It is never too late to be what you might have been - George Eliot

ani_26

Rainbow_Bridge wrote: »

The key, for the people he's interviewed, seems to be to live in the moment and to find your own 'spiritual' path, that feels right, whatever that might be.

It's definitely a question of life in the moment, for me right now. The spritualism is to follow in september. If i make it to september? Back to living in the moment. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...............

For me I have always felt very connected to the earth and nature, and living in harmony with others through tolerating and enjoying differences.

A God with a personality and rules and regulations, that favoured one group of people over another, never quite sat right, but sometimes I think that I threw the baby out with the bathwater, and that there is some form of 'spiritual' practice that is right for me.

Maybe it just involves sitting quietly in the garden for a few minutes each day and marvelling .... food for thought.

xx

What can i say except i agree, totally.

When you have been in so many dark places, it does give you some renewed outlook / perspective on " life ", but it has yet to add value to the concept.

Rainbow_Bridge

Nope, maybe it's figuring out the best way of surviving the concept, rather than adding value, or trying to understand it. I love that poem by Keats, so I will post it here.

ODE TO AUTUMN

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, -
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing, and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Heffi1

Good luck with the weigh in, I have read from the beginning and I am enjoying your journey, so I have subscribed so that I don't miss anything.

It has been very thought provoking, listening to your opinions and those of Ani and others, I find this area really interesting, but have no firm views of what I believe either, so I am still searching for the answers to life's questions :rotfl:bI expect I shall be until my last breath, but it gets the old grey matter working again.

Thank you and keep up the good work, you are inspiring me to reduce my debt and even lose a few pounds (stone:o) along the way.

Rainbow_Bridge

Thank you so much for your lovely post Heffi1. Another searcher for the answers to life's questions. It's lovely to meet you, and please feel free to join in.

I lost a phenomenal 5 lb yesterday. I was so surprised, I had to get her to weigh me again. I am now 11 stone 11 lb. That mental baggage did weigh something after all.....

I had a wonderful sleep last night, and I feel the 'Happiness Project' is the right approach for me.

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf”

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Rainbow_Bridge

Chez moi, I have already taken the think too deeply route and it didn't work for me.

As for living in the moment, I read the 'Power of Now', by Eckhart Tolle and could see the sense of it, and I am going to try and incorporate some form of meditation, down time, into each day.

However, I love a good plan, and something to aim for, so I don't feel inclined to give that up at the moment . I am just going to simplify things, and focus on things that give me pleasure, coz when Mamma's happy everybodies happy xx. Well that's today's theory .......

I'm quite excited about a project for September.

debtfreewannabe321

i like the sound of these projects RB I've just caught up with you and loving the posts, all very thought provoking and you have all had some really deep questions/answers/ thoughts for me to think on. When i was at my lowest i went to see my doctor. Funny enough she had been called out and a locum (sp?) was in, she was a lovely Indian lady and we had a really deep moving conversation about life in general. I told her i had no reason to be depressed yet i just was. She sent me away with a prescription for 60mg of prozac but asked me to read eckhart tolles, the power of now. I ordered it and it sat in my room for ages. I picked it up one day and read it and it just clicked with me. It spurred me on to come off the prozac, take up meditation & reiki and make something of each day. I can't thank that lady enough, i feel like she was sent to me that day for a reason sorry bit of a deviation there....anyway i think i may source that book out for myself (the one you mentioned!). Am in need of a bit of self-help at the moment and lacking inspiration so thank you for mentioning it xx

Rainbow_Bridge

53/365 - 14.5%

Well I have finished secular work for the week and it's the end of a bumpy month.

I weighed in at 11 stone 8lb this morning, so I have lost 7lb and gained £360.00, in my savings account in the last 53 days, so despite the roller coaster ride, this engine is still going, and it's heading in a better direction than before. A celebration is called for .

I plan to do a quick clean around the house, and then chill..... I'm going to stick my scented candles around the bath, have a long soak while i'm reading a good, light book, with my head supported on my bath pillow.

Next I'm going to re-paint my finger nails and toes purple, pluck my eyebrows and watch The Lucky One, on DVD, while I indulge in a wee bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a small bar of organic cherry chocolate.

I've saved my points for tonight and I am going to savour every drop of wine and bite of chocolate.

Tomorrow I will contemplate September's project xx.

Rainbow_Bridge

54/365 - 14.8%

Yesterday was great!!

I talked DH and DS into helping me do a concentrated hours cleaning of the house with a promise of their own treat evening too. I put the timer on, they did a great job and the house is immaculate.

DH chose pizza and 4 cans of beer, watching the football and DS chose a Burger King Special, while chilling with his music.

So no cooking. Maybe not MSE, but I think I will do this again on the last Friday of the month, because we all enjoyed it and it was ......PAY DAY.

So it is now SEPTEMBER and my thought for this month is:-

“Dig the well before you are thirsty.”
– Chinese proverb

I have three goals:-

1. Lose another 4lb in September, to get me to 11 stone 4lb, which is more than I originally planned to lose each month, but it is in line with the goal Weightwatcher's have set me.

2. Save another £100.00.

3. Complete my September project:-

The project I have wanted to do for years is to have a full storecupboard and freezer, and an emergency bag for DH,DS and I.

I want to stop living on the back foot and in true, boy scout fashion, start being prepared.

So I have a budget of £200.00. £160.00 from savings, because this is the amount I am over plan, and £40.00 from the housekeeping budget this month.

Today I am going to have some fun working on a project plan xx.

Heffi1

They are very achievable goals you have set yourself. I have been thinking lately of setting myself goals as I seem to let time slip and then look back and realise I have not achieved very much at all

Today I had an appointment with the bank to update life insurance for me and make sure my mum has some in place, she is 70 now so we had a look at the budget and she is now covered, it is only a small amount compared to mine, but her funeral expenses are in another policy, so this should cover anything we have not thought of at the moment (well that's the plan)

Then onto Costco, I spent more than planned, but have enough meat in the freezer again to last for quite some time, then it was Asda, as my son works there we have a staff discount card and the bill only came to £37 so not so bad really.

Then home put the shopping away and I now have a chicken curry I have chucked together in the slow cooker, so that is another 6 -8 meals for the freezer for my son.

Coffee and a rest for a while now I think.

ani_26

Rainbow_Bridge wrote: »

Hi Ani,

What day does your course start? I hope you are able to go along.

I haven't done anything like this before, so I am a bit nervous, it would be good to get some moral support from a fellow Yogi novice xx.

I can't honestly remember, and i've lost my receipt. :rotfl:I need to find out. I think it's around the 19th sept? Somewhere around that time.

I'll be interested to know how it goes, tonight? I've never partaken with yoga before, either.