Sitting Practice
by Jerry Harris

For the past two weeks I have avoided my sitting practice. I don't want to look for excuses but two come to mind. One issue is the season of Christmas. I do not celebrate Christmas in all of it commercial splendor but my family and friends do. So this fact I must accept. I also have for many years of my life participated in the Christmas celebration by making a list and checking it twice before I go and have my own seasonal suffering hoping to find happiness in presents. Although I have not given gifts for years, each year there is some guilt bestowed my way from people I encounter because of this fact.

The other issue is the holiday is so entrenched in society, the media and work. It is a great time to be festive and even though we do not buy presents, I still enjoy looking for antique holiday decorations and displaying them. We actually have a small tree with lights that we display year round just because. Then there are the social events. This time of year is full of social events and those take time too. So those are my excuses. Now that I have stated my excuses, let's see if I can accept them, stop complaining and get back to my sitting practice.

Just an Entry
by Jerry Harris

Yoga class today was great. I spoke up at the end of class to get some ideas on how to combat my issues with bending at the hips. I have tight hamstrings and they restrict me from fully getting into the forward stretches when trying to keep my legs straight. I want to keep my legs straight.

I was incouraged to practice bending at the hips daily knowing that this will improve with practice. By asking that question, I was inspired to work harder on my yoga practice. I find I like doing the poses I can do but I don't spend much time on the ones I can't because of the discomfort. Now, knowing I will see improvement even just doing what I can do will ease the discomfort and allow me to go deeper into the stretch.

Leaf Blowers the Noise of Progress
By Jerry Harris

This year's fall season is wonderful. We have had fall color since September and mild temperatures that has not forced us inside. What has forced me inside is the deafen growl of neighbors using leaf blowers. Unlike a lawn mower, these leaf blowers rev up and rev down constantly which makes it hard to accept the noise. It would not be so bad if they worked but they don't and the noise goes on all day. I can rake my yard by hand faster than these machines. Raking gets in a good workout and is better for the environment.

I checked Lowes and they recommend that you use safety glasses, ear plugs and respiratory protection with a leaf blower. I say, what about your neighbors? They should also recommend you go knock on neighbor's doors and pass out ear plugs? Lowes does recommend checking with your city before purchase. Some cities ban leaf blower use. Why, because these machines are loud. The people that use them are within their rights to use them in my city. Maybe they believe everyone is just sitting in their home watching TV and would not be disturbed.

Airs
by Jerry Harris

Putting on airs about meditation is something I have been sensing lately. I would guess it is due to me looking at catalogues that I received. I received them because I ordered one publication and my name was sold. I look at them but I do not plan to buy anything. What I notice in the number of books and items to help you in your meditation practice. From that I guess there is money to be made through a meditative practice that can sustain you. I will have to meditate on that one day.

Halloweenie
by Jerry Harris

I attended a Halloween party on Saturday night. I was dressed in an all black tuxedo and Greg, my date, was dressed in a white wedding dress. Our faces were darkened to look like the onset of rigor mortis. We were dead; albeit flawlessly dressed. Once we arrived at the party, we were watched with wonder until someone finally asked, "What is your costume about?" The answer was received with thunderous applause. We were "The dead issue of gay marriage."

Dinner, Tea, Sandwiches and Cake
by Jerry Harris

Last night we had dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants. This place has great fried chicken. In fact, I was not eating fried chicken because we do our best to eat healthy. I read an article in the local paper about Donna's Dairy Freeze having the best fried chicken in town and how they cook it and all. I was impressed. I was very curious and intrigued especially since I pass Donna's daily. It is practically a neighborhood restaurant, locally owned and operated. So I told my partner Greg about the article and he read it and was intrigued as well. Fried chicken is one of those Southern staples that we both grew up on. We had given up eating it years ago and we do not fry anything at home.

The article stated the best way to enjoy this chicken is to order it, wait there 20 minutes while it is cooked and then take it home. By the time you get it home it is perfect and you know what, the article was right. Both of us were completely satisfied and we have been customers ever since. We have gotten to know Donna and she is always glad to see us come in. We go once or twice a month as a special treat but we eat-in now. It is not a fancy place and it is self-service but the chicken and iced-tea are real good.

"Would you like some tea?" was the first question we heard at our friends Jo and Terri's place after dinner. We said yes although this was a different beverage than what we had at Donna's. We were visiting to help make some box lunches for Terri's Skillful Means Workshop on Saturday. We had not been to their home before but had taken an educated guess on the house because we knew some things about them. When we were greeted by Arnaud Maitland, we thought we were at the wrong house. Arnaud is one of the presenters of the workshop from Berkeley, CA. We also met Helena Gold and Caroline van Tuyll both from Berkley.

Helena is originally from Brazil and she helped us with making sandwiches. She also was very kind in offering me a chance to attend the workshop. Greg is going to help setup the workshop and may stay for a while. We all got to talk a bit, as we got creative on the sandwiches. There was a little tension I guess due to pre-workshop jitters. Greg told Terri to breathe. I imagine this is something she will be telling her participants tomorrow.

After all was done, we had a little more tea and some pound cake that Greg made that day. They thanked us for our help and we left for home. Once home I was thankful for a great day.

Why Do I Care Who Wins This Election
by Jerry Harris

I have been paying way to much attention to this election. I have consistently gone to bed at night after scrubbing the internet for news stories. I seem to always find something that I can use in a mock political ad and I have made a few. I have shared these ads and although they are well made and gotten good reviews, I have only shown them to people I know would get it. I have even posted some of the ads on the internet but they have not run like wildfire.

So why do I care who wins this election? I know whoever wins I still need to continue on my spiritual path. I need to continue to work on being present. The answer seems to lie in my continued, although it is getting better, hold to worldly things.

Putting My Practice to Work
By Jerry Harris

On Saturday I helped my Aunt move. She has moved a lot of times in her life and many times I have helped her. I was used to arriving at her house expecting to move packages and furniture only to find that the packing was not done and the furniture not broken down. Leading up to this day, I kept acknowledging that I was not present as I would dread the moving day. I quickly got over the dread as I realized that I was not present and it was not happening to me at that moment. I would then focus on what was happening to me at that moment. So on Saturday I was in a good mood and ready to be patient and helpful.

After Greg and I arrived at my Aunt's home, we quickly did a walk through of what needed to be moved and what was going into storage. Since this move was supposed to be a permanent move, I had questions as to why she was storing furniture that she will never use. It turned out that she had promised the furniture to some friends at her church. So I asked in a gentle non-threatening way, why don't they take the furniture today? She said they were not yet ready to take it but would be ready in a month or two. In the past I would have either kept my angry mouth shut or I would have said something negative that may have started an argument. Today, I was able to kindly state that I did not think that was a good idea simply because it was going to cost her a lot of money to keep her promise. The storage unit was over $90 per month.

I do not know how but she changed her mind and we took the furniture to charity. I do know that my practice helped me in this conversation. I was calm but persuasive. I was concerned for all parties without making anyone look like the bad guy. I think I helped her understand that she would be getting the raw deal having to pay a lot of money to give away some furniture. I saw this as very successful and a good example of the power of presence.

Update On The Eye
byJerry Harris

I have been nursing my eye back to health. Through numerous trips to the eye doctor, and then an eye specialist at the Eye Clinic, it is getting better. I am still using steroid drops but I did not loose my sight. I have seen this specialist four times and he tells me it is getting better but he fears why the healing has taken so long. I have to go back next week.

In the spiritual realm, I just finished one of the Dalai Lama's books, "Live In A Better Way". It was a short quick read. This book was a boost to my spiritual practice and I enjoyed it. I always have a number of books that I am reading and I usually am surprised when I finish one. Lately, on my commute to work, I have been enjoying audio books. I am currently listening to "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. Earlier, I listened to Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.

Jeopardy
by Jerry Harris

Today I put myself in jeopardy. I was using one of those bands used for exercise at work. In fact I have been using it for a few weeks. Well today I was listening to the 911 hearings and I was letting myself be absorbed by the dialogue. I was even a little stressed by the words I was hearing. So I grabbed my band that I keep under my desk. I was using the band in a sitting position. Not the recommended method however but one I use because it lets me hide from my co-workers as I use the band. So it was ironic that I had this accident that made me yell out loud in a screaming voice that I was hurt. I then had to explain I was using the band. I was using the band and with the band stretched it slipped off of my shoe and popped me in the eye. I lunged back in my chair and it fell over throwing me to the floor clutching my eyes. People in the entire workplace heard my scream. Persons close to me were asking me if I was ok. After a minute, it started coming back to me what happened. I would not open my eyes because I was scared of what I would find. I could roll my eyes so I felt somewhat better but the overwhelming embarrassment was making me feel clammy. I walked to the bathroom with one eye open as people looked on and some of them laughed. I got to the bathroom and there was Erv who was getting some wet towels for me. I thanked him and he left me alone to check my eye. The contact lens was in my hand. I took a look at my eye and it was blood red. I then realized that I could still see out of it. I wondered what to do with my contact lens. I wished I had more time but I felt I needed to respond quickly. I chose to put the contact lens back into my eye. I laughed at myself for being so silly and then went back to work. My eye was tingling but I went and sat at my desk. The computer was hard to look at and it made my head hurt. I popped three Tylenol and went back to the bathroom to check my eye. In the hall the contact lens came back out again. Once in the bathroom, I put the lens back in but my eye did not look that good. I was somewhat worried but I knew I had not yet calmed down. I went back to my desk and tried to work. The glare from the room and the computer monitor was hard to bear. I took a walk to my truck at the end of the parking lot. I got into the passenger side and tried to relax. I concentrated on my breath and before I knew it I was not conscious of the pain anymore. A few minutes passed. I became worried about being missed from my desk. So I grabbed my sunglasses because I thought they would help with the glare. I am thankful that my eye is working at this time. I hope it will be ok. The sunglasses have helped, as I look cool at my desk. I now know I must try and be more careful with such things. Also, hiding the use of such devices is not a good idea either.

Living without TV
by Jerry Harris

It has been great without the TV. I was wondering what I was doing with one for so long. It really does have a draw and a control over people. America has come to rationalize our obsession with it. People who do not watch TV are in the minority and I have to be ok with that. I am noticing when I visit a house and the television is turned on blaring its messages, I just can't stand being there. I even ask if we can turn it off and if not I'm out of there. It's disturbing to talk over and if we are gonna watch it, well I just rather not.

The Hardware Has Left the Building
byJerry Harris

Ok it's done. I have given up TV totally. On Saturday my old TV, stereo, VCR, DVD player and speakers were all sold. I haven't used these item for months and I was ready for the energy they were sucking up to go too. This was a huge step on my spirtual path in my home and for my family.

Ok, I Can Laugh At This Joke
by Jerry Harris

I have been checking a lot of blogs lately but the only problem is that I have not written much in my own. So here are a few words about a joke I received today. The author of this joke is unknown. I received it in an email from a friend who received it from a friend. I then did some cleaning on the trails of email addresses and forwarded it to some other friends. In the true form of things I will receive this email again. When I do I will smile and find warmth in the small of things. Here is the joke.

~ ~ ~ ~

George W. Bush goes to an elementary school to talk about the war in Iraq.
After his talk, the president offers question time.† one little boy puts
up his hand. george asks him what his name is.

"Billy."

"And what is your question, Billy?"

Billy calmly replies, "I have 3 questions.† first, why did the USA invade
Iraq without the support of the UN?† Second, why are you president when Al
Gore got more votes? and third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden?"

Suddenly at that instant, the bell rings for recess.† George Bush informs
the kiddies that he will continue with question time after recess.† When they
resume a half-hour later, George says, "ok, where were we? oh that's right
-- question time.† who has a question?"

Another little boy puts up his hand.† George points to him and asks him
what his name is.

"Pete."

"and what is your question, Pete?"

Pete replies, "I have 5 questions. first, why did the USA invade Iraq
without the support of the UN?† second, why are you President when Al Gore
got more votes?† third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden? fourth, why
did the recess bell go 20 minutes early?† and fifth, what the heck
happened to Billy?"

Marriage is love.

Ok I've made a decision to not post anymore thoughts that are political in nature. Bah who am I kidding? I must do my part to keep my readers thinking.

Being Peace volume 3

by Jerry Harris

Last year or was it the year before I coined the phrase WoMDs to be the short acronym for weapons of mass destruction. My best friend and I talked about the pending crisis and really worked on the concept together. We also were outraged that so many people could be supportive of a preemptive war. Soon the media tired of the phrase weapons of mass destruction and made it WMDs. Maybe if this media would have been quicker to question the pulpit of the bush regime, the war could have been prevented. Now, this independent inquiry into the failure of intelligence is just another band-aid scheme just like the 9/11 commission. The reality is the bush regime got what they wanted and regardless of what happens after the fact the invasion happened and can't be undone. The hope for peace before profits is still with me although so many people continue to die in this major conflict started by the so-called land of the free.

Evian
by Jerry Harris

I am drinking a short glass bottle of evian water. It is something new for me and quite refreshing after a day of drinking coffee. This was a very cold day with snow and ice and I thought the coffee would help me through it since I had to go out in the cold and work. I'm not sure if I just used that as an excuse to drink as much coffee as I wanted. Looking back I did drink a lot; so much I give myself a D rating in the healthly eating scale.

I did drink my gallon of water though.

Let it snow. Let it snow. But ice is another matter. It snowed today and now it is sleeting along with freezing rain. Both are the culprit of downed power lines in these parts of the counties. I have been plugged in today online for most of the day. I guess I want to get some things done before the power goes out. At least that is my rationalization. We found some treasures yesterday. One treasure was a hearty iron and wood chest that was dirty but very well preserved. Greg cleaned it up and he loves it. Another found treasure is a large rocker for the porch made in Yugoslavia. I was happy to find some skeleton keys. As for living in the moment, I'm here at the house with the snow and ice just being as it was, is, were.

Later.

Another, Wake Up America
by Jerry Harris

Ben informed me of this article. Should I be surprised? I don't think so.

On the Media: "Intelligence Authorization Act"

Here is an interesting article about the true state of the Union called America. Read it quick because who knows how long it will be available.

I just had a great dinner. Unleveavened bread, hummus, and a hot bowl of chili. Hot tea during the meal made it perfect. Thanks baby.

I've been so depressed at the current state of affairs. Well, really I just have not had anything to say here. I have been reading some other blogs and trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong with mine. It is amazing that so many people are blogging and putting up huge essays that they expect people to read. I read a few lines and if my interest peaks, I move on. One blog made me hangout for a good while. I did not read a lot of the postings but the photographs made me want to see more. I stumbled on to the site from a spiritual website so that added to the intrigue for me. The site was cocky bastard.

When does the short term end and the long term begin?

News Connection: The Missing Headlines
by Jerry Harris

Am I concerned about two stories yesterday about the Bush regime? You bet. One story comes from TV and since I donít watch TV I was unable to see the video of the story but I was able to read the transcript. The story concerns the former Treasury Secretary Paul OíNeil and his admission that the Bush regime (Cheney, Rove, Rumsfield and Rice) was planning to attack Iraq from day one back in 2000. The funny thing is today the Treasury Department announced that they want to probe the release of this information not whether or not it was true. Bush was asked about it and of course he diverted the question. Hmmm, must be true. The other story is about a document released by the Army War College that attacks the Bush regime on the war on terrorism and how the attack on Iraq was a big mistake. This story relates to something I have said many times; about the vagueness of a war on terrorism.

Unclaimed
by Jerry Harris

Early this morning as I was on my daily walk near my home along the Eno River, I found a jar of pickles. In the midst of this beautiful wilderness area, here is a jar of pickles. I stop and observe it. Why does this jar of pickles interest me? I notice the brand, the label and the glass. The jar looks unopened. I wonder how it got here. Is it here for me to claim? The jar must belong to someone who will surely come looking for it. Do I take it or leave it? If I leave it some kids may come along and smash the jar releasing pickles, juice and broken glass into the river? Could this be a trap? Someone could have placed the jar as a BB gun target. If I grab the jar I could be shot. Wow, what a dilemma.

News Connection: The Missing Headlines
by Jerry Harris

Yesterday there were two interesting stories on All Things Considered. One article was on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and what has been found to date. The other article is about the cost of the war in Iraq to US military personnel. The contrast of knowledge Americans have of the number of soldiers who have died versus the number of injured is typical of an administration with something to hide. The NY Times reported a quiet exodus of WMD hunters today.

It is unknown how long the links will be available.

Moon Winter Full
by Jerry Harris

The day started with a full winter moon. The moon had beamed all night. I pulled into a parking lot, grabbed a camera, a tripod and went in search of a good spot. It was cold and my fingers hurt as I screwed the camera on the tripod. As I looked around I saw a blanket of clouds approaching. I fretted, "These clouds will kill my shot." There was no time to waste. I crouched on the ground with a retracted tripod. The clouds moved in as I tried to frame the perfect shot. My knees ached from the icy dew on the grassy hill. While I fumbled with knobs on the tripod, the clouds seemed to accelerate across the sky. If I was going to get a shot it had to be now. I took a deep breath to just let go and fired the shutter. In a blink the moon was gone.

From the garden

Happy New Year!

It was a warm day yesterday. Although it is winter many folks were out taking advantage of the spring like temperatures around 72 degrees. The evening was spent in a movie theatre something I rarely do. Last week I saw that The Matrix Revolutions was released in IMAX and was playing for the last week in Raleigh. On Friday we made plans to go on Sunday. On Saturday night we watched The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded to prepare. It was great to see the whole trilogy together. It was really cool seeing the film in IMAX. There was a lot going on and I tried hard to take it in as it came but my thoughts would want to wonder when can I see it again and then I would miss something.

After the film, we went to eat at Moe’s after picking up a dozen of hot doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. Yum. It was the first time to Moe’s’ but a pleasantly repeat visit to the doughnut shop. We are always looking for places that serve healthy food without having to tip. We don’t have anything against tipping it just adds to the price of the meal and we don’t need to be served or pretend that we do. Maybe I will compile a list of good eats that meet these criteria.