I spent all day working on the computer. I am updating a website for a friend. I have ideas for other website projects.
I had dinner with my daughter at Bizen. We went there to celebrate Hachi’s birthday. Happy birthday Hachi! I also ran into Richard Bourdon who was also celebrating his birthday!
Aveline's gravesite at the Kushi Institute in Becket, MA - November 23, 2009
I went to visit both Lily and Aveline today. They (their remains) are both in Becket.
Money, finances and the economy – these are my thoughts of the day and are what I am struggling with. I will write more on this matter when I have the time.
My quiet day began with a wonderful morning meeting and ended with a special Thanksgiving Dinner at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge prepared by the staff of the Dancing Vegan. Dottie’s Coffee Lounge is a wonderful space on the north side of downtown Pittsfield, MA. Photos of the dinner are available for viewing on my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/Phiya).
I have decided to experiment with some juicing and raw foods. This means that I will have to get a blender. I was inspired by Mimi Kirk and Facebook friend, Rochelle K. (Thanks guys!) I will let you know how things go.
New challenges; a new life to lead; I seek the courage to transform myself and change the things I must; to find the peace in letting go of the broken dreams and unfulfilled promises of yesterday. I miss my friends and my attachments to them yet I must leave them behind. Though the things I am involved in may not change, how I hold them and what I do with them will. Peace to all.
I went to see Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” with a dear friend. I highly recommend it to any musicians, dancers and performers because it is basically a great rehearsal film. Creatively, he was simply the best at what he does. There is no question in my mind about it. His personal life may have been fraught with problems, much of which was brought upon him by his fame starting at an early age. It’s clear to me that the flip side of extreme fame is a prison-like loneliness – unless one can find a group of peers who can empathize and can be with you without judgment, good or bad. Life is interesting.
I have hit a certain wall. Not with drinking. But with my looking at my life with regard to financial matters and transforming it into one that will work for everyone. There is much that I am processing. Mostly I am looking at what I have been ignorant about and not acted upon in the past. There is plenty. The principles are working.
My daughter is with me for a couple days. I am happy to be a Dad again: I got up at six, woke her up, made some oatmeal, gave her breakfast, sat with her and we talked about her life and then I drove her to school. After school, she works for an art gallery and works until 5. I picked up her up then drove home, made dinner and then she hung out with a friend. Tonight we plan to watch the Leonid meteor shower at 3am.
My focus during the day has been about money, career and my future. Up until recently it hasn’t been that much of an issue. But I made the decision to change, transform and reinvent myself completely. I will write more about this later.
I had another significant revelation when I woke up this morning.
I recently learned a prayer that some may be familiar with called “The Serenity Prayer“:
- God, grant me the serenity
- To accept the things I cannot change;
- The courage to change the things I can;
- And the wisdom to know the difference.
It may seem strange to some to find out that, after 50 years, I haven’t been aware of this and many other simple prayers. It is another unique trait of mine. Like never eaten any red meat or never been hospitalized, I have never been to any religious sermons or gatherings ( excluding funerals) in my entire life. Not that I think religion is dangerous to your health (and red meat isn’t really bad either, depending on quality and quantity) but that has just been my life, so far.
The Serenity Prayer is normally associated with Alcoholics Anonymous and other similar groups. They accept that they cannot change the power of alcohol over their lives but they can choose to abstain from it and, in times of craving it, seek the wisdom to know when to abstain. This is one meaning.
My revelation involves another meaning of the Serenity Prayer on a subject that has been a part of my life ever since I was born, namely, macrobiotics. In a larger sense, macrobiotics is the study of destiny and what we can do to change it and what we can’t. It is about finding balance and, as the prayer states, the wisdom to know the difference between when we can change our destiny and when we can’t.
Earlier, I wrote a series of posts concerning the subject of Destiny which can be found here:
1. Exploring Destiny (part 1): An Introduction To Palmistry
2. Exploring Destiny (part 2): The Fate Of Sanpaku 1
3. Exploring Destiny (part 2): The Fate Of Sanpaku 2
4. Exploring Destiny (part 3): There are no accidents…or are there?
It has been my intention to write one last post in this series that explores the nature of the universe and to look at how much of our lives is really “pre-determined” versus how much is free will. Based on my macrobiotic studies, I believe that we can exercise free will over only a very small portion of our lives. The small portion that we do have control over can give us an over inflated sense that we can change anything. Our arrogance is our failure to recognize and accept and adapt to the things that we can’t change. Our ignorance is our failure to recognize and act upon the things that we can change. Many people, for example, are ignorant of the influence that diet has on one’s health while many others are arrogant by failing to recognize when diet can’t help. There are many other examples. The Serenity Prayer can be applied to every domain in our lives. In the end, we are all on a life-long journey to acquire the wisdom to know the difference between the two.
