Thanksgiving

Here's to giving thanks all week in preparation for the joyful holiday. Be aware and thankful every moment of all that you have, give thanks to the universe, creator, mother Earth, God. Spend quality time investing in your relationships with your loved ones (see longevity post).
:)
And here are a few awesome quotes:

Your deepest, most perfect happiness will be found within, and once you find it, nothing exterior to your Self can match it, nor can anything destroy it. -Neale Donald Walsch

If you want to make life easy, make it hard. -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A well-frog cannot imagine the ocean, nor can a summer insect conceive of ice. How then can a scholar understand the Tao? He is restricted by his own learning. -Benjamin Hoff, the Tao of Pooh

An affirmation for health from the Game of Life:
Divine love floods my consciousness with health, and every cell in my body is filled with light.

Longevity

I just finished reading a few great articles on longevity, How to Live to 100 and 14 Surprising Signs You'll Live Longer than You Think. I would definitely recommend reading the entire articles (they are very short, quick reads, packed with great information and tips). Here are a few key points:

The author studied people in the "Blue Zones" (Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, Calif.; and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica), where people live 10 years longer, experience a sixth the rate of cardiovascular disease and a fifth the rate of major cancers.

Move naturally, be active without thinking about it. Identify activities you enjoy and make them a part of your day. Walk for 30 minutes a day. Strong legs will help prevent injuries later in life.

Cut calories by 20 percent. Practice "Hara hachi bi," the Okinawan reminder to stop eating once their stomachs are 80 percent full.

Have a plant based diet. Use beans, rice or tofu as the anchor to your meals, and eat nuts. Don't drink soda.

Be a tea lover, drink 1-2 fresh brewed cups a day. Skip the milk, studies have shown that adding milk may reduce some of tea's health benefits.

Drink red wine. "Eat purple foods" which contain polyphenols (heart-disease reducing compounds--they keep your arteries and blood vessels healthy and flexible, as well as keep your brain's blood vessels healthy therefore improving brain function). Examples of purple foods are grapes, red wine, and berries.

Take time to relieve stress. Take some relaxation time every day, don't rush (plan on being early), and appreciate more silence (turn off the radio, tv, computer). Chronic stress weakens the immune system and ages cells faster.

Participate in a spiritual community.

Determine your life purpose. What gets you up in the morning? What is your personal mission statement? Be a flourisher, have a positive outlook on life, a sense of purpose and community, and meaning in your life.

Embrace new challenges. Become good at focusing your attention and using your brain power. Set goals, challenge yourself. If you always read novels, pick up an autobiography next time.

Having good interpersonal relationships can help achieve stress relief. Put loved ones first, make family a priority. Pick the right tribe, the people surrounding you influence your health more than almost any other factor. Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values, and really like your friends. Identify your inner circle, reconsider ties with those who bring you down, and be likable!

Don't try to change everything at once, you'll overwhelm yourself and get nothing done. Pick two or three of the ideas to work on at a time. Research has shown that if you can sustain a behavioral change for six weeks, you should be able to sustain it for the rest of your life.

Its interesting to think how all of this wisdom has been passed down through the ages, learned by the ancients, to be rediscovered, taught, and learned today by us. Also its interesting to think of the evolutionary/biological principles for the reasons behind all of these things that will help us live longer. Its just the way humans are, its just how life exists. It just is.

Post inspired by Jen Kivlin, a fellow flourisher.

With Metta

Here in my room tonight, sitting alone, listening to the sound of the metro speed past outside my 7th story window, I received an email from the Gaia community email list, and it made me pause for a moment to think of the connectedness of everyone. And it made me realize that the same thing is true for all of the email lists I'm on.

I imagined fingers around the world clicking this newsletter open, and eyes from all over reading these words, and I imagined countless thoughts inspired by their interpretation, and I imagined the thread of connection shared by each of you reading this.

And I sent a little metta of intention:
"May you be be happy; may you be healthy; may you be free from suffering; may you live with ease."

I hope it makes a difference.

The Game of Life by Florence Scovel Shinn (link to the entire text online) was recommended to my by our office secretary who is knowledgeable in the universal laws. We talked about these laws while walking to pick up lunch for the office the other day. Specifically she mentioned the power of the word, how right speech is so important, powerful, and definitive of your life and world; and also about positive affirmations, about how positive thinking really does bring prosperity into your life.

Which links my mind to an article I was sent today about a researcher who helped to prove these positive concepts through scientific tests. Over the course of 10 years and with the help of 400 men and women from all walks of life, his studies concluded that positive thinking really can improve your life, through self-fulfilling prophecies. (thanks Bloom)

Another online text I have been studying over the past year is The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. The Prophet also speaks to many universal laws. (thanks Lia for recommending this book)

I have had a few interesting experiences this past month including my first time getting acupuncture and my first time speaking to a psychic.
Also I had a bit of renewed interest in psychedelia when visiting Seattle and Vancouver and the openess of the culture to these experiences. During my freshman-sophomore years of college I used to check in on maps.org and deoxy.org frequently to learn more about this area. I also enjoyed reading The Doors of Perception, the Interpretation of Dreams, Be Here Now, Rational Mysticism, to name a few. My interest was renewed in perusing some of the books Christine had on her bookshelf (she has one of the most awesome personal libraries I've seen), like Zen and the Brain.

Instead of a quote of the day, I will be ending this blog with the first step in a four part series of beginning meditation, as taught by Ajahn Brahm.
Stage One: Present Moment Awareness. The past and the future are burdens. The reality of now is magnificent and awesome. You are here. You are mindful. This is the first stage of meditation, mindfulness sustained only in the present. It is important to put forth a lot of effort to make this first stage stron, firm, and well established.

A few quotes

I am busy with my job search for the San Francisco Bay Area, so I haven't had much time to post. But I have come across a few excellent quotes recently I'd like to share:

The one who can dissolve her mind will suddenly discover the Tao at her feet. . . . Lao Tzu

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts."
-Bertrand Russell

Do you have patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself? Lao Tzu

Peace and love to all beings in the universe, sending you all positive energy..

Eye on the Path

First, Congratulations to Obama! The change we need. I hope he does well as President and helps to turn the country in the right direction.

I'd like to suggest some good blog reading for the day, on one of my favorites, Zen Habits. Like I have said earlier, hopefully my blog will evolve into a blog similar to this one. If you scroll to the bottom of the blog you will see "popular posts by category" and beneath this you will find five lists. I have not read all of these posts but the ones that I have read have been worthwhile.

Quote of the day: "It's probably not a good idea to waste your energy fighting the external flow of events. Your resistance will likely cause more unhappiness than relinquishing control and just going along for the ride. The only thing you could lose is a bit of unnecessary pride."

Quote of the day 2: "I know some people say "Keep your eyes on the prize," but I disagree. When your eyes are stuck on the prize, you're going to keep stumbling and crashing into things. If you really want to get ahead, you've got to keep your eyes focused on the path." - Russell Simmons

I just came across this quote and it resonated with me because last week at the Earth Sangha meditation group, after meditation we began a discussion focused on just that. The leader spoke of a Thai Buddhist quote which had the exact same message; say enlightenment is your goal, and that enlightenment is like the top of a mountain. Say the path, meditation, is like a road leading to the top of the mountain. You can't just stare at the mountain top, or you will run off the road! You focus on driving along the road, but can still glance up at the mountain to see that it's still there. The same with obstacles, you can't focus on them when you're driving. You are aware of them, then you avoid them, then you keep going along the path, with all of your attention.

Finally, a related quote from the Bhagavad Gita: "The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results."