The Practice of Your Life

The Exercise and Pursuit of a Consciously Created Life

The Practice of Making People Wrong (Not)

May 31
2009

I’m so proud of myself.  Today I came across an article explaining why it’s wasteful to “pre-wash” dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, and I DID NOT send it out to anyone. 

Why is that noteworthy?  Because I realized that my sending it out was my way of being right about and making the Pre-Washers I can think of; wrong.

As part of living life as a practice one of the practices I’ve adopted is the practice of observing and noticing things especially about myself.  I’ve come to notice the tell tale signs of resistance in my body: feeling tense, rigid, my breathing becoming shallow, my mood becoming irritated, my body language closed, often accompanied by an urge to speak out.  Almost every time I

Rain, Rain, Rain

Dec 19
2008

Whoever said, “Into every life a little rain must fall,” knew what she was talking about; but this is ridiculous.  It’s rained almost every day since I’ve been here in Trinidad and yesterday it rained all day – much of it torrential.  On the narrow congested road to where my parents live, there were parts of the road under two to three feet of water.  What’s up with that?   So much for sunny Trinidad and getting away from the frigid New York weather. For the first time I can recall I stayed at home in Trinidad because of the weather.  Roads were covered in mud and bridges in mud and debris.  Also my friend who was having a Christmas party had no electricity.

This gives an opportunity to observe… Continue reading

Embrace Your Big Fat Ass

Jun 19
2008

You heard me! It’s big, it’s round, it’s talked about, it’s yours. So learn to love it.

Would like to say this is a quote from “Embracing Your Big Fat Ass: An Owner’s Manual,” but I haven’t read it … yet. Actually I probably won’t but it is possible. While big fat asses are not high on my issues list, the book is well written and funny. How do I know that? Well, the authors (Laura Banks and Janette Barber) read excerpts to the biggest audience at a Barnes and Noble book signing short of a Harry Potter release. And they had the audience rolling.

I knew I was in for a good time when my good friend Donna Moore

Your relationship to the way things are

Apr 16
2008

Fundamental practice #1 is to observe and notice. Start paying attention to your relationship to the way things are: the government, the environment, getting ahead, making money, your mother, your husband etc. Do you notice you have a set story or conversation about all of these things? What’s your conversation about each of them? Pay attention.

Is it a creative positive conversation or a destructive negative conversation?

Where did you get this conversation from? Careful research?

Or did you pick it up from somewhere? Where? From whom?

How does your conversation about these things, actually pick one, color your world? Let’s say a relative, or your job, or work, or politicians or a politician. Just pick one. You have it that this thing, issue or person is a certain way. Do you accept it… Continue reading

Learning to let go

Apr 03
2008

I use the word “learning” instead of “learn” because letting go is an art that you will spend your life practicing. Yet this is nothing to be discouraged about. The whole idea of living your life as a practice is that there is no final state of perfection. You always can improve.

Letting go is an essential practice for what George Leonard calls “Mastery”. Letting go, or surrendering is an essential practice because resistance is the adversary of the Master.

Looking back on my own life, I can see how I couldn’t let go of looking good. I never stayed with many endeavors because I couldn’t surrender to the clumsiness, awkwardness, uncertainty, confusion and frustration that comes with learning a new sports/skills/arts. Unless I could learn in private where no… Continue reading