If you are reading this; you are probably living in a nice, safe place. You might not even know what true hunger feels like. You are asked to do your small part; and in return, you are allowed to participate in an amazingly abundant and diverse society that offers food, shelter, safety, education and freedom; on a scale that the world has never seen before. The poorest of poor in America live much, much better than the kings and queens of only a few hundred years ago. Yet, everyone is unhappy. Everyone you meet, everyone you know and probably the person that you see in the mirror every morning is only too happy to tell you about all of the problems that they are facing right now. Life isn’t fair. I don’t have enough money, time, jewelry, shoes, cars, friends; or self esteem to be happy. Really? If you say it often enough, it will most certainly become the reality that you live the rest of your life believing in. Sung-Bong is Korean; he was left at an orphanage at age three and ran away at age five because of the abuse that he was receiving. He spent the next ten years of his lonely life; living on the streets, sleeping in stairwells and selling small trinkets and gum to buy food for his survival. He is twenty two years old now and works as a manual laborer. His first opportunity at formal education came at the high school level. Sung-Bong began working to support himself at the age of five; while other children his age were learning their ABCs. Watch this video and then have another talk with that person in the mirror. Paulo Coelho said “You can only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
Monthly Archives: August 2012
What a Wonderful World
This is hands down, the best video that I have seen in a long time. Check it out.
Our Natural Sleep Cycle
I’ve been watching one TED or TEDx video, everyday, for the past several months. This has become a part of of my routine that I really enjoy and look forward to. Anyone can do this, it only takes fifteen minutes a day and it will broaden your horizons in ways that you never dreamed possible. Your comfort zone will slowly grow larger and you will eventually change your mind about things you thought you knew. As you begin to process the new ideas and information, you will catch yourself looking at the world just a little differently than you did yesterday. It’s not so noticeable in the beginning, but as the momentum begins to build, you will see that your world today doesn’t look quite the same as it did before.
“Why I want to be a pilot”
When I grow up, I want to be a pilot because it’s a fun job and easy to do. That’s why there are so many pilots flying around these days.
Pilots don’t need much school; they just have to learn to read numbers so they can read their instruments. I guess they should be able to read road maps too, so they can find their way if they get lost.
Pilots should be brave so they won’t get scared if it’s foggy and they can’t see, or if a wing or a motor falls off they should stay calm so they’ll know what to do.
Pilots have to have good eyes to see through the clouds, and they can’t be afraid of thunder and lightning because they are so much closer to them than we are.
The salary pilots make is another thing I like. They make more money than they know what to do with. This is because most people think that plane flying is dangerous, except pilots don’t because they know how easy it is.
I hope I don’t get air-sick, because I get car-sick and if I get air-sick I couldn’t be a pilot, and then I would have to go to work.
Note – This brief composition was written by Tommy Tyler, a fifth grader in Jefferson School, Beaufort, SC.
An Intentional Life
An Intentional Life
Post written by Leo Babauta.
Many of us go through our days awake, but following patterns we’ve developed over the years. We are going through the motions, doing things at home, online, at work without much forethought.
Contrast this with the idea of an Intentional Life: everything you do is done with consciousness, fulfilling one of your core values (compassion, for example). Everything is done with a conscious intent.
It’s true that many things we do have some kind of intent — I’m washing the dishes because I don’t want a messy house or bugs in my kitchen; I’m driving to work because I need to make a living; I’m driving my kids to school because they need to learn. But after repeating these actions every day, the intent kind of fades into the background so that we are barely aware of them. We’ve figured out the intent long ago, and don’t need to think about them anymore.
What if that changed?
What if you were very aware of your intention for your actions? How would that transform the action, and your life?
What if you washed the dishes, but first said you are doing this as a service to your family, to make them happy, and as a form of meditation for yourself, to practice mindfulness? Doing the dishes would suddenly take on much more importance, and would cease to be boring.
The only difference is intention.
What if driving to work was done after mentally declaring an intention to help others at work, to make people happy, to find satisfaction through work? The drive might be much happier, and you might be less likely to get irate when someone inevitably cuts you off in traffic.
This is the Intentional Life.
I practice it in bits and pieces — not all the time, but increasingly. When I do it, my life is different. More purposeful, more consciously lived, more content with any action.
A simple practice of intentionality: before you do the next action online or at work, pause a moment, close your eyes, and mentally say your intention. Why are you doing this? Is it out of compassion for others, or yourself? Is it to make someone happier? To improve the world? Out of gratitude for the work and kindness of others?
And then, as you do the action, be mindful of your intention.
This is a small step, but in those few moments, you will be living an Intentional Life.
WHY FLY?
“When once you have tasted flight you will always walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward; for there you have been and there you will always be.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)
I fly because the sky is my home, because I feel most alive when I am up there. Freedom has a different meaning in the sky, and only by flying can you appreciate the magical existence of that space where serenity and perfection truly come together. High above the clouds there is a tranquility and beauty that I have never felt on land or sea. In the air, everything is real. The only time I am truly me is when I fly. It is who I am, not what I do. For those of us who are born to fly, all it takes is a tiny glimpse or a small taste of flight and our lives are changed, forever.
Current Location
Pocatello, Idaho has been a hot spot of activity this past week. Fires were plentiful and we were all fighting the fight, resources were thin at best and unavailable at times. Our people were tired and our machines dirty, but little by little, we began to prevail. We have contained many of the fires in the past few days and held others in check. Today, many of us enjoyed a well deserved rest and even those left on duty were blessed with a light day. This is what we do, it is who we are, and as one fellow fire fighter expressed at breakfast early one morning. “This is the life we have chosen.” We are an volunteer force, no one is here who doesn’t want to be.
Hello
Welcome to Jeff’s Quest, follow along at your own risk. Let this be a warning, once you start down this path your life may never be quite the same again. Still here? Good, adventure is fuel for the soul…..and we’re off. It is my hope that you will one day find your own path and pursue it relentlessly.
Jeff's Quest 