THE FOREST GREEN

Starbucks and the Infinite Now

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:58:52 GMT

I was out doing the mommy thing last night. I had taken my daughter to her college class and I had to get some art supplies for the son that is in a local college as well. I had finished my errands and was with no place to go and nothing to do. I didn't want to head back to my home as it was too far and did not want to use the gas to get there and then turn around in a few minutes to pick up my daughter at 9 PM.
Ah! There is a solution. There is a Starbucks near the college (of course there is). I had been listening for a few weeks on some books on CD. I had borrowed them from the library. I listen to them when I drive, sew. or kitchen work. They are lectures and books by Eckhart Tolle. A very entertaining person to listen to. One does not expect such spiritual food to be delivered by someone to very easy to relate to.
Mr. Tolle talks about how one can be in "presence" anywhere. This encouraged me to try out the idea in a noisy coffee shop. I got my Vanilla Roobios tea and walked over to put sweetener and a little half and half in it. To my immediate right were two lovely young ladies having an energetic conversation. One of them was talking so quickly I was very impressed with the skill required to do that. She was not local I could tell by her generous sprinklings of "like" throughout her conversation. Southern California was my guess as she did admit to having just moved into the area. As we Northern Cali's say "Hella" a lot, I know some areas of Southern Cal does use "Like" a great deal.
I sat down in a corner with command of the room and waited for my tea to cool off. I could see the clock so I was able to know when I needed to go. In addition to the young ladies there was a man around my age looking at a skeletal anatomy book. A returning student was my guess as I had seen him walking from the college a few minutes earlier. To my immediate left was a table of Chinese American students.
I closed my eyes. Etta James' voice drifted softly, almost drowned by the din of the conversations. As I went into presence the words of the conversations stopped making sense and became sounds, rhythms, that were occasionally punctuated by the shout of the barristas for next libation finished.
The two young ladies... one was a high pitched motor and the other a softer and slightly slower one. The table of Chinese Americans would from time to time burst into enthused conversation then become suddenly silent as they texted on their iphones. I was amazed, impressed even. on how a table of 6 plus people could be so silent, heads bowed and totally absorbed.
There were eventually two tables of people talking in what I would consider the usual conversation at a coffee house. Being aware when I closed my eyes was truly enlightening. If ones sees as us all connected then all the 'noise" is superficial. I was not bored at all. Another thing I noticed was how slowly time seemed to move when I kept myself aware. So if you feel rushed and out of time, perhaps going into presence will give you more of it. As Mr. Tolle said in one of his Cd's. I am paraphrasing here. Even if you are rushed, you will get more accomplished if you are aware and truly see what is needed without going through the thinking process.

Now I have painted my drum.

Wed, 25 May 2011 15:25:30 GMT

I made the hide glue.. and now I made the paint. more >

Things are waking up. Hide glue, hand drums and something smells...

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:31:01 GMT

I have been going to a local drumming/shamanic program that is hosted at Christ Unity here in Sacramento. It is every other month and I have found it uplifting and just downright fun.

I have been to two programs.

here is a post of an interview of one of his past programs.. truly inspiring.

[link]
more >

recipe three.. what to do with leftover Turkey adobo

Wed, 1 Dec 2010 03:23:04 GMT

ha.. bet you wont guess
more >

Recipe two.. Turkey too!

Wed, 1 Dec 2010 03:18:16 GMT

here is another one.. a hit to say the least more >

After Thanksgiving recipes

Wed, 1 Dec 2010 03:08:19 GMT

I know what you are thinking.. oh no more on how to fix turkey after the holiday. Well, yes that is what I have for you here. I really do not care for some of the dishes traditionally done with leftover turkey, so I decided to step into less traveled territory.

oh I just came up with these on my own.. but then.. I have been cooking all my life.. and well. that is a lot of years!
more >

Something very odd happened

Mon, 8 Nov 2010 16:40:26 GMT

and.. I know you won't believe me! more >

Be the Creator

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:33:32 GMT

Be the Creator.

As I was drinking my coffee this morning watching the hummingbirds sip away above my head, I sighed contentedly. What a morning! Blue sky and all the wildlife busy preparing for winter felt so comforting. So incredibly right and all as it should be.
I try to sit there on my front porch every morning, weather permitting. I have already gotten my youngest to his high school and done dishes and made coffee. Pausing for a bit to connect to that formless being-ness that permeates everything, I waved each time a neighbor drove by. A smile and a wave; so easy, so simple, so meaningful.
more >

poem. Gathering Roses

Mon, 3 May 2010 22:29:08 GMT

I know I haven't written in a while.. so here goes more >

just in.. what makes us happy?

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:44:46 GMT

A great article written by Clara Moskowitz from Live Science... at this site

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100222/sc_livescience/5thingsthatwillmakeyouhappier

(an excerpt of her article)

5 Things That Will Make You Happier
LiveScience.com

LiveScience.com clara Moskowitz
livescience Senior Writer
livescience.com Mon Feb 22, 11:50 am ET

Here are five things that research has shown can improve happiness:

1. Be grateful - Some study participants were asked to write letters of gratitude to people who had helped them in some way. The study found that these people reported a lasting increase in happiness - over weeks and even months - after implementing the habit. What's even more surprising: Sending the letter is not necessary. Even when people wrote letters but never delivered them to the addressee, they still reported feeling better afterwards.

2. Be optimistic - Another practice that seems to help is optimistic thinking. Study participants were asked to visualize an ideal future - for example, living with a loving and supportive partner, or finding a job that was fulfilling - and describe the image in a journal entry. After doing this for a few weeks, these people too reported increased feelings of well-being.

3. Count your blessings - People who practice writing down three good things that have happened to them every week show significant boosts in happiness, studies have found. It seems the act of focusing on the positive helps people remember reasons to be glad.

4. Use your strengths - Another study asked people to identify their greatest strengths, and then to try to use these strengths in new ways. For example, someone who says they have a good sense of humor could try telling jokes to lighten up business meetings or cheer up sad friends. This habit, too, seems to heighten happiness.

5. Commit acts of kindness - It turns out helping others also helps ourselves. People who donate time or money to charity, or who altruistically assist people in need, report improvements in their own happiness.
Lyubomirsky has also created an iPhone application, called Live Happy, to help people boost their well-being.