--------->Koan<-------------

I wanted to thank those of you who e-mailed, asking what the hell I was up to...not too much. Work and the house just took all I had there for a while.We are all doing so much better, it is an amazing pleasure to feel "normal" again. I missed you too :o)

I learned a great word/concept today:

Koan –
noun, plural -ans
- a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.

An example of a koan:
"Two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand?"

And another:
A Parable
Buddha told a parable in a sutra:

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming at a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed after him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw on the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!

Wow! That one exploded in my brain. I can't get it out of my mind.

Evenings, Steve and I are both online, in the living room, and the TV is on. I've been paying more attention to the commercials than anything else. I'm seeing a really nasty, insidious trend. It started with a commercial for a local bank.The spokeswoman has a very high-pitched, squeaky voice that irritates me no end. In some commercials she appears with her "son" and a chimp,because the son is a vet and wants to expand his office. In others, she claims to need to buy a car,and winds up with a Nascar :X. Lately though, the commercials have taken a very serious turn. No happy-happy hyperness, no high pitched voice, all business. As I looked at the other banking commercials, I saw the same thing. One goes so far as to say they were in business thru the Depression,and will help everyone thru this too, implying that we are in a depression and they have experience with what is going on now.If the banks HAD that experience and USED it,maybe the banking sector wouldn't be in the trouble it is now.

The banks aren't the only one advertizing to the Recession/Depression/pick your buzz word. Car dealerships are worse. From the local dealership, where the owner appeared,-
high-pitched-hyper voice and all, in a variety of improbable situations, from a moon shot to a safari, exhorting us to buy a Toyota [NOT Steves dealership,there is not enough xanax in the World for me to go to a company Christmas party hosted by this guy ]....then, one serious commercial featuring the owner, I almost missed it because he was speaking in a semi normal tone of voice...and now he doesn't appear in the commercials at all, like he's trying to disassociate himself from begging you to buy, and the economy.

I'm not sure what I expect from commercials. But this type of advertizing almost seems ghoulish to me,to prey on peoples worries and insecurities [like wrinkle cream and hair dye commercials don't? ] Even if people aren't paying attention to the commercials, they are subconsciously being fed a constant stream of doom and gloom, and that HAS to effect them.So,you be aware of that,and don't let the bastids get you down. I think I'll just stay on hgtv and pbs. Except for Hells Kitchen, gotta get me some Gordon Ramsey ;o)

I hadn't planned on putting this here, but..... The person this is for knows EXACTLY who they are.

EVERYONE has problems in their life, and there are any number of ways to deal with them.Your attitude,what YOU bring to the problem solving table, will greatly influence the outcome. You honestly do NOT NOT appreciate all that you have.You are healthy as a horse, and in light of my recent illness, I know THAT is one of the greatest gifts, feeling normal is amazing. You have family who loves you to pieces, and a great job.You have ALL of what you NEED, and quite a bit of what you WANT.

So,.....Concentrate on that. EVERY day, remember to take a few minutes, think about those gifts, and be GRATEFUL. Simply be GRATEFUL.
I Love You. And I mean it, EVERY day, take the time to think of all the good things in your life.

And last but not least, this from Brenda. How appropo, in light of my recent "Facebook is from de debbil bloggie" ! Thank you :O)

February 20th:
-Hoodie Hoo Day (At high noon everyone yells "Hoodie-Hoo" to chase away winter and make way for spring.) (hehehe,let's see how THAT goes over at work)

~Never say 'OOPS!' Always say 'Ah, Interesting!'~