Today's OM

March 29, 2006
Keeping Conscious
Staying Grounded In A Busy World

1. Live simply and live deliberately. By choosing not to get caught up in the details of this fast-paced world, you are doing your part to slow down the . You will also discover that you have more time to enjoy being alive.

2. Stay in touch with yourself. Soul searching, meditation, and journaling are just a few of the many activities you can take part in to stay aware and learn as much as you can about your emotions, reactions, likes, dislikes, dreams, and fears. Having a solid sense of self gives you a firm foundation for living in this world.

3. Support or teach others as often as you can. This can help you form connections with people while also giving you an opportunity to make the world a better place.

4. Consciously choose what you will allow into your being. The media bombards us with visions of hate, war, and pain. Be judicious about what you read, watch, and listen to.

5. Acknowledge the beauty that resides around you. Whether you live in a sprawling metropolis or a stereotypical suburb, there are natural and man-made wonders just waiting to be discovered by you.

6. Nurture your ties to your tribe. If you don't have one, create a community that you can belong to. Modern life can be isolating. When you have a tribe, you have a circle that you are a part of. Its members - loved ones, friends, or neighbors - can be a source of support, caring, guidance, and companionship.

7. See the larger picture. Remember that the way that you choose to live is not the only way to live. Widen your perspective by exploring other modes of being through research, travel, and discussion.

8. Embrace the challenges that life presents to you, and challenge yourself often. After a time, even the most exciting jobs or lifestyles can seem routine. Never stop assimilating new knowledge about whatever you are doing, and your life will never seem dull.

9. Move your body. In this busy world, it can be easy to live a sedentary life. Movement reacquaints us with our bodies and connects us to the earth in a visceral way. It also restores our vitality.

10. Make time for stillness, silence, and solitude. The world can be noisy, and we are subject to all kinds of noises nearly every waking hour. We are also often "on the go" and unable to relax. Being alone in a peaceful place and making time for quiet can help you stay in touch with yourself.

What's happening?, you ask...

So, to start off, check this picture out...
... my mother made it a point to email this to me thie morning...

This is how I feel when I am at work. I am sorta burnt out.. I need a vacation...

In happier news, I went to a kung fu seminar in Lexington, KY this weekend to see our Grandmaster perform and teach 2 forms that haven't been taught in a very very long time. I will not go into detail here because I really am not supposed to, but they are awesome.

I am so happy that I have started doing Kung Fu as well as Tai Chi. I am feeling better about myself and my physical condition already.

Oh well... back to work...

I got it...

I think I got it. I think I finally got it...

First off, let me start by saying that I am too happy to sleep. Now, a little background. I have been taking T'ai Chi classes for almost a year now, I would say. I have been learning moves up until this point, but tonight... tonight... something different happened.

As I was practicing, this overwhelming feeling of happiness just came over me. I realized a lot of things tonight, but I'll get to that in a minute. To sum it up, there is a baby screaming its head off outside, and I am not bothered in the least by it. I'm not in my own little world... I am not high... I just am....

Anyway... back to this feeling. As I am doing my forms, I am focusing on now. Here and now. I wasn't thinking about things from the past or what I am going to eat tomorrow for breakfast, or about how tomorrow is going to suck b/c it's Monday... I wasn't thinking about any of that. I was experiencing the moment for what it was... the air between my fingers, that carpet under my feet, the blood in my hands... I could feel it all and this was what happiness was tonight. My mind was free. Free from itself...

After this, I laid in bed and thought about my life and where it is right now. When I started working for... well... you know who I work for... one of my goals was to be making 100k by the time I am 30. To be honest, that doesn't seem all that important anymore. I have a job that enables me to do the things that I want to do, be flexible and have a life outside of work. For once in my recent life, I can finally say that I am happy where I am. Content. Not complacent. Happy. The only aspect that is missing is having my family here. I miss them terribly.

I compare the above to how I was feeling a year ago at this time and it is like night and day. I feel that I have come a long way and am proud of myself for doing so. I want to make every effort to have this feeling and attitude at all times in my life no matter what.

Even though I am still too wired to sleep... my girlfriend is in the bed all alone... she's sleeping... but still... she's all alone. I'm gonna go keep her company...

Good night...

What to do??

Man, I am bored. I was hoping to still be sleeping, but apparently it was imperative that guys stand around on my balconey at 9am on fucking Saturday morning doing ... whatever.

I have been working so much that I don't know what to do on my day off. I feel like I should be working. I mean... I know I shouldn't be but, like all I have done recently is work and go to kung fu. I do have the god damn fucking pinche piece of shit cell phone this weekend so, it may happen.. but hopefully not.

We went out last night for Stephanie's friend Tiffany's birthday. We ended up going to the Cheesecake Factory. I used to like that place... now I am starting to not. I have been to the one here in Austin twice and both times, the service has been slow and the server's have been somewhat annoying.

Some good news... it looks like Stephanie is getting promoted at her other job. Apparently, she is going to be a manager in charge of recruiting people to work for them. That is awesome becuase it will be Monday - Friday, 9-5 and she won't have to work on the weekends. She also won't have to work 2 jobs anymore.

So... what's up for the weekend? Well, I would really like to clean up my apartment. It's a freaking mess. I have kung fu and tai chi from 130-330. Today is our 5 month anniversary, so hopefully we can go on a date = ). I think Steph's friend is having a party at his house tonight, so we might go to that. Tomorrow, I have no idea. I just hope that the fucking phone doesn't start ringing.

Im hungry...

Sorry...

Sorry blog, it's been a while.

Things are good. Except for my legs... my legs are really really... really sore. I started taking kung fu classes again... well... one class, but there will be more to come. Nice to be back...

I tested to brown sash in Tai Chi which means what? Now... I get to learn a form called Buddah Fist. Kick ass... I have been wanting to learn that one since I started. Finally... it's time. Also, I am going to a seminar in Kentuck next weekend to learn 2 Golden Leopard forms form the Grandmaster of our system. That is going to be a lot of fun.

In other news, Steph got a new car; a 2003 electric blue PT cruiser. It is very nice, I will post some pics later for you all to see. She was able to selll her old car to someone at her job which was very convenient for her. I hope I am that lucky when I decide to sell my car and get a new one. That should be pretty soon. I have managed to pay off 2 of my 3 credit cards. I owe a little over 2k now, so that shouldn't really be a problem.

I have been experiencing burnout from my job. I do and say stupid shit sometimes or just zone out. I am not a stupid person but sometimes I just act straight up dopey. Sometimes, I leave work and I can't even get my eyes to relax. There is so much tenseness that I can feel.. I try to release it, but I have a hard time. Eventually, it does go away, but I can see how it's a little annoying to people around me to be spacey at times. Hopefully this won't have to go on for too much longer.

I should probably get to work now... I do have some stuff to look at.

Peace out yo...

Oh... and enjoy the larger font... = )