Recently, a number of my family members and close friends have been diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency, which is surprising since we live in sunny California. It seems we have an epidemic with lack of vitamin D. The easy cure is just to go out in the sun.
“I’m allergic to the Sun”
Yet being in the sun is counter to modern codes of behavior. Just bask in the glow of that last statement for a few minutes. Continue reading
Have you ever fixed something, but had no idea how you fixed it? We have this clock radio and the clock part went dark. Everything else worked, but we could not see the time at night. I pushed every button on that damn clock, but nothing could make the light work.
Looking back at my childhood, I realize that it wasn’t the 10 years of physical abuse by my step-father that hurt the most; it was watching my mother stand idly by as I screamed for mercy. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom. That was part of the problem.
Until recently, my whole life has been a desperate attempt to become loveable. As an Asian American growing up in the 80s, I loved this country. Yet my love was often rejected with angry chants of “go back to where you came from.”
The ubiquitous Rarasaur recently posted some pictures of herself:
Rarasaur in all her glory
I commented that I loved her short hair, and this was her response.
P.S. Thanks! I love the short hair, too. I was trying to grow mine out again, but I’m just not there yet… not ready to see the Rara that used to look like that, so… instead… my short hair is perfect because I want it to be perfect. 
I love the last line. What if we changed “short hair” to “life”?
My Life is Perfect Because I Want it to Be Perfect Continue reading
I’ve started seeing people in a whole new light. Instead of focus on age, gender, race, and culture, I try to categorize myself and others as old souls and new souls. This helps me remember that we are all one.
To help make sense of this new vision, I created the following chart. It should be noted that these are just opposite poles on a spectrum. There are huge gradations between an old soul and a new soul–a teenage soul, a twenty-something soul, a mid-life crisis soul, a matriarch soul. Continue reading
In the middle of the night, my 3 year old son started screaming, “No, No, No.” After waking from a nightmare, he was inconsolable. “I want something,” he babbled for half an hour. Water, blankets, stuffed animals, Mommy–nothing could make him stop crying. In my half-awake state, I realized that he was teaching me about Buddhism.
Continue reading
I was having a bad dream in the middle of the night when my 3 year old son woke me up screaming, “No, Daddy.” We were sleeping forehead to forehead as usual. I assumed that I had woken him up by screaming or flinching in my dream, but I quickly realized that he was still sleeping. “No, Daddy, no,” he mumbled.
At 6 am the next morning, I awoke before my son, and laying in bed, I recounted an argument I had the day before with my step-father. I was thinking about talking to my brother and sister-in-law to get them on my side to see what they thought, when my son cried out, “No, Daddy, no.” Again, he was still asleep.
After I snuck out of the bedroom, I checked my blog for comments. Alia from 13th Paradigm had commented on a comment I made on heartflow2013′s inspiring post Israel and Iran: A love story? B4Peace.
“Each person who writes a post, sends their energy of peace into the Quantum Field. The energy travels omni-directionally, eternally, forever. It touches everyone it encounters and impacts all peacefully. Now, multiply this effect by every reader that reads the piece. Then further multiply that by the energy that those readers carry into their world.” Continue reading
“The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.”–William Booth
As an American, surrendering is never an option. I was raised with mottos like “give me liberty or give me death”; “remember the Alamo”; or “I’d rather die on my feet, than live on my knees.” We have been taught to “never give up.”
The image above comes from the reality television show, The Great Race. What is most remarkable is not that this contestant survived the accident, but that her partner urged her to keep trying after she wiped the blood off her face, so they could win the race.
Maybe Americans have it wrong. Maybe surrender should be our first option. Continue reading
“Meditation elevates the soul from the body, mind, and intellect to absolute peace and bliss.”–Amma
This year I resolve to will sit in meditation for at least 30 minutes everyday for the entire year. (#sit365) I have been sitting everyday for about 40 minutes for the last 5 months and have seen tremendous changes in my life. I can’t imagine what the effects of 17 months of daily meditation will be.
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” Psalms 37:7
One of the surprising side-effects of this daily practice has been the introduction of meditation to my sons. Although they won’t sit with me for 40 minutes, they do understand that Daddy has to meditate everyday. Rather than ask, “Daddy, will you sleep with me?” my two year old commands, “Daddy med-tate by my bed.” Continue reading
“Peace is not something you wish for, it something you make, something you do, something you are, something you give away.”–Robert Fulghum
In an effort to actively do something to create more peace in the world in 2013, I am dedicating a number of my posts specifically to peace. I invite you to join me. We can call ourselves “Bloggers for Peace.” Everyone is invited to join. The requirements are simple and flexible.
