Today, I am grateful for….
1. West Side Story never getting old.
2. UCB on Adam Carolla.
3. Larry Miller as a comedian as opposed to an actor.
4. Catching up on old shows.
5. Siobhan on American Idol.
6. The long battery life on my macbook.
7. Eric Ripert for being a Buddhist.
8. Anita’s laugh.
9. Klosterman vs Simmons.
10. Finishing my daily tasks by 1:30.
11. Turn and Burn.
12. Twitter not being as nearly time consuming as Facebook.
13. Kathryn Bigelow’s comeuppance.
14. Jamie Oliver’s new show.
15. Discovering yet another new BBQ place in town.
16. A busy upcoming week completely unrelated to work.
17. Jessica giving me a ride to work.
18. Not worrying about running out of firewood
19. All new No Reservations.
20. Not having to file FSA claims anymore.
21. Alex Ross coming out with a new book.
22. Keeping up with the writing pace that I set for myself.
23. Planning ahead financially.
24. Warmer weather.
25. Multitasking during my down time.
26. $2 margaritas at El Toro.
27. Chicken bones for chicken stock.
28. Being decisive.
29. Getting back on track in keeping up with this busy year.
30. Being able to check at least one item off my to do list on each day of this week.
31. A new set of restaurants to check out in town.
32. Alcohol being a great cure for writer’s block.
33. Slowly figuring out what to give a shit about.
34. The possibility of the unknown affecting my life in the near future.
35. DVR
36. The self imposed deadline I gave myself for my book.
37. March being a slow month for Boston sports – Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to get anything done.
38. Learning new things about old friends.
39. My PC still working well enough to use it for MS Money.
40. My new cast iron set.
41. Being productive.
42. Job security
43. A great part time job that gives me constant contact with creativity of the highest order
44. The great folks at Cook’s Illustrated
45. Some semblance of financial security after some scary and lean years
46. Jessica - everyday I am surprised at how much we love each other
47. Not worrying about where my next meal is coming from
48. Going Four days without Facebook to distract me.
49. How exciting this year is shaping out to being.
50. How Jessica and I can’t seem to stay mad at each other for very long.
51. The Les Halles Cookbook
52. How much Jessica and I make each other laugh
53. The seasons and all the lessons nature can teach us through them.
54. Breathing
55. Any form of nuanced thinking
56. The pajamas that Jessica got me.
57. Keeping my cynicism in check
58. Still not completely believing in the concept of being comfortable
59. The ability to have some fucked up and entertaining dreams – Nah, not gonna tell you this one.
60. Having a washer and dryer in our apartment
61. Mike Ross, the director of Krannert Center
62. Foreign languages
63. Life forcing me to multitask
64. The new colleague I’ll be working with at work.
65. The rush of positive thoughts and feelings I have every time I see Jessica
66. Tiki
67. My smart and talented friends old and new
68. My increasingly reliable intuition
69. My Brita filter especially on those days when Illinois Water decides to put WAY too much chlorine in it
70. The music playing in my head – Easy
71. Competent and dedicated coworkers at both of my jobs
72. How great I feel after riding my bike to work
73. This computer stand from Ikea
74. Jessica's cute faces
75. How Jessica can pick me up when all seems lost
76. How good of a listener Jessica can be
77. Google Wave
78. Suits that hide my potbelly.
79. Bill Simmons despite all the flak he’s been getting.
80. No longer worrying if today will be the day our car will completely fall apart
81. My new Ted Baker glasses
82. The moktak that my mom sent me
83. The copy of the Korean Zen Buddhist prayer CD that my mom made me
84. How good cracking various joints feel
85. Enjoying reading for pleasure again.
86. Jackson 5 version of "Who's Loving You"
87. Everything I have yet to learn
88. My passion for music slowly returning
89. Our Simmons Beautyrest
90. The bizarre yet surprisingly effective baby talk that Jessica and I have developed for communicating
91. Jessica's hourglass figure
92. Memories, good and bad
93. The pavlovian response Jessica induces in me when I hear her keys just before she opens the door when coming home from work
94. My desire to seek out the positive in my life
95. Sensodyne
96. Space heaters
97. My orthotics
98. Not having to worry too much about what to wear for work
99. Having hope
100. Completing my twenty first post
Object of my metta practice - none
Reflection of the Day – For some reason, I felt quite a bit of anxiety tonight even though I had a fairly easy day. I had trouble getting going with the revisions I needed to write so I went across the street for ½ price margaritas. It did the trick. I figured out most of my introduction – that’s been eluding me for quite some time. I didn’t get to meditate though. I’ll start again tomorrow.
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A new daily devotional journal influenced by a Buddhist and a Jewish practice.
For the past twelve years I've been writing a book about my time at Brandeis University where my interactions with the religious Jewish community inspired me to become a more spiritually committed Buddhist. Lately, my Buddhist practice has all but slowed to a halt. I'd like to once again draw inspiration from Judaism in order to rekindle a once strong Buddhist practice. So, I've come up with a new practice that combines both traditions. First, some background info.
Meah Brachot literally means 100 blessings in Hebrew. Each Observant Jew is supposed to say at least 100 blessings each day. The implication is that if you can't find 100 things to bless each day, you're not paying attention.
Metta is the Pali word for loving-kindness. Interestingly enough, Hebrew has a word for this concept, too - Chesed - one of the ten attributes of G-d according to followers of Kabbalah - Jewish Mysticism. You begin the practice by repeating to yourself a set of affirmations:
May I be filled with loving-kindness
May I be well
May I be peaceful and at ease
May I be happy
You do this for 15 - 20 minutes a day. Once you cultivate loving-kindness within yourself, you move on to loved ones, acquaintenances, then to your "enemies" and finally to the whole universe.
Each entry will begin with a list of 100 things that I am grateful. I will then list the focus of my metta practice. As time permits, I may include a reflection of the day. I hope you enjoy this devotional journal and feel free to cheer me on!
Meah Brachot literally means 100 blessings in Hebrew. Each Observant Jew is supposed to say at least 100 blessings each day. The implication is that if you can't find 100 things to bless each day, you're not paying attention.
Metta is the Pali word for loving-kindness. Interestingly enough, Hebrew has a word for this concept, too - Chesed - one of the ten attributes of G-d according to followers of Kabbalah - Jewish Mysticism. You begin the practice by repeating to yourself a set of affirmations:
May I be filled with loving-kindness
May I be well
May I be peaceful and at ease
May I be happy
You do this for 15 - 20 minutes a day. Once you cultivate loving-kindness within yourself, you move on to loved ones, acquaintenances, then to your "enemies" and finally to the whole universe.
Each entry will begin with a list of 100 things that I am grateful. I will then list the focus of my metta practice. As time permits, I may include a reflection of the day. I hope you enjoy this devotional journal and feel free to cheer me on!
i've missed your musings. please post more often. i live for this blog. marry me.
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