Nothing and Everything

nothing is better than everything.  nothing is also worse.

Verse

5 : form 1
--/-++ (or --/++-R)
++/+--R
++/--+
--/++-R
--/-++
++/+--R
++/--+
--/++-R

5 : form 2
++/--+ (or ++/+--R)
--/++-R
--/-++
++/+--R
++/--+
--/++-R
--/-++
++/+--R

7 : form 1
--/++/+--R (or --/++/--+)
++/--/++-R
++/--/-++
--/++/+--R
--/++/--+
++/--/++-R
++/--/--+
--/++/+--R

7 : form 2
++/--/++-R (or ++/--/-++)
--/++/+--R
--/++/--+
++/--/++-R
++/--/-++
--/++/+--R
--/++/--+
++/--/++-R

Effortless Effort

Natural Unnaturalness

Unnatural Naturalness

Effortless Effort

Effortful Effortlessness

Calm Activity

Active Calmness
Peaceful Chaos
Chaotic Peace

There is so much to think, write, explore, dream, build, do, believe...and there is not enough time.

We feel frustrated by the discrepancy between what we have and what we do not have, but maybe the discrepancy is not real.  There is no such thing as that which we do not have.  There is only that which we have.

There is no future, there is no past.  There is only the endlessly changing present.

I'm not sure if any of this is true or if it makes any sense, I'm afraid.  But I am sure that I feel like the entire universe is exploding, maybe it's just in my head, against a backdrop of perfect stillness.

Time

If you are in your 20s or 30s, or even 40s or maybe 50s, it is possible that you could live your whole life over again, numerically speaking.  If you have lived for 20 years, then you will live your whole life again, in a sense, if you live to be 40.  Really it could be thought of as even more than that, since your first few years of life don't really create accessible memories...

So what if today is Day 1 of your new life?  Your first day on Earth, if you can get your mind around the idea.  How full of wonder and amazement should you be?  Everything is new and incredible, regardless of whether it is bad or good.

And what if every day is the First and Last day of your new life?  You could consider your new life to begin on any given day, if that's how you want to count.  And you could consider your new life to end on any given day as well.  Everything will be infinitely new, beautiful, and also sad as you watch it slip away.  But you know that tomorrow is a new day and a new life.

1, 2, 3

Some realizations/things that have changed in the last year or so:

I noticed, a while ago, that I was having a hard time deciding what toothpaste/shampoo/soaps/facial cleansers to buy at the store  (see the embedded TED talk below for more).  The realization was bizarre.  I was literally spending like 5 or more minutes just staring at all the options.  Whitening.  Whitening plus Sensitivity Protection.  24-Hour Fresh Breath + Whitening.  Enamel Protection plus 24-Hour Whitening..... o.O

Which one was best for me?  With all those options, surely one of them was particularly the type of toothpaste that I needed.

Madness.

It hit me, eventually, like a lightning bolt:  they are all basically the same.  It doesn't really matter what toothpaste I buy.  After that revelation, I began to make a conscious effort to buy groceries much more efficiently.  Go in, check out which ones have the most reasonable prices, grab one, and move on.

Also:  I have begun, as of a couple months ago, taking cold showers.  Not sure how crazy this might seem to other people, but I'm pretty happy with it.  At first I was doing it because of some epidermal benefits that I read about;  I would start out with a regular, hot shower, and then gradually ease the temperature down to warm, and then cold.

Now, however, I do completely cold.  It was, at first, challenging.  The feeling of knowing that you're about to step into beams of icy cold water requires the same kind of mental effort as going to the gym when you're feeling really lazy.  But it has become easier...no doubt it has become a little easier just because I have become used to it...but I think it is also because I have developed a little mental trick.  I count to 3, and then I just go.  I know it's going to be freezing and shocking, but somehow counting forces my mind to plow through any hesitance.  It feels good to be able to do it.

Truly

You can only be truly ready to meditate when you are already meditating.