Category Archives: Jen Lemen

Something Good

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I was thinking, as I made this list, “wow, the Universe is so in love with me, sending me all this good stuff” but then I realized “the Universe is so in love with us.” I am only just recently understanding and fully opening up to this idea: I am so loved. You are so loved. We are so loved. How amazing is that?

Do me a favor, even if that sounds too fantastic or sappy or impossible, give it just a moment. Don’t get too caught up in where or who the love is coming from, let go of having to attach it to a source and simply allow it truth and space, just for a minute. Right now, let go of any skepticism or bitterness or whatever else might block the idea. Let it all go and allow yourself to feel, fully experience what it means to be loved. Go ahead. Close your eyes, maybe even put your hands over your heart, take a deep breath, and remember, really know: You are so loved.

art by hugh macleod

Here’s the rest of today’s list:

Quotes from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

“If the mind is flexible, the world is flexible.”

This one, for me especially, is really powerful: “The self-assured strength that grows from knowing that we already have what we need makes us gentle, because we are no longer desperate.”

Audio Dharma

Thanks to Rachel Cole for sharing this link. “This site is an archive of Dharma talks…Each talk illuminates aspects of the Buddha’s teachings. The purpose is the same that the Buddha had for his teachings, to guide us toward the end of suffering and the attainment of freedom. [The “end of suffering and the attainment of freedom”?! Amen!] These talks are freely available for download or to listen to in streaming audio.” There are hours, years of dharma talks available here. An amazing resource with talks on compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, busyness, awareness–and you do not need to be Buddhist to benefit from this wisdom.

The Small is Beautiful Manifesto

I have added a new button to my side bar that says “small is beautiful.” It links to the “Small is Beautiful Manifesto” on Magpie Girl’s blog, a statement co-authored by the amazing Jen Lemen:
The Small Is Beautiful Manifesto

We believe stories are valuable, no matter how many people read them.
We believe following your passion is more important than watching your site meter.
We believe in the handmade, the first try, the small start, and the good
effort.
We believe that small is beautiful.

I believe it too, which is why I’ve added the button.

The Mild Manifesto

This is from the Mildly Creative blog, and begins this way:

We, the mildly creative and the mildly productive, are a calm, cool collaboration of travelers on a creative journey. We lead lives of quiet inspiration and are nourished by our shared imaginations.

Before we make money, we seek first to make meaning.

Before we attract customers and clients, we seek first to attract friends and kindred spirits.

Before we make a profit, we seek first to make a contribution.

Count me in, all in.

Mexico by The Staves

Susannah Conway posted this video on her blog a while back, and I can’t stop watching it. It is a beautiful song and a beautiful video. I have listened to it at least 20 times in a row this morning, so I think I am going to have to buy their new EP, which was just released a few weeks ago.

12 Questions to Make 2012 Your Best Year Yet

This set of writing prompts by Tara Sophia Mohr looks really interesting.

The Last Writing Prompt You Will Ever Need

In contrast to the above set of prompts, Jeff Goins suggests in his latest blog post, quite simply and elegantly, that we should “Write something meaningful and share it.” That is all, and that is everything. Amen!

7 Ways Meditation Increases Creativity

I am printing this post, written by Orna Ross and posted on Jane Friedman’s website, and reading it to myself every day before I meditate, to remind myself that it isn’t a chore or a project or a punishment or an escape, but essential to my sanity and my ability to manifest and embody my basic wisdom and compassion.

Legos Ad from 1981

I love this so much, and wish more advertising were like it.
Lego Magazine ad from the year 1981.

Shit Yogis Say

Again, I might be offended by this, if I weren’t laughing so hard.

Three Truths and One Wish

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1. Truth: What you focus on will be your life. What you look for and what you love, you will find and receive. If you focus on how bad everything is, your life will be bad. If you hang out with people who do not honor your worth, you will experience worthlessness. If you spend your time smashing yourself to bits, you will experience yourself as broken and ruined. Whatever you invite will come and whatever you reject will go. You generate your own suffering, but you can also generate love. It’s your choice.

art by hugh macleod

According to Buddhist wisdom, we generate our own suffering, generate our own experience of reality. You don’t have to be a Buddhist to see how this can happen. Imagine someone giving you a dirty look or a disrespectful gesture or saying something nasty. How does that feel? Oftentimes, our response is to shoot anger and aggression back at the person. Even if we keep ourselves from acting out directly, we carry the irritation and bitterness with us, and that single bad moment or act can spin out into such a big deal, it ruins our whole day. We might find reasons to act out in negative ways ourselves, repeating that original person’s bad behavior, maybe even in situations where it isn’t warranted. Our boss is a jerk, we don’t say anything to him, but we go home and pick a fight with our spouse. Such negative energy generates suffering, even more so if we continue to feed it.

Now imagine someone smiling at you, giving you a compliment or a helping hand. How does that feel? When we feel seen, when we are given kindness, even or especially when we don’t deserve it, it can change your whole perspective. We feel connected and we begin to generate kindness, sharing it when we can. It’s like that poem from Hafiz:

How did the rose ever open its heart
and give to this world all of its beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light against its being,
otherwise we all remain too frightened.

“140 Ways to Change the World” is a good place to start, a list that will help you to generate “the encouragement of light” rather than more suffering. These are easy things you can do right now, no special equipment or training required.

2. Truth: Gratitude is a path to contentment, happiness, and joy. For a convincing argument in support of this truth, read Leo Babauta’s “Why Living a Life of Gratitude Can Make You Happy.” I am reminded of this truth every Monday morning when I do my “Something Good” post. It reminds me that when you focus on the good, there isn’t time or space for anything else, because there is so much to appreciate and love, so much good work to do. If you need a place to start, check out this list on Tiny Buddha, “60 Things to Be Grateful For In Life.”

3. Truth: If you want your life to change, change your attitude. This is, in truth, the one and only thing you can control, and therefore the only thing you can really change. It’s so simple, that it’s almost irritating: sometimes if you want to be happy, all you have to do is…well, be happy, (important note: I very clearly say “sometimes” here, because there are categories and levels of depression that require you to seek help–if you find yourself there, please ask for help). Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the Tibetan meditation master who founded Shambhala, used to say about working with strong emotions like aggression or depression, “You could always just cheer up.” He also says, in his book Sacred Path of the Warrior:

When you live your life in accordance with basic goodness, then you develop natural elegance. Your life can be spacious and relaxed, without having to be sloppy. You can actually let go of your depression and embarrassment about being a human being, and you can cheer up.

Some of my most favorite blog posts ever might be helpful to you in this case, a series that Jen Lemen wrote about “How to Be Happy,” the first one being “How to Be Happy Come Hell or Highwater.” Also read “How to Be Happy (Part Two),” “How to Be Happy (Part Three),” “How to Be Happy (Part Four),” and “How to Be Happy (Part Five).”

One Wish: I wish for all of us the change of heart, shift in perspective necessary to allow the love and light to flood in, to fill us so full that we spill over and light & love ripples and radiates out from us, sending that encouragement on to others, so they can fill and spill, and even more will be encouraged and lit up, and on and on and on.

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