Meditation, Drawing, Cleaning, Reading or "2 New Goals"

I love making goals.  I have been involved with Phoenix Youth at Risk for almost a year now.  We make a LOT of goals in the program, and I have seen some amazing things pulled from deep inside me last year.  I love getting out a new goal sheet and filling it out.  I love the clarity I get as I create the vision at the beginning, and I love the clarity that comes after completing the steps and seeing the transformation in my life.  I just love it!

I was inspired by a recent project of my friend G where she completed a drawing every day last year, called #draw365.  I love the idea of doing something once a day, and how satisfying it would be to look back over the accumulation of those days by this time next year.

And then I was thinking and clicking around the internet, I got inspired by another friend mfranti to try out a #clean365 project, since I already do that most days, but it's more random and without an overlying purpose.  This one doesn't stress me out, but will help me stretch a bit to feel and look more organized.  So there is one goal I can make and keep, and tweet under #clean365.

Of course, after the all the drawing and cleaning thoughts I got to thinking about meditation.  I am thinking that I may try a #meditation365 hashtag of my own, or maybe it already exists.  I find myself meditating on my relationship with my children the most.

I had a conversation once with R when M was giving me some grief about a year ago.  I joked "what would the Buddha say?" and he came back with "he would say to see The Boy's suffering".  I was hit with that sentence like a ton of bricks.  Ever since then I have seen my relationship with M (and E) a little more clearly.

Starting with Thich Nhat Hanh's book Peace is Every Step, I'm going to read many books on mindfulness this year, taking inspiration from them to direct my daily meditation.  Upcoming books that I have been eyeing:

• A Path with Heart
• The Simple Feeling of Being
• The Places That Scare You
• The Untethered Soul
• Happy Yoga
• Living with the Devil
• Buddhism Without Beliefs
• Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System
• Light on Yoga
• Yoga and the Quest for the True Self
• The Essential Rumi
• Emptiness Dancing
• Parenting with Love and Logic
• After the Ecstasy, the Laundry

This will be another goal I can realistically make and keep, and even tweet daily under #meditation365.


I suppose I should mention that you can follow me on Twitter here, huh?


(Of course, I will be continuing on with my Operation Lose Baby Weight goal.  I am already very comfortable taking my coconut oil three times a day, keeping my fats plentiful, nourishing, and traditional, and being patient while the weight comes off.  So far I have managed to shed 5 pounds, but there is a lot more where that came from!  That will be my goal until it's completed.)