16 Months of Meditation
I have been consistently meditating for about sixteen months. There have been a missed week or two and some days I might not make it in, but on average, I will do a five-minute meditation. I used to do ten minutes, but I found five minutes has worked for me.
What I have learned is that meditation is not a state or a destination. People have the misconception that you should feel a certain way or have some spiritual nirvana or you are not there yet.
Great Discussion for Men
Life Purpose
A lot of people worry about their life’s purpose when they have not figured out how to live their lives well yet. What I mean by that is do not worry about making a dent in the universe when you are having trouble with your physical, mental, or spiritual health. Get your life under control first. Become a better version of yourself first. The life purpose stuff will sort itself out.
Midwestern Conversation
Ope, let me squeeze by ya. Gift for my spouse.
Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell
I thumbed through this at the bookstore and decided then and there I must buy it. This is a beautiful book and I appreciate how it is organized. Here are a few favorites that spoke to me this week.
But I am so deeply lost in my own soul, how can I expect anyone else to understand me?
You will always be a lot of things.
Not everyone is going to like you or understand you.
Technology as a Tool
I have been spending a lot of time thinking about my relationship with technology. By this, I specifically mean the devices we are constantly staring at and what I am currently writing this on. I have become more and more disenfranchised by how technology has captured our collective attention and driven a wedge between human relationships. I let this affect how I view technology and have grown to have a love-hate relationship with the technology in my use.
The Living Room Side Table Project
After having refreshed the Living Room, our mismatched side tables needed to be brought closer to mid-century modern style. By chance, we visited Chicago this past week, and on a whim, my spouse looked up if there were any mid-century furniture stores and indeed there is the biggest one in the nation called Modern Hill. We found exactly what we were looking for, they just needed a little bit of attention.
The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut by Dan Lyons
A former colleague had recommended this book. Saying less has been a problem for me, especially in a situation where I wish for people to like me more. It is a terrible approach. I obliged my friend and let it sit on my wishlist on Amazon. Two days before Christmas, the book was marked for $3, so naturally I purchased it. Though I am not an extreme case like the author seems to be, I did get value out of this book.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
This is Hemingway’s first novel and is a complete hedonistic accounting of post WWI European Ex patriots. This book brings sadness. Hope. Friendship. The only positive out of this book was the friendship, or remanence of a defunct romance, of the lead characters.
Whiskey as Hobby
Whiskey is a silly hobby for me, revolving around alcohol, but there are some delicious whiskeys to discover that are best sipped with friends. That said, the oldest girl in our house is dating a boy whose father is very into whiskey. Based on her comparison of my whiskey collection and his, she came up with the following rating system for residential whiskey obsession.
Level 0 - You do not own any whiskey