How can I feel at my most liberated today?
April 10th 2009 13:58
Category: No Category
Says Yoko Ono (whom I am now following on Twitter), In a day, sometimes I feel so much love for the world, I think my heart is bursting. Sometimes, I feel so scared, I want to shrink myself even further.
The most recent work of art of hers I read about was her broadcasting a positive message of acting peacefully through the Montreal metro system. You can read about this gorgeously generous act here.
The quote above is from Yoko's '25 Things' (a disclosing of 25 details about your life for your friends - or your fans - to read), and I believe her attention to extremes made me think about my world in a new light. Recently I have been neither feeling overwhelmed with joy nor super-distressed. I have actually been guided by the philosophy that there is a bit of good in every bad thing, and a bit of bad in every good. I try not to get too hung up on the idea that the world is fabulous or untenable, because I know my perspective is always altering, quicker than I can usually evaluate, because I am out of the habit of deep self-scrutiny.
I wonder if I could get back this intense attention to my every process today... that might involve raising my head higher, licking my lips, relaxing into my self.
I have a clock in my bathroom (my mother's addition, not mine). I am very conscious of its tick-tocking intrusion into my thoughts whenever I enter the room. Someday soon, I will divorce it from the wall where it now hangs and cast it out into the living room in silent protest. The bathroom is a sanctuary of peace and quiet, and I want it to remain that way. My response to the clock, for its loud and incessantly insistent announcement of the passage of time, made me think about whether my mind is out of sync with my emotions, body and/or spirituality. I don't even know if 'spirituality' should be a category I consider a basic informant of my internal processes, since I don't believe in a higher being. Perhaps my body, mind and emotions should be enough.
At any rate, I feel pretty special. Why? I feel safe, warm, sound and free of harm. I will be embarking upon an adventure of epic proportions soon. New country, new faces, new friends, new architectural styles, new fashion, new food, new smells, new vegetation, new flora and fauna, etc. I am prepared to be unprepared for extreme poverty, uncomfortable heat, getting hassled for money, sex and personal information. I am prepared to be gawked at due to my weight... but perhaps I am getting away from my point.
It is true that reverting to thinking about travel usually leads to a sense of euphoria...
My friend and I use many of the same ingredients in our lives, and yet come up with very different-tasting recipes. It is a pleasure to discuss, fine-tune and improve upon the ingredients with her.
I'm listening to Halo by Beyonce, a song I have a lot of affection towards, even if the video is so dreadfully unexperimental and Beyonce is not a very deep person. Listen/watch here.
What do I need right now? Exercise is probably at the top of the list.
Maybe I should think about travel some more, since it's actually justified this time. I discovered a whole bunch of travel videos on YouTube late last night and was riveted by them. From Copenhagen to Mongolia, Belize to Colorado, I am looking forward to brushing up on my knowledge of world culture. For such great beauty can be found in this land of ours?
Perhaps the concept of the spiritual makes me stumble conceptually because it seemed to come so naturally... I used to pay so much attention to my inner workings, both conscious and unconscious (and I love the idea that that line is constantly reinvented).
I'm trying to invent a new way of sight. So that I can value reinvention ever the more. But what is it, if not a word? Language is all I have, to play elaborate word games with. There is no inherent meaning in an utterance, or the phonetic representation of such.
The most recent work of art of hers I read about was her broadcasting a positive message of acting peacefully through the Montreal metro system. You can read about this gorgeously generous act here.
The quote above is from Yoko's '25 Things' (a disclosing of 25 details about your life for your friends - or your fans - to read), and I believe her attention to extremes made me think about my world in a new light. Recently I have been neither feeling overwhelmed with joy nor super-distressed. I have actually been guided by the philosophy that there is a bit of good in every bad thing, and a bit of bad in every good. I try not to get too hung up on the idea that the world is fabulous or untenable, because I know my perspective is always altering, quicker than I can usually evaluate, because I am out of the habit of deep self-scrutiny.
I wonder if I could get back this intense attention to my every process today... that might involve raising my head higher, licking my lips, relaxing into my self.
I have a clock in my bathroom (my mother's addition, not mine). I am very conscious of its tick-tocking intrusion into my thoughts whenever I enter the room. Someday soon, I will divorce it from the wall where it now hangs and cast it out into the living room in silent protest. The bathroom is a sanctuary of peace and quiet, and I want it to remain that way. My response to the clock, for its loud and incessantly insistent announcement of the passage of time, made me think about whether my mind is out of sync with my emotions, body and/or spirituality. I don't even know if 'spirituality' should be a category I consider a basic informant of my internal processes, since I don't believe in a higher being. Perhaps my body, mind and emotions should be enough.
At any rate, I feel pretty special. Why? I feel safe, warm, sound and free of harm. I will be embarking upon an adventure of epic proportions soon. New country, new faces, new friends, new architectural styles, new fashion, new food, new smells, new vegetation, new flora and fauna, etc. I am prepared to be unprepared for extreme poverty, uncomfortable heat, getting hassled for money, sex and personal information. I am prepared to be gawked at due to my weight... but perhaps I am getting away from my point.
It is true that reverting to thinking about travel usually leads to a sense of euphoria...
My friend and I use many of the same ingredients in our lives, and yet come up with very different-tasting recipes. It is a pleasure to discuss, fine-tune and improve upon the ingredients with her.
I'm listening to Halo by Beyonce, a song I have a lot of affection towards, even if the video is so dreadfully unexperimental and Beyonce is not a very deep person. Listen/watch here.
What do I need right now? Exercise is probably at the top of the list.
Maybe I should think about travel some more, since it's actually justified this time. I discovered a whole bunch of travel videos on YouTube late last night and was riveted by them. From Copenhagen to Mongolia, Belize to Colorado, I am looking forward to brushing up on my knowledge of world culture. For such great beauty can be found in this land of ours?
Perhaps the concept of the spiritual makes me stumble conceptually because it seemed to come so naturally... I used to pay so much attention to my inner workings, both conscious and unconscious (and I love the idea that that line is constantly reinvented).
I'm trying to invent a new way of sight. So that I can value reinvention ever the more. But what is it, if not a word? Language is all I have, to play elaborate word games with. There is no inherent meaning in an utterance, or the phonetic representation of such.
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Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
Keep on dreaming!
Comment by Postmodern Critic
Postmodern Critic
Relativity Watch
Padsoc
Thanks for the encouragement to keep dreaming...