at all times and thus help us to really appreciate every moment and the experience of simply being alive.
I almost forgot to mention meditation. Meditation is something I should have started a long time ago. In this culture of violence and anger so kindly brought to us in copious amounts daily by the news meditation has become absolutely necessary. In meditation I can clear the negative thoughts and more acutely appreciate my existence.
Switching gears, Pokemon Go was recently released and caused a worldwide craze. As for me, I appreciate it for a few reasons. The first is that it is something I can do with my son and works as a teaching tool. Games always get a bad rap from parents who simply do not understand that today’s games require one to think and strategize. These are the same parents who would rather just turn on the TV, or tell their kids to “go play outside.” Shit, we played outside and what did we do? Let me list them:
- Find golf balls – Trespassing on the golf course
- Adventure to the falls at the quarry – trespassing at the quarry
- Throw rocks at each other on the train tracks – put coins on the train tracks so they get flattened
- FightWe did other things as well like play basketball, skateboard and ride bikes but would have gotten in trouble for the other half of stuff we did if parents knew about it. I’m all for “playing outside” but there must be something interesting to do or else mischief will happen!
I’d also like to make an observation. Older people that rail against games are the same ones that can barely use a computer. Those that can use computers, the internet and general technology the best? Gamers of course!! Everyone I know who are really technologically astute enjoy playing games: that is how I learned to use computers/internet at a higher level than most – gaming!
The time is now 7:01 and the household is starting to wake up. The normal day begins.
