Practice makes stuff good
Or
How to have a happy life.
It seems pretty straightforward, right?
Eat healthy food, rest, drink water, exercise, be kind to all (including yourself), meditate, indulge no voices, direct your attention, R & L, smile, approach work as play, be generous, accept no judgments, chew your food mindfully, approach everything with a curious mind, laugh for no reason, focus on your breath, say loving things to yourself, keep looking inward, be of service, own your projections, cease from thinking, make time for quiet, walk in nature, follow your heart, be passionate about what you do, treat everything with reverence, be open to change, do something differently just to see what happens, recall a time your heart was open, see beauty, dance, sing, draw a picture, contribute to something bigger, do something that threatens the voices, participate in Life, keep up the good work, be thankful, say “yes!”
And when you finish, begin again. And again and again and again. If you fill up the room the voices take up with practice instead, there will be no room for anything else. It’s a law of physics, or some such–you know, an object in motion stays in motion etc. The voices clamor on about how Zen is so dreary, humorless, colorless, and filled with deprivation. No it’s not. Look at that list above. Make sure they know you’re boss. Throw it up in their illusionary faces. Keep adding to it. Keep adding to your life. And most of all, keep doing it. It’s that simple. Let me know how it goes!
Link to cartoon: Print for your refrigerator door to remind you. I only…
Gasshō,
Alex