What was it that you had in mind?

WHAT WAS IT THAT YOU HAD IN MIND?

Presumably, given that you are reading this, you are living a life of some sort.

Right?

Tell me this: Is it the life you had in mind? The one you dreamed of when you were, say, 16, or maybe 21, or maybe the one you were sure you'd have by the time you reached 40?

Maybe the one you never told a single living soul that you wanted, the one you gave up on ages ago because other stuff got in the way, you got practical and serious-minded and told yourself to put all the silliness behind you?
(See Pages, at left, for continuation of "What was it that you had in mind?)

Me, Lynn Ingram

About Me

It's a journey, this life, and mine has been full and varied. I've loved a lot and been loved, I've wept a good bit and I suspect I was the reason for a few tears shed by others. I've been enchanted by the power of words and the incredible resilience of the human spirit forever. I love sorting out what makes us human beings tick and trying to find out how to make us tick better, starting with me. So now I'm a psychologist and a writer. On the way here, I was a teacher, an editor, a striker on a shrimp boat, an unsuccessful advertising sales rep, a little theatre actress, a student pilot, and a handful of other things. And I'm not done yet.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Needing a bit of solitude now?

Oh, yes. Yes, a little down time, a little "you time," a little quiet after the delightful (or perhaps, not so, depending on the circumstances of one's life) holiday gatherings and doings and comings and goings.

I've stolen what's in quotes below from the Tricycle newsletter - and the link at the bottom will take you to quite a few more words of wisdom:

"Weekly Teaching: The Power of Solitude
Sometimes, after a big gathering with lots of family, friends, and excitement, we just want to be alone. And Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism, emphasizes the importance of solitude in practice. And there are tangible, immediate benefits to going on retreat, to being alone:
You can look at retreat as a practice to develop compassion for other people. When you know how to relax into that deeper sense of yourself, you can be there for people in a way that you never could before, in a way that is not driven by your ambition and habitual patterns but rather where you see what other people really need. You see their experience from their side. You are actually able to get outside of yourself. Far from being an antisocial practice, retreat practice frees you to love people in a uniquely powerful way."
http://www.tricycle.com/interview/power-solitude
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