Life On A B-I7

Section 1, Anacortes, WA to Sandpoint ID, 460 Miles

Section 2, Sandpoint, ID to Cut Bank, MT, 450 Miles

Section 3, Cut Bank, Mt to Dickinson, ND, 550 Miles

Section 4, Dickinson, ND to Fargo, ND, 350 Miles

Section 5, Fargo, ND to Walker, MN, 175 Miles

Section 6, Walker, MN to Stillwater, MN, 260 Miles

Section 7, Stillwater, MN to Muscatine, IA, 370 Miles

Section 8, Muscatine, IA to Monroeville, IN, 415 Miles

Section 9, Monroeville, IN to Orchard Park, NY, 420 Miles

Section 10, Orchard Park, NY to Ticonderoga, NY, 450 Miles

Section 11, Ticonderoga, NY to Bar Harbor, ME, 440 Miles

The problem with hemorrhoids is similar to “hanging chads.”

I never thought I would need to go into depth on this, and indeed I don’t. One final thought on this subject however: Politics and the people make for strange bed fellows, but also strange bathroom fellows

Control.

To put it simply control, is the one thing we control.

Do we look around us and see all the things that are out of our control, or do we look around us and focus on those things that we can control?

We should focus on those things we can control.

by Cody Cook-Parrott

I picked this up my last time through Kanab. I love the little coffee shop / book store / sporting goods store there. For me it’s a must stop. The subtitle of the book, “Cultivating Presence in a Distracted World” caught my eye. I admit I’m not as well put together as I would like to be. The book was good, and I was happy to learn that I am already doing the practices that she recommends to increase one’s attention and presence in the world. (No brag, it’s actually not terribly complicated.) Here are the practices she recommends:

1. Get a hobby. (For me, paint — this one is new.)
2. Move. (For me, do something physical that you enjoy, easy.)
3. Do something Creative. (For me, writing.)
4. Do something spiritual. (For me, mindfulness exercise, and study.)
5. Service. (For me, working in the kitchen at the homeless shelter.

The point is do things that help you detach from media and the culture that demands so much of our attention. So much that we don’t have enough left for ourselves. She makes the point thoroughly (almost too thoroughly) and I’m happy to report I agree with her 100 percent.

I found this quote in Chole Dalton’s book “Raising Hare.”

Seton was not writing philosophy, but what he is saying is philosophical. Seton is expressing the notion, as was put forth by the Stoics, that logos i.e., reason, underpins all of nature. That animals are just as beholden to logos as are humans. In fact, there is no distinction between humans and animals other than by degree of separation when it comes to recognition of logos.

Robert Caro said: “Power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals.” We all recognize this and see it constantly in our daily lives. People with power often tend to wield it for their own benefit.

There is another attribute that can corrupt or reveal: Prosperity. Prosperity has the same potential effect as power. Prosperity can be financial or personal, in fact there are many types of prosperity. If we have the good fortune to prosper, we must remember not to let it change us. Strive to have the character that is strong and true even in good fortune.

A Worthy Goal

It’s good to have goals. This morning when I was sitting quietly and breathing and letting my mind wander freely, I realized something out of the blue. It occurred to me that being able to sit cross-legged would be a wonderful goal to work toward.

The way I am built, I find the notion almost laughable. But now that I have taken the time to write this down, I feel more strongly about this desire than when it first came into my head.

It’s going to take awhile.

The Creator’s Time

The Brahma Muhurta is the hour of the morning that is refered to as “The Creator’s Time.” This is the most creative time of the day and a good time for meditation. Brahma Muhurta is the 48 minute period (one Muhurta) that starts one hour and 36 minutes before sunrise. Since sunrise is dependent on one’s latitude and. longitude, Brahma Muhurta is slightly different each day. Brahma Muhurta starts a bit earlier each day until you read the summer equinox, then the Brahma Muhurta time starts to get a bit later each morning until you reach the winter equinox.

I have a page in my journal for each day. I have recorded sunrise for my location for each day and calculated the corresponding Brahma Muhurta time. I have written those times down in my journal. I look at the time the night before and plan my morning. I try and use that time for meditation and writing.

Below is my prayer to celebrate the new day during Brahma Muhurta.

Read Mindfully

Read a book as slowly as possible. Intentionally slow down. Focus on each word of each sentence. Think about how the sentence is structured, what the author wants you to take away from the sentence. What do you see that you would not have seen if you had read the words quickly.

Four Considerations

I use these thoughts as focus for meditation. I repeat each of these slowly and ask how aligned I am with each of these. It’s useful to run through the list more than once, answers may differ as I delve deeper each time.

Drive with Intent

I have a nice sound system in my Tacoma. That has nothing to do with this exercise, but it makes the exercise more enjoyable.

I put my favorite mantra on and set it to play in a loop. I listened while driving to the next town, about 15 miles away. It made the trip enjoyable, actually luxurious. Here’s what I observed.

1. It makes the drive less stressful.
2. I tend to stay at or below the speed limit.
3. I get to my destination at almost the same time as I would otherwise.
4. I get there safely without incurring the ire of other drivers.
5. I don’t mind being courteous along the way.
6. The best: I am able to empty my mind, travel time becomes a non-issue.

A Mindfulness Practice

Do these seven things slowly with intent.

1. Smile for 3 seconds
2. Take one slow breath
3. Name one good thing
4. Straighten your posture
5. Label what you are feeling
6. Look far away
7. Ask one powerful question: What would the happiest version of me do right now? Go do it if you possibly can.

These ideas were stolen directly from Instagram. Proving I guess, the platform is not a complete waste of time.

Daily Mindfulness Exercise

I try and do a mindfulness exercise every day, These end up being whatever feels good in the moment. I’m sharing one here as an example, and also a reminder to myself. This is one I stumbled into recently that I enjoyed very much.

I sat down in my journal and with no pre-conceived notion of what I wanted to say, I simply wrote whatever came to mind as slowly as I could. Slowing down was hard. The goal was to fill the page with whatever thoughts came to me. Doing that slowly was difficult. It made me realize how often we rush thoughts out without really considering them thoroughly before we release them on the world. During this reflection I also realized how often I interrupt others when we are conversion. The exercise gave me some valuable insight, worth working on.

Om Nama Shivaya

Om Nama Shivaya is the mantra to Shiva used to show gratitude to the deity and also to request the granting of gratitude. We cannot have too much gratitude, We should show gratitude every day, to everyone we meet. By showing gratitude we elevate ourselves and all those around us. We are also showing the deity how much we adore peace.

I try to smile on the pickleball court as much as possible.

by Chloe Dalton

This is Dalton’s first book. It is exceptional. Brilliantly researched on a subject that gets little attention. The story was captivating, heart warming, and emotionally up lifting. Dalton works for the state department in the U.K. She writes a lot in her professional life but this is a remarkable work considering it is outside her normal sphere of expertise.

Two of my favorite passages. I will let the author speak for herself:

I was moved by the leveret’s dignity, the sense of well-being and calm it spread, and the simplicity of its life. The life of a hare at ease is one of basking, rolling, resting, drowsing and dreaming, and living in the moment. A hare leaves behind it nothing more than a patch of flattened grass, little larger than a human footprint, soon lifted by the wind and erased altogether.

And, in stunningly beautiful prose, and with beautiful sentiment behind it:

The atmosphere of calm suffused by her throughout the house lingers even when she is gone. I hope always to be able to summon it at will, along with the memory of the light and trusting touch of her paws in the palm of my hand, and her steady, unfathomable gaze. And when one day I can no longer see her, I will watch the hares in the field knowing that her being is woven into theirs, and that I have only to look up at night to see her symbol etched in the stars.

I tell myself not to count the years ahead in which she might never again come, but rather cherish the days she has given me of her own free will, when she lowered her species instinctive guard against humans, and shared the beauty and mystery of her presence in silent and graceful companionship. I will remember her leaving, but will know that before she did, she always, first, looked back.

Dalton shows us the complexity and beauty that is all around us in nature, we only need to open our eyes and view with care and openness.