Laugh Until You Cry

Go ahead, laugh.
Every day researchers are learning more and more about the healing power of laughter. Even the physical act is good for you, says William Fry, an American university professor who is a pioneer in laughter research. It increases blood flow and contracts abdominal muscles. A hundred belly laughs is the aerobic equivalent of ten minutes on a rowing-exercise machine, according to Fry.

But the benefits go beyond a workout. The most astonishing evidence of laughter's power comes from a 1997 study of 48 heart-attack patients. Half watched comedy shows for 30 minutes every day; the rest served as controls. After a year, ten patients in the control group had suffered repeat heart attacks, compared with only two in the group that watched the shows.

"Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress," says laughter expert Lee Berk of the University of California and co-author of the heart-attack study.

If you want to laugh right now, then check out this hilarious video clip:
http://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09/may-i-have-this-dance.html

Let It Finish Baking

Confusion can be a gift from God.

Looking back on instances when I felt desperately in need of an immediate solution, I can see that often I wasn't ready to act. When I became fully ready, the information I needed was there for the taking.

When I know too much about my options before the time is right to exercise these options. I tend to use the information only to drive myself crazy. That's why today, when I'm feeling confused, I try to consider it grace. It may not yet be time for me to act.

I think that dealing with confusion can be like cooking. If the bread isn't done, I don't take it out of the oven and insist that it's time to eat; I let it finish baking.

IF a clear solution to a problem hasn't sown itself yet, I can trust that it will appear when the time is right. -- Anonymous

p.s.- here is a link to a list of the fruits and veggies contaminated the most by pesticides (buy these organic whenever possible) and the fruits and veggies with the least contamination www.foodnews.org/methodology

If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else.

So what if you do?

Why is it so important to know where we are going? Or is it important? What's wrong with ending up "somewhere else"? What is "else" if you've never defined "somewhere"?

Once again, it's about eating your rice (see October 11th post)--you gotta do what works for you-- and, be conscious of what works for you. If you are happy drifting and experiencing whatever comes up along the way, then good for you--especially if you have unlimited resources and the ability to detach from the opinions of others.

Perhaps the value of a future goal is what it causes us to do differently in this moment. The way it guides our choices today. Whether or not we say "yes" to the ice cream sundae.

It is when we are not clear or conscious of our intentions that things often go awry. If we have no goals and no intentions-- no worries!

"...I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."-- E.B. White

p.s.- in a related matter (at least grammatically speaking), check out The Apostrophe Protection Society. Love the name! www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk

Eat Your Rice

"When hungry, eat your rice; when tired, close your eyes. Fools may laugh at me, but wise men will know what I mean."-- Linji Yixuan (founder of the Linji school of Zen Buddhism during the Tang dynasty.)Linji encouraged his students to free themselves from the influence of masters and doctrinal concepts in order to be able to better discover their own Buddha Nature-- in other words, you gotta do what works for you regardles of the should's and supposed to's!

P.S.- If you want to learn to meditate, check out this free 10 day course www.dhamma.org or read The Presence Process by Michael Brown