Thursday, October 28, 2010

Less me, more God...


“We are sick with fascination for the useful tools of names and numbers, of symbols, signs, conceptions and ideas. Meditation is therefore the art of suspending verbal and symbolic thinking for a time, somewhat as a courteous audience will stop talking when a concert is about to begin.”
-Alan Watts


I'm hoping a few deep breaths, some chilled out music and a glass of sparkling water will help me produce a decent post tonight. I feel excited to write, like I'm finally finding a voice for the blog after nearly ten months of jabbering...

I've been pretty organized for the last two days. Stripped down to just the basics. Upon waking each morning I have been drinking a "green monster". A fruit smoothie with a handful of spinach ground in. I thought Katie was joking Sunday morning when she started shoving green leafy stuff in the blender right along with the strawberries and yogurt, but It's been helping a lot. And I'm not one to challenge her when it comes to food choices. She's usually right. I think starting the day off with a serving of fruit and veggies is a plus. It comes out to about 280 calories and carries me a couple of hours into the day. It's also lite and quick to prepare.

I've actually found myself looking forward to rolling out of bed to practice "smoothie meditation" each day. Typically I would grab my phone off the charger and already be plugged in to the nonsense of my email, the stocks, Facebook or my Blogger dashboard before getting dressed. The discipline of staying calm and disconnected in the mornings, even if it's just for a few minutes is taking me to new levels of peace. Stillness in the morning gives my brain the time it needs to wake up and acclimate to my surroundings. Jamming it with social media, stock figures, the stress of work, etc. gets my wheels turning right off the bat and sets me up for a crummy day. On Monday I got a full hour of calm time in the morning and I was sharper all day because of it. I jotted down a few things I wanted to accomplish and relaxed knowing I could easily get everything done. I had more energy to exercise and my thoughts flowed freely in conversation that night when I was out with friends. While it can be incredibly difficult to get out of bed in time to spend time in meditation, I'm going to make a commitment to do this everyday. It's so worth it!

I've also been trying to focus on what I call "quality time". This is time when I can fully devote my attention to my wife and my dog. It seems odd to schedule that time or have to work on prioritizing it, but how often do we really spend time completely devoted to the people we love? I had three things I wanted to accomplish today and the first was to have quality time with my wife when she got home from work. We were a bit strapped for time, but we went to a restaurant and sat down and talked to one another for awhile. Oddly enough we got a lesson in presence when we walked in. A mother was yelling at her son, "What do you want to eat? You're holding up the line!" She was yanking his arm and pulling him through the line like a rag doll. I thought it was such a shame to use your valuable time with a loved one in that way. When we see purposeless anger in other people it is so obvious to us, but we often miss it in ourselves. I can often get mouthy for no reason. When I'm centered and in the present I don't have these issues. Anger, judgment and fear don't seem to creep in and dictate my thoughts.

So this process of better nutrients, more time in stillness and more time with the people I love all adds up to less time stuck in me. Less me is a good thing. Less ego, less thought chatter, less time thinking of everything I need. More time realizing I lack nothing, more time being free, more time being connected, being nurtured, being loved.

More time just being in God's world...

mellow

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Start feeling...

“When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.” -Pema Chodron


It seems as though I've been given a new mantra recently.

Stop seeking-

And while I'll admit it resonates very deep within me and makes me smile when I read/here/see it, it's so terribly difficult to stop doing something I've been doing for years. Looking for happiness, fulfillment and meaning in my life has been my obsession for years and its taken me through many emotional landscapes and even to the point of dysfunction at times. I think most of my personal growth has come from correcting the trajectories of obviously destructive paths in my life.

But where did most of those difficult journeys begin? What made me choose those paths? It seems crystal clear to me now that most of my difficulties whether alcoholism, emotional disturbances, my unstable professional life, or struggles with weight all flared up as a result of this "pursuit" if you will. I jumped on those destructive paths because I was looking for something. An edge, the perfect life or the end of suffering. And more often than not, a quick fix or a distraction from the fact that I wasn't getting what I sought!

As I look back I can see that I let my expectations and attitudes color my life. I had a skewed vision of what was really going on. And when you have distorted expectations of what a life can and should be...well of course you're not going to live up to it all. You'll go about blaming others or worse blaming yourself for all that went wrong. There may even be a subconscious part of me that wanted to stay a jaded drunk asshole. What's the fun in being fulfilled? Then you can't engage in your favorite pastime of seeking the better job, the next vacation, the next fatty meal, etc.

For the last few weeks I have continually gotten the same message. Quit seeking, quit looking, just be, just experience and enjoy. I've gotten this message from friends, several bloggers I follow and my wife drops little zen snippets on me all the time. But how do you really clear the table? Do you just give up the search and smile more? Do you go live in India with no possessions until you're enlightened? Do you taper this seeking addiction? Because that's what it really is.

I'm addicted to stuff and I'm obsessed with myself-

The self talk and seeking make life uncomfortable so, like anyone, I use stuff to numb it out. Everyone does this. We just use different stuff. The western world is set up to engage our every desire so we can do exactly this. Be numb in a state of mindlessness. Hell sometimes it's pure bliss. Everyone loves ice cream! I have all kinds of stuff I like to use. Luckily I've tackled alcohol and drugs, but I still fall short when it comes to food, web surfing and buying things I don't really need.

I could beat myself up, but I preached against that a few months ago here on the blog. It's really not about improving per se...that would just be more seeking. I think the reason my new mantra resonates with me is because I can recognize the insanity in my behaviors and thought patterns. No guru or monk is striking me over the head with a staff and saying "Change all this stuff you low life!!!" I think the great people making these observations are simply giving pointers. Like saying, "Hey you've tried walking that path...walk this way over here for a while...see what happens".

I've tried charging out toward a destination seeking treasures. Perhaps I'll just try walking with nothing in mind for awhile.

Feeling each step...

Peace,
mellow

Monday, October 18, 2010

coffee, coffee...

So I've been getting my caffeine fix in a different locale these days. One that serves beautiful salads and creamy americanos that buzz me just right. Meshugga Cafe has been my spot to geek out for the last week or so.

While I feel a bit like a trader to the crew at my corner Starbucks the new place has plenty of perks. Despite a drive across town and a slightly crummy parking situation this locally owned cafe is appealing to me.

The fresh salads and hot sandwiches definitely make it a nice little blogging nook or hideaway from the mainstream crowd. You won't find drip roasted coffee though. Esspresso rules the roost here and it's pretty damn good. In fact Wayne from the Flaming Lips even shot a tweet out onto the interwebs while having a cup from Meshuggah last month as the Lips passed through St. Louis.

So if you find yourself in the "show me" state and near St. Louis the Meshuggah Cafe is a must for a chat with friends, a great lite lunch and no doubt one of the boldest cups of coffee in town.

And make sure you get upstairs. That's where all the cool kids are.

Peace...









Thursday, October 14, 2010

mobile blog app test...

So I'm testing out a mobile blogging app for iPhone. I'm not sure how this will interface with my blogger account so pay no mind to any shenanigans that go on for next day or so...

Some info on BloggerPlus by ThinkTek

mellow

today...

i woke up today...
everything was good today...
went for a little run today...
it didn't hurt today...

i felt pure today...
got down and prayed today...
asked for direction today...
i see a purpose today...

shared my thoughts today...
cup of dark today...
just a dash of cream today...
it tasted perfect today...

i wasn't worried today...
i was connected today...
happy tears today...

i'm alive today!

sometimes they aren't just pets...

Last night as I scrolled through my Facebook news feed I came across an incredible snippet of raw emotion, empathy and humanity. I found myself crying over my iphone as I watched "Last Minutes with ODEN". In this teaser from a yet to be released documentary from PHOS pictures director Eliot Rausch follows recovering addict and ex con Jason Wood through the incredibly heartbreaking experience of putting his dog Oden to sleep.

Poignant voice overs and beautiful footage describe Oden as much more than just your average dog. Oden has become as symbol of hope for many of Jason's friends who come to live on his couch as they try and turn their lives around. The video pretty much speaks for itself and I would recommend you watch this in private (or even better with some understanding loved ones!) as you will probably shed a few tears.

I couldn't help but feel a little more connected to the human race as I got out bed this morning with Jason's perspective that "God is love and Love is God". A philosophy he credits Oden in teaching him.


Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.


Notes on the Film:
Oden's struggle with cancer finally came to an end.
May he rest in peace and his memory be eternal.

Canon 7D

Directed/Edited: Eliot Rausch
Director of Photography: Luke Korver, Matt B. Taylor
Song: Big Red Machine / Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner

A story from the 8 LIVES Documentary.
For more of Jason Wood's story from 3 years ago
see http://vimeo.com/14047489

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

mood tracking...

I've known for quite awhile the secret to more symptom free days is to get some insight into what causes you to get loony. Whether you are struggling with classic melancholic or "unipolar" depression or bipolar depression with switches into higher moods with euphoria and irritability it can sometimes seem like you have no control whatsoever over your sanity.

2010 started with a BANG. As I was highly productive and felt like I was kicking ass at work. My therapist even made me make an emergency appointment with the doc one day because she thought I was too "high" during one of our sessions. This little episode led to the creation of the blog you are reading.

All good things (and feelings) come to an end. Throughout the course of this year I have had more trouble with fatigue and spent more time in bed than I have in my entire life. By May I was in bed twelve, fourteen, sometimes sixteen hours a day. I didn't even really feel depressed. I could work just fine on the three nights a week I needed to drag myself to the hospital and do some work. But on off days I felt slowed down and unmotivated...and really hungry for double cheeseburgers. Double cheeseburgers made everything Ok...and a six piece nugget on the side made things just perfect. Which brought me to a whopping 297 pounds by mid year.

Here and there I was able to break through with little bits of inspiration. A stern talk from my wife (a registered dietitian with a fat husband is kind of the definition of irony...) led me to start weight watchers and I lost 30 pounds. It was still a chore to get out of bed on weekends, but I slowly climbed out of the hole. Several medication changes were made and I felt like a marionette under my doctors control. Sitting in the waiting room with the other desperate souls I would think to myself. "Just fix me...just fucking fix me!"

I took up running which has brought with it both exhilarating energy and frustrating injuries, but I have established a commitment to health and realize that cheeseburgers don't work as well as fresh foods, meticulous timing of medication and the attitude that life will unfold ever so perfectly if I can just let it be.

Which brings me to the present. Last week I couldn't get six hours sleep. I felt like slapping total strangers and thought I was on the verge of a melt down. This week I'm getting ten hours no problem and I'm settling back into a normal mood. It's all a mystery to me and it's one I'm setting out to figure out. I have been tinkering with mood tracking software since my episode in February. I tried a couple of Iphone apps, but this weekend I found a great website. https://www.moodtracker.com/index.php

This site seems to be the daddy of all mood trackers. It tracks sleep, med history, irritability, anxiety and gives you the option to rate your mood "elevated" or "depressed" (mood categories are further broken down into mild, moderate or severe). There is also a section for a brief daily journal. You can analyze you mood via a bar graph or you can scroll through your journals.

Here is my graph for the last few days:

I've also simplified my cocktail. I had a long talk with a friend from my 12 step group about how I should be handling my medications. We both agreed that recovery is based on spirituality and that I needed to believe that my doc was a trained professional that was put in my life by a higher power greater than me. Adjusting doses, constantly researching meds, playing with vitamins and trying to skirt by without ever experiencing any pain or discomfort was a problem. My motives need to be pure.

Lamictal 150
Topomax 50
Risperdal 0.5
Omega 3 Fish Oil 1200
Natural Way Multivitamin

I'm also trying to only drink coffee for the first four hours that I'm awake. In the last month I'm drinking ten to twelve cups a day and its getting ridiculous. I guess this year has really been about acceptance. Every time I think about looking at a mood graph that reads baseline all the way across I think "Wow that would be boring...I want to be jacked on coffee...I want to run around the house dancing to jazz music... I need to fly out of bed feeling like a million bucks with no anxious thoughts every morning." That would be a wonderful world to live in for a time, but at this point in my life I can value being able to get a stable level of sleep and actually be calm enough to sit still in a chair. It's a goal I can work towards that will probably be more interesting than I think. Not too exciting but not too dull.

It beats crashing full speed into the pillow without a hope or a prayer of knowing when you'll be back...