Miracle

OK, enough hand wringing.  

Time to speak about Joy!  

I tend to get “ear worms,” you know, those songs that catch you and play over an over in your head.  

Yesterday, just before going out for my bike ride, it was The Joker, Steve Miller band, I caught a few bars someone was playing on the radio, pretty much played most of the whole 30 miles, 2 hours and 13 minutes, somewhat on and off.   

This morning was Miracles, Jefferson Starship, don’t recall how that one came up.  

I don’t always remember all the lyrics; sometimes I must look them up. 

Ear worms bother some people, I don’t mind them.  I do not listen to music when bike riding outside, I also like to listen to the sounds of the world, this time of the season the birds are so vocal, wonderful!  

I also like to look around, take in the budding trees and bushes, seeing the spring flowers.  

I also enjoy looking at the cars and buildings, old crumbling buildings and fresh new buildings in progress…  

I am a bit of a car guy, as teenagers, my friend Neil and I, would try to identify all the cars on the road, make, model, and year, I still try to keep up…  

Neil was always more knowledgeable than I, probably still is…  

This morning, I was perusing an article from The Atlantic, Five Joyful Ways To Spend Time Online, collected 5 writers’ recommendations, I resonated with none of them!  

I suspect that they are all younger than my kids and my wife’s kids, all 37 and older, but older than my grandkids…  

I usually start my day reading the New York Times online, at least perusing the “The Morning” and “Today’s Headlines,” if I don’t have to go to work, Wed-Fri, or have something pending early I might open a few articles to read completely.  Today there is an article in The NYT Magazine on ADHD, I might try to get a copy in print to read.  

I usually stretch out and do some lightweight strengthening exercises, almost every morning for about 20 minutes…  

Much of my days I spend reading, novels, I have several magazine subscriptions, I like print!  

I usually have a few projects to attend, astronomy, ham radio, loading ammo, projects around the house, there is always stuff to organize…  

Sometimes I play with our dog, or he needs a walk, or my wife and I take him for a longer hike.  He is older now and does not require as much attention, more time to think and Blog!  

If I don’t go for a hike or bike ride during the day, before dinner, I try to work out for 1.5 hours or so every other day, indoors, some karate bag work, light weights, 10 minutes on the rower, then an hour on the elliptical usually watching a silly or violent action movie or show, then shower.  

When out, or at home, I try to take time to notice…  

I’ll look through the windows, step outside to look around at what is growing, do some house inspections…  

I’ll put down what I am reading and just contemplate…  

So, from that song playing in my head with the line; “If only you believe in miracles…”  

I started thinking about miracles this morning…  

Merriam-Webster online defines Miracle as: 

1: An extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs

the healing miracles described in the Gospels.  

2: An extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment

The bridge is a miracle of engineering.

3: Christian Science : a divinely natural phenomenon experienced humanly as the fulfillment of spiritual law.  

I like to think about everyday miracles…  

When taking time to contemplate, I see that everything is a miracle!  

Just being alive is a miracle, yes, there is horrible suffering in the world, but that subject is for another day…  

Today’s Blog is for looking at everything with Awe, Wonder, Joy…  

I will refer to the Third Commandment:  Have fun!  

https://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-third-commandment-enjoy-yourself.html  

(As an aside, a Google search for my Blog no longer finds my Blog, even though it is on Google Blogger!  I have switched to Duck-Duck-Go!)  

I have written before about how our eyesight, our brain’s connection to our eyes is such a miracle:  

https://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2022/04/seeing.html 

So, those 20-30 year olds in that The Atlantic article found Joy doing certain things online, things that have absolutely no interest for me…   

Wonderful!

Everyone can find their own ways into a joyful life!  

This morning, I am writing this meandering Blog to encourage you to stop, and notice, perhaps drop all the stories you have running in your head, perhaps look so intently, that even your ear worms drop away, look at yourself and at everything around you with fresh eyes, with “Beginner’s Mind,” as the Zen Buddhists would say…  

Look closely at this life you have been given…  

Maybe you do not like everything about your life…  

Then contemplate how can you take that first step toward greater Love for this one life you have been given…  

Perhaps, even a tiny step in another direction…  

Any step toward greater Awe, Wonder, Joy, Love, Compassion, is a sacred step…  

Each step you take is an Everyday Miracle…  

Namaste

The Chicken Lifestyle 2

Yesterday I did not address the adage of “Being Chicken.”  

When I was a child, I remember being called “chicken” was usually used by bullies, to dominate.  

The equivalent of being called a coward…  

I was a shy introverted kid…  

But I am also a child of Holocaust survivors…  

I’ve written about being a peaceful warrior:  

https://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2014/05/war-and-peace.html

and about being a sheep dog: 

https://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/10/are-you-survivalist.html

My martial arts training is clear on the advice that you walk, or even run, away from a fight… 

If you can…  

There is no reason to fight unless yours or a loved one’s life is in danger…  

There is no reason to fight for a slighted ego.  

Run away, hide, whatever you need to do to avoid a fight…  

Do not go places where there might be personal danger…  

Only when there is life on the line, then you fight, preferably, quick, overwhelmingly violent, and short…  

Use whatever weapon you have at hand, your belt, preferably with heavy buckle, a knife, an umbrella, a cane, a stick, a rock, use your keys, a pen, carry pepper spray, or a gun if you conceal carry…  

Go for the eyes, kick the groin or shins…  

Know how to go full on “Berserker.” 

If you are going to fight, be prepared to be severely injured or die…   

Someone calls you “chicken.”

That is the time to turn and run.  

Make sure anyone with you, knows to turn and run with you…  

Perhaps have a safe word, so they can react quickly, that word can be as simple as “Run!”  

Yesterday I blogged about the Chicken Lifestyle can be thought as live more simply, today we can extend that to also avoiding placing yourself in danger.  

Do not be afraid of “being Chicken.”   

I will be 72 this year, I have never been in a fight since childhood, never since starting my martial arts training at age 17…  

I do not go to dangerous places. 

I stay aware of my surroundings, I sit facing the entrance, if I can…  

I expect to live my life without ever having a fight… 

However, you never know, I wear a heavy buckle on my belt, I carry a knife, I have my concealed carry license, you will never know if I am concealed carrying or not…  

I embrace Being Chicken.  

I embrace the Chicken Lifestyle.  

Stay aware, stay safe…  

Namaste

The Chicken Lifestyle

I was reading the New York Times online this morning and came across an article about how eggs are expensive, so people were dying alternative round objects such as potatoes for Easter.   

Then the article also mentioned that eggs are half the price than what they were a month ago.  

We were doing a morning stretching routine together and I mentioned this to my wife, and we started a conversation.  

She was wondering about how the egg market could bounce back so quickly after entire flocks had to be killed due to bird flu.  

I then said something about the rapid maturing of chickens…    

I meant to say the rapid chicken lifecycle…

However, what I actually said was the rapid “Chicken Lifestyle…”     

We the broke into semi-uncontrollable laughter…  

I said that should be the title of a book, she said I should write a blog on it, 

so here we are…  

I then went down the rabbit hole of Google…  

From a Purina Web page:  “Most hens will lay their first egg around 18 weeks of age and then lay an egg almost daily thereafter. In their first year, you can expect up to 250 eggs from high-producing, well-fed backyard chickens. Then, egg counts will naturally decrease each following year with hens entering egg retirement around years six or seven.” 

Apparently, chickens are trying to lay a clutch of eggs, about 3-8, and then would try to hatch them.  

When we harvest the eggs daily, they continue to lay eggs about every 26 hours, not quite 1 per day, so they skip some days, and there is also a seasonal cycle.  

I have not been blogging lately…  

The political climate is soooo depressing…  

I don’t want to continue to rant about how bad the world is…  

The rise of authoritarianism, the state of the world economy, war, earthquakes, climate change, not to mention my 401k sinking into the netherworld…  

So, here we are discussing the Chicken Lifestyle…  

Brings up the value of simplicity…  

Not that we need to peck at bird feed and insects all day and then lay an egg, sleep, repeat…  

Perhaps worthwhile to examine what we spend our time doing every day.  

Perhaps we can eliminate those activities which no longer supports our long-term happiness…  

Some of us are pushed to protest, others of us need to cocoon ourselves away…

Some of us need to immerse ourselves in online and other media, others need to take a media break…  

I am not here to tell you what to do…  

I am just letting you know that I am taking my newly invented meme of the “Chicken Lifestyle,” to examine my own life…  

And in hope that you can take this meme to do whatever it is that you need to do to live your best life…  

Namaste