Unit 8...what I like the best

I would have to say the two things I like the best is the loving-kindness exercise and the visualizing happiness. I think this class has opened up for me that these are my greatest needs, desires. I want to be happy and feel loved. If I had to think about it I honestly can't remember the last time I was truly happy. Yes I have laughed a bit and had happy moments, but inside I was not. I know my husband loves me with all his heart, but he has been so stressed lately with work and his mom that I have not felt his love only his pain. I think that we didn't talk about this enough but there is an energy that flows from one person to another. Negative and positive. It is hard to see someone you love unintentionally give off negativity. I think that is what brought me to get a degree in nutrition, to take care of those I love. I want to be a better person, therefore I think it would be in my best interest, as well as those around me, to practice loving-kindness and visualize happiness. I will make me feel more complete and if I feel whole then it will flow from me to others. That positive energy will be seen by those around me. If I can't make a better world I can at least change the world around me to be better through my attitude and positive contributions.

Week 7

Meeting Aesclepius is a nice idea, I just have a hard time visualizing someone. I try to think of a healer and my mind goes off in 20 different directions. I think it is hard for me to visualize something that I haven't seen before, or at least have an idea of what I should be seeing. This brings us to the, "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself." I read this and one of the first things I think of is a path that I have not gone down. It is in the woods so I can't tell you how long it is or where exactly it goes. I can tell you it is there though. How hard it will be, how long it will take? I have no clue. It also brings me to, I know how to eat and I know I need to exercise, but I don't. I can stand at the front of the path and tell you this is the right path to take I know this because I have studied it, but I can't lead or guide you for it is unknown to me. The concept of the path I understand, the walking though it not so much. In order to lead some one through something you have had to go through it yourself or your just sending them down the path. I was watching TV about a month ago and came across a story of a fitness instructor that took this to a new level. He had eating healthy his whole live and had always been active, so when his clients told him he couldn't understand their struggles he went for 6 months, I believe it was, and ate junk food didn't exercise. He understood after that because he had no energy and started to crave those donuts. He had gained 60 pounds or so, sorry I forget the details, then went back to his normal self. He lost the weight and wrote a book about it. Fit to fat to fit or some thing like that. http://www.fit2fat2fit.com/ I had to find it after that. Anyway what a great example of this concept.

week 6

The Universal Loving-Kindness exercise to me was a quick version of the Loving-kindness exercise, but missing a step. As I did the Universal Loving-kindness I felt peaceful, but not the love that can be felt doing the loving-kindness alone. If I was going to suggest this to anyone I would tell them to make sure they have some mastery with the loving-kindness alone so that when they try to free others from suffering and give them health, happiness and wholeness they can feel more complete themselves. I just believe it would be more complete.
Now to the fun apart assessing myself. Nothing I like because I know there are areas that I need to work on and I am not ignoring them, I just don't want to deal with them right now. Then I have to ask myself, " if not know when?" When my world is aligned, yeah like that is going to happen with out inter healing. For now I believe my biggest focus should be on nutrition and exercise. My body is starting to say hey, take care of me. In the process of taking care of my mother-in-law I have gained almost 20 pounds. We tend to eat what she wants because she doesn't like a lot of the healthy choices my husband and I are trying to make. I will be moved out by March 5th and I am so ready to start this. The other area that need a lot of work is community, personal. I am not sure exactly what that it falls under, I believe a bit of both. I do not have a lot of friends and I do not get out with any one, but my husband and my mother-in law. I feel that I need girl friends to spend the day with. I love to scrapbook and I have not done it in 3 years, save a night putting together something for my sons wedding. I had a lot of fun that night with my sister and my other sons girlfriend putting that together, I really miss it. So that is where I want to spend my time focusing on to gain a wholeness, and feel happy and healthy.