January 26 – 27

30-Days of Silence Days 10-11

1/26

It’s an interesting task to get silent on days when there’s so much going on!  Going out into the world, then coming home.  Then out into the world again, then coming home.  It would be SO much simpler if I was in a cave!  I’m remembering the book, Buddha Didn’t Raise Kids & Jesus Didn’t Drive Carpool, and laughing.  It takes a lot of dedication to live a solid spiritual life for those who have very full lives.

I’m finding that juggling everything while maintaining consciousness, non-judgment, openness, connectedness, and SILENCE is proving to be a wonderfully challenging practice!

1/27

A really funny thing happened at the grocery store today…

I was in line to pay for something and I noticed a man behind me with a dozen supermarket roses.  He was holding them upside down and was oblivious to the fact that a whole bunch of the leaves and flower petals had fallen out of the packaging and onto the floor. He noticed me looking at him and looking at the pile of dried up leaves and petals on the floor and gave me a puzzled look.  My mind quickly went to him giving his woman these dried up flowers and decided I needed to help him.  I forgot my vow of silence and said, “Maybe a fresher bunch of flowers would be better?”  I thought he would understand when he looked down and saw the pile.  Instead, he shrugged and then looked at me as if to say, “Why are you talking to me?”

He was SO right!  Why was I talking to him!  He got me on two counts: 1) Breaking my vow of silence, and 2) Giving unsolicited advice!

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Luckily the rest of my day went more in alignment with my intention!

I have a couple of good meditations and writing sessions.  And contemplated somethings:

Who/what is behind my thought, my emotions, my (limited or little “s”) self awareness?  I can’t put words to it, but sometimes I can definitely see and feel it.

Release attachment to being right and having power over.  Try instead to be more knowledgable, curious about, forgiving, and more generous (as in giving people the benefit of the doubt). These help to lessen the grip on the need to be right.

Be with the truth of what is, be truthful, and reside in my own truth…and allow others to do the same.

Let opinion and judgement fall away, for there are as many opinions as there are people. Much judgement is based on opinion.  And much if not most opinion is based on some amount of conjecture.  How do I know this? Because with any situation or scenario, there is alllllwaaaayyys another perspective.  And as long as there is another perspective possible, there are no absolutes.

I realize that everyone is going to have opinions.  But I if we’re going to have opinions, wouldn’t it be more productive, effective, and empowering to err on the side of kindness and generosity?†

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† This line of thought about fairly harmless scenarios, and not when real damage or hurt or worse has occurred.