Courage

Courage is not about jumping out of a plane or going scuba diving. I think it means living with a level of awareness and fluidity, about being able to bend to meet the demands of the day. Courage means saying what you think to those you love, walking a new way home, staying up to see the sun rise and not fearing the fatigue that will follow.

Courage means being open to change, when change is a possibility.

Set your intention. Point yourself in a direction toward in important value or goal. Identify a quality you wish to nurture in your life.

Keys to reconnecting with the present

Mindfulness is the awareness that arises as you pay attention ON PURPOSE with a friendly and accepting attitude to whatever is present.

Meditation is an activity of directing your attention, so you will become more and more understanding and wise.

Imagery is the thought process that involves and uses the senses: vision, audition, smell, taste and the senses of movement and positiong. You use your imagination to facilitate communication between perception, emotion, and bodily change. It is one of the world's oldest healing resources.

Acting wholeheartedly Being more presnt and mindful, connecting more completely with what you do in the present. Singing, laughing, dancing, eating, listening--in short participating in a whole array of expereicnes wholeheartedly.

Whew . . . rough day

Loving Life

There was a zip and zing around today.
A feeling that life is great . . . that it's the bestest ever.

After so many days of 90+ weather, it is NICE outside.
The windows are open.
The humidity is down (Nothing ruffles a cat's fur worse than humid days! MAN oh MAN you just can't do a THING with your hair in the humidity!)

Today was that moment when you remember life is great. When you breathe deeply and feel it to your toes--"I am SO glad I am alive!"

There has never been such a day as today.

I love life.

It is a wonderful thing.

Especially when you slow down, ignore all other demands, debates and arguments and listen to your heart.

Your heart has some cool stuff to tell you . . . if you listen to it.

Oh . . . . I LOVE today!

And Oh, I love LIFE!

On being wise.

I know only that I do not know everything. That is what makes me wise.

No one is wise if they tell you they know it all. They know nothing if they do not know the very basic rule that they do not know anything.

If you KNOW you do not know anything, then you are wise.

Low attendance at the Socrates Club this morning. Apparently some people just SLEPT IN!

I will be happy when fall arrives. It's easier to get people out of bed when it's a cool beautiful fall morning.

Heaven on Earth

Learning Wisdom

This morning we are talking about Wisdom. How do you gain it? How do you learn it? What is it?

Confucius said that we learn wisdom by three methods:


First, by reflection, which is noblest;

Second, by imitation, which is easiest;

and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

This created some heated discussions. Mostly from members of our group that wanted to share their bitterest stories of the wisdom they learned by experience.

Examples:
If you eat things that are bad for you . . . you will barf them up. (Or end up at the Vets') Therefore--CHOOSING not to eat things that are bad for you is the wise thing to do.

If you run out the back door, eager to explore the world, STOP and look around you as you leave, otherwise you won't recognize YOUR deck to come home to and you'll end up under the Fischer's deck and it will take hours for anyone to find you. Therefore--CHOOSE adventure, but PLAN for your return.

If you enjoy sleeping next to somebody, don't use your claws on them. The wisdom of having good friends to sleep with is to treat them nicely--NO CLAWS! Otherwise you sleep alone. And you sleep where it's not so comfy.

Why is it foilage is more interesting if you can't see it every day?

Changing of the guard. Each of us must take our own turn on patrol.

Understand a cat's point of view. All the world is a cat toy. That's partly optimism, partly ingenuity, partly creative problem solving.

Feeling Happy

Discussion this morning was centered on Happiness. What is it? How do you achieve it? This was actually a hard discussion for our group to undertake, because cats are naturally happy all the time. We are aware of the unhappiness factor those few times our stomachs hurt. We are also aware of unhappiness when we see the humans around us. Assured that their stomachs don't hurt ALL the time and that we've NEVER seen them cough up a fur ball . . . we are realizing that happiness is NOT something humans seem to find easy to adopt.

So we did a little research.


It seems to be a common mistake that people want to wait until 'things are good' before feeling happy, or satisfied.
When you consider the fact that there are many people in the World in comparatively awful circumstance who are happy, this mistake becomes apparent.
Our old enemy pessimism is a biased way of thinking. If you are going to consider all the negatives about a situation, you are lying to yourself if you do not consider the possible positives too.
Negativity can become a habit, and one that comes naturally to human beings. Balanced thinking can become a habit too, even if it requires a bit more practice.

http://www.uncommon-knowledge.co.uk/inspirational_quotes/positive_thinking.html

We conclude that cats are naturally optimistic, one reason humans want us around. People are trying to LEARN from cats how to be happy.

HINT: Don't try so hard to make things perfect. LOOK for the perfect around you and enjoy it. It takes a lot less effort.

To ponder

All cats should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, to and why.
That's why we have 9 lives.

Socrates Club Tuesday Discussion

Do you have to recognize a miracle AS a miracle for it to BE a miracle?

Miracles are everywhere if you look for them.

Outside my window--miracles bloom.

When you think you know and understand your universe, look around you--there is another point of view.

I dream. I dream of being loved.

Socrates Club

I belong to a socratic discussion club that meets by the large sunny windows. We think deep thoughts and discuss them. Philosophy, animal rights, existential reality . . . all kinds of things.

This morning's discussion was on finding one's purpose. Do you wait to have it told to you, do you hunt for it, or do you believe a larger being reveals it to you?

Is it a mystery?
Is it so obvious that we cannot believe it's that simple?

Purpose.

It gives life meaning . . . or does it? Would life have meaning if we had no purpose? Certainly there are many beings who LIVE who have no purpose. So what is the advantage of knowing your purpose? Does it cause stress and pain if you don't know your purpose? It causes stress and pain to FIND your purpose. If purpose is so important why isn't it easier to understand? Does purpose change--as the seasons change, the day changes to night? Or is there an higher, more meaningful purpose.

Do we all have the same purpose? Are they related? If I told you MY purpose, would it help you find yours?

I so enjoy discussing important things, meaningful things. The Socrates Club by the big back windows brings joy to my life. And purpose.

Sometimes it can be as simple as that.

Oh sliver of sunshine, melt my bones. I shall share you with my friends.

Why can't cats fly?

Cats can't fly.
Why is that?

We'd be really awesome if we could fly.

Life is all about the napping.