AndrewBrunelle.com

What I hope to accomplish in the coming months and years is to improve this blog every day, every week, every post. I feel that a blog is a great medium to convey ideas and gives me an outlet for writing and creativity. I can always make what I am doing better and to grow this blog into something amazing, something beyond just the text, would be amazing for me and the world. The penalty of not utilizing my potential does not just hurt me, it hurts the entire world. If I do not do my best to ensure the world is becoming a better place, then it will have consequences.

The whole point I am making here is that there is always the quote, “If we all did our best, then…” and I want to make that a reality. I want to lead by example and encourage others to do the same, their best in whatever field they are in. If we all band together to do the best we possibly can do, anything is possible, barring the removal of gravity. When and if I am ever on my deathbed, the question I will ultimately ask myself is, “Did I do my best?” And if I cannot answer yes to that question, if I cannot feel satisfied about what I contributed, then I did not live the life I wanted to, and the regrets will start to settle in. The longer I live, the more chance I have to make a valid contribution to this world. I want to raise awareness about certain things and promote healthy living, healthy emotions, and help the world become the wonderful place it can be.

I am going to focus solely on providing genuine value to the readers, in various forms, so that everyone feels they can benefit from this website. I plan to really vamp up the blog in the next few months, with much more high-level content, things that keep me awake at night, and I want to rehash a conversation I had with a friend of mine to show how important life is, or whether anything really matters at all, in the grand scheme of things. The only reason why anything happens is because it is a possibility. If it wasn’t a possibility, it wouldn’t be happening. This is how I feel right now. So the fact that I am writing this post right now means that it is a possibility in the grand scheme of life, the infinite time frame of the universe. And I am making the most of this possibility. Don’t let your possibility slip away.

We have the ability in this life to make a choice. A fundamental choice about our lives. We can choose to be a part of the problem or part of the solution. And there is no real right or wrong answer, if the choice is made consciously. But if the choice is a socially conditioned, unconscious choice, which really isn’t a choice at all, then it has no bearing. You have to take the initiative to either encite change or defend the status quo. It is up to you. I am taking the time to work this blog up and make everything better to hopefully inspire people to better themselves and the world. I hope you make a similar decision, and if you don’t make sure it is a conscious deicision.

Like I mentioned before in my previous posts, I am attempting to refrain from any TV watching, except for maybe one to two half-hour shows a week, but now that I realize how pointless the whole activity is, even during shows I do enjoy, I can finally put to rest the fact I do not need to watch this box anymore. Even the shows I like, the shows I love, are not half as good as I thought they were. Even if I do laugh a couple of times, it is not half as funny as some of the ideas I can come up with myself. I am not saying this to brag, but just to show how bored I’ve become with the whole television paradigm. At this point, I would rather read a script from a television show than actually watch it. That may seem odd, but before all this, I did read movie scripts on a semi-regular basis, and got the same, if not better understanding of characters and how they related to one another.

TV news is another thing that just cracks me up. They get hooked on these seemingly meaningless stories for days, weeks, months, and even years. I will never forget the Natalie Holloway case. It is sad she disappeared, but so do millions of other children and adults each year. I could not help but think the only reason they focused almost exclusively on her was that she was attractive and her parents had money. Then, recently, the Anna Nicole Smith thing where I guess she died or something and there was a baby and they didn’t know who the father was. I could not help but think that if I was subjected to another dose of this sort of “news,” that I would have to smash the television set myself. It’s pretty obvious that people die, sometimes unexpectedly, and if they have contributed something meaningful to society, and when I say meaningful, I am not talking about the creator of Desperate Housewives or the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. I am talking about people who revolutionize the world. Someone like Albert Einstein or Martin Luther King, Jr.

I wish the television was used for good, but it is used for bad much more often. It has a wonderful potential to inform, but most of the programming insults my intelligence and the intelligences of most people watching it. Putting us in a state of fear constantly, painting the world as a dangerous place with mostly drug dealers, thieves, murderers, and rapists. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been robbed, bought drugs, seen a murder, or been raped, so why do 90% of news stories revolve around things like that? Reportedly, murder is the least common crime and it is reported on the most. It is this sort of sensationalism that drives our country down. Even the newspapers have that “catchy headline,” like School Shooting in Arkansas. I don’t know why we are all obsessed with the bad, the evil. Maybe it makes us feel better about ourselves, about our situation. All I know is those stories would not be on the front page or dominate the news if it did not build an audience.

I believe we need to be informed about what is going on in the world, but learning about celebrities dying or a school shooting is something that usually does not affect us personally. If we keep concentrating on all these negative stories, all these terrible deeds that the media cannot help but report on, then we will create these things in our lives. What we have to do is focus on the good, and set the intention to bring more good into the world. Does it make sense to spend our lives listening to stories about people we do not know committing acts we do not need to know about? And if there is some colossal news story, something I really need to know, I am sure someone will tell me about it. If they do not, well, I’ll know soon enough.

One thing I am noticing is I now have a lot more time to concnetrate on my hobbies and this blog, to some extent. Reading is another hobby I am enjoying much more. There is so much more you can do with your life than be familiar with pop culture references and recite the opening theme song to Family Guy. So, please, turn of your television and plug into life. I need to go mow my lawn now. Good day.

The key here is getting everything I do not need out of my life. All of the things that are no longer useful to me. Get rid of the thoughts in my head that do not help me. Start implanting thoughts that empower me and keep me going. Understand that living simply is a means by which you let others simply live. I believe Ghandi has a quote something like that. There is a feeling of lightness that comes with this territory, a feeling that you are no longer bound to the things and feelings you used to regard as a neccesity. Attachment is the root of all suffering. Attachment to things, outcomes, and feelings is what causes all the bad things in the world. To no longer hold stock in expectations does not demotivate me to take action, it makes taking action that much easier because even if I fail, I am more concerned with the experience than the outcome.

I sometimes question the way we live as human beings, and I realize that it will take a massive catastrophe for any of this to change. We never see problems that creep up to us slowly, like global warming, but if something were to happen, like a meteor hitting the Earth or something, then we would know how to adapt, we would made due. Perpetuating our existence is a must from a humanistic perspective. Why, I don’t know. Whenever people talk about the “end of the world,” what they are really talking about is the end of human existence. Like we are so much more important than the other creatures on this planet. WE need to be interdependent with nature, not independent of it. But from a universal perspective, it isn’t all that important, but on a local one, it is the most important thing possible.

There is a saying like, “If we all did out part…” Well, that would be nice, wouldn’t it? Everyone doing their part for a better world, a better existence. But for some reason, people are too caught up in their situation, their immediate surroundings, not the fate of the planet. I guess it is a challenge to think in terms of the whole planet, of every action we take furthering the world in one direction or another, and making a conscious effort to see the consequences of our actions is not a pleasant experience. But after you do this, and realize what is happening, you start to question many of the activities you took for granted. I am not a vegetarian yet, but seeing how animals are treated in slaughterhouses and understanding that if we are all one, every animal I eat contributes to the suffering of consciousness, the karmic debt is enormous. The way people tear down the rainforests to make room for cattle to graze. The way the cattle are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics so they do not die and produce more. The feeling that contributing to suffering is not the best option.

I will admit I still eat meat on occasion. I realize there are many negative consequences to doing so. Eventually, I hope to phase out meat completely. There are numerous benefits to doing so, if I do it right. I may have to take supplements and eat more vegetables, but it is something I am willing to do to increase my gift to the world. And it will help take away some of the resources used for animals. If we all did this, all of us, then maybe we could start some changes, radical changes. But for some reason, I do not see this happening. It may take over a century even if everyone is willing. It would take a consciousness revolution for this to happen. I see spurts of this sort of revolution, but not to the extent that would be required.

The best thing I can do right now is simplify my life and the lives of the people around me. Start having people question the norm, the status quo. Encourage change, encite a movement, wake people up to the world and show that we can all be just as happy living simply, living with a high state of consciousness. It will be far more joyous than we live today. I guess you could say I am an optimistic pessimist, but I am more on the optimum side right now. I am not going to deny that the world is in bad shape, and the best way I know how to encite change is through informing people and practicing what I convey. If we all start to do this, maybe, just maybe, we will fix the problems of the world, start to develop renewable fuel sources that do not pollute the environment, and even save many of the dying species occupying various regions of he globe. I am hopeful we are up to this task. We may need a collection of individuals to complete this task, to advocate change and to move higher on the consciousness scale, so let us all get together in simplifying and raising consciousness. It will be a fun ride. You better wear your seatbelt.

Give me the strength to accept the things I cannot change. Give me the corage to change the things I do not like. And give me the wisdom to know the difference between the two. I guess that is some prayer from either Christianity or Cahtolicism. It goes something like that. And it is a very powerful quote, as it talks about acceptance vs. denial in a way that I believe we all can relate to.

We all have things in our lives we do not like or wish to change. There are some things we have power to change, while others may or may not be within reach, at least at this point in time. The wisdom to know the difference is a journey in self-exploration. We have to look at ourselves objectively sometimes to see what it is we should change, if anything, as life is an ongoing process of evolution. There are some things you cannot change about yourself or your environment, at least at your state of awareness. There are others you think you cannot change, but could with some hard work and perseverence.

If you are six hundred pounds and do not think you will ever lose the weight, that you just have to accept yourself the way you are, I encourage you to look at all the experiiences you are missing out on because of your large stature. Look at how you have to buy two ariplaine tickets if you would like to fly. Realize that anything is possible. And you may not be able to change the things you want right now, but as life moves on, these things could very well become possible. I have heard the story a thousand times before, “The doctor said I would never walk again. But here I am walking.” Just because the odds are stacked against you, that does not mean you have to succumb to apathy and learned helplessness.

And do not deny what you are getting either. You have to accept the truth in all parts of your life. It is only when we accept the truth that we are able to grow further. It does not make sense to lie to yourself on a consistent basis to hold up this facade that has a very weak foundation to it, eventually crumbling. You lower your awareness when you lie. It is obvious that the last statement is true because you are trying to convince yourself that something you are not experiencing is true. So the first step to acceptance is truth, and the second step to changing or choosing to accept your situation is coming to terms with it, and letting it be a part of you once again.

No matter how bad or good a person you are, self-acceptance and self-worth are to big keys to a fulfilling life. When you fully and unconditionally accept yourself, you become more open to possibilities to improve yourelf. It does sound a bit counter-intuitive, but because you accept yourself no matter what, you are no longer afraid to try the activities you were previously fearful of doing. Unconditional acceptance is the answer, but if something is not the way you wish it to be, go ahead and move towards changing it.

As a personal example, in my life, I no longer find my job interesting or fulfilling. I am so close to muttering the words, “I quit,” but the repercussions from my family may be something like this, “You can’t quit your job until you have another one.” Well, moving towards not having a job is nice, at least for me, as I intend to start a business in the near future, although the full details of that business are not yet on paper. I intend to cut down on my consumption in order to build up money to start this business eventually. The only thing that is really holding me back is the people around me, the people who will tell me that I will probably fail, and that may be true, but the experience will be worth it. I have to learn to let go of outcomes, which I am now practicing and will practice for the remainder of my life. Attachment to anything is the root of all suffering anyway. Make no appointment and you’ll have no disappointments. Lower your expectations, but still do whatever it is you want to do. Accept the outcome, and move on from there. That is all I have to say.

As of late, I have strictly limited my television viewing to no more than a couple of shows per week, much better than previous times in my life. This has turned me onto another activity to fill the gap in my life–reading. I do not know if you all know what reading is, I know it has suffered a steady decline ever since the television came into fruition. Reading requires a longer attention span than television, as the plots are usually much more complex and the characters see some real development. It is an exercise in imagination. I remember what an avid reader I was in elementary school and into my middle school days, and then I just sort of tapered off. I started watching more and more television, mainly Comedy Central and the Fox network. I started shoving books to the side in favor of movies and television shows, and what happened was a stagnation, an atrophy of my imagination. It was like this for five, six years even, without me really noticing how much I lost in that timespan. Television almost became an addiction, but not to the extent that many others suffer with.

If you have ever watched television, and I believe many of you have, there really is not much on to really get interested in. A vast wasteland is what someone put it as. There may be a few shows, a few key shows that are truly interesting and thought-provoking, but otherwise, there is nothing of real substance, nothing really bound in reality, more of a fanstasmal way to live, if that is even a word. The “reality” shows that depict edited reality, which is so far away from reality that they should be called “fantasy shows.” And let us not forget the advertisements, which put most people in a state of desire, wanting all the new products that are advertised on the networks. Breeding a consumerist culture, allowing for mass destruction of our planet and many more. I am not saying that all television is evil, just that the majority of the broadcasts offer hardly anything of substance, are extremely biased, and I am sure you could find other more fulfilling activities to participate in than sitting passively, watching a screen simulate other people doing things you wish you could do.

After a long conversation with myself, I decided it was necessary to remove the television’s influence from my life, except for no more than five hours a week. There are certain shows I find original and creative, and are against the mainstream garbage I often see. Those are the shows I keep on my schedule. I have filled the time I cut out from not watching television with much more meaningful activities, such as reading, writing, and contemplating the meaning of my life and the meaning of all life in the universe. You do not see such activities on television. When you watch television, you surrender control to the network. Whatever is on there, you cannot control. It is almost like hypnosis. I used to feel that I wanted to turn the damn thing off, but I couldn’t. I spent many nights watching Law and Order marathons until I could barely keep my eyes open, wondering why I even cared about what happened to the characters. It wasn’t real. Why did I care?

Finally, I broke away from this sort of behavior, or lack of behavior and decided not to spend a good amount of my life in front of a piece of technology. Although I do use my computer quite a bit, it is more interactive and I am in the driver’s seat. I can choose what it is I want to do here. It is much more empowering than the television. Television is defining our culture through everything it conveys. And it isn’t really the television, but the advertisements and programs on the television. Those are the real culprits. Television can be used to enrich our lives or what it does now, turns us into passive zombies. And they are doing a good job. People are still watching. They want to see who gets kicked off the island on Survivor. They want to see the next episode of Desperate Housewives. And if that is entertaining to you, fine. But if you are only watching it to fill a void in your life, a void that could be filled with much more meaningful activities, then go for it. Do not surrender control of your life to a “box.” You’re worth more than that. You can do better. It is not easy to break the habit, but once you do, you will start finding better ways to occupy your time. Take up a hobby. Join a club. Exercise. There are so many positive things you can put in place of television. Take your pick.

Sometimes I wonder if I will be better off living in the woods. Maybe that is the place for me. In this past year, I have spent more time outdoors and have really listened to the world around me, not the manmade sounds, but the sounds that are provided by nature. It is like a soundtrack from Sounds of the Suburban Forest. Sure, there may be some car noises in the background, but the primary focus in on the chirping birds and the zephyr from the west. (A zephyr, by definition, is a west wind.) I find it very soothing. There is a certain continuity about it, an instinctive look at something that has always been there, at least as long as this planet has harbored life. And I cannot help but think what a short period of time we have been “civilized.” That being our domestication if you would. Our settling into a three bedroom ranch house with a white picket fence and a dog named Fido.

We are not really sure of life before civilization, as no one took the time to write it down in a way we could understand. Sure, cavemen painted on walls, but that doesn’t tell me who invented the wheel. And I am sure no one needed to get a patent for it. I do have this vision of an ancient patent office, Flintstones style. It would be something, wouldn’t it? I also wonder if the people back then kept track of the years, one of them like, “Hey, it’s 4567 B.C. I have this sinking feeling Christ is going to be born in 4567 years. Better keep that day open.” But it amazes me how we have started accelerating to the point of unsustainability. Consuming all of our resources is something that we may not have seen coming, but it is time to start consuming less.

Maybe the woods would be a great place for us to live. I researched Henry David Thoreau and found that he spent about two years in the woods in a small shack. I guess it was the defining moment of his life or something, and it gave him some newfound perspective on life, love, and consumption. I think that if we all pitch in and go back to our roots, we can live in peace once again. We are always fighting over land, resources, or whatever else is this year’s “hot button.” So I guess transcendence of society is something we can all get a part of by spending time in the woods, away from all of this. I don’t know, but ever since reading the book Fight Club, I find it that my responsibility is to do something every day to get away, at least for awhile. If I were to ever take an extended vacation, it would be to a private beach, an undiscovered paradise. Why go to a place where you are trying to relax, but the family or whoever you go with is saying, “Let’s go here, let’s go there, let’s see the [insert tourist attraction here].”

I know that we have evolved in a civilization-type manner much faster than we have evolved biologically and this is something that may or may not cause problems. I am not a scientist nor am I a firm believer in us being “the crown of creation” and that we should “be fruitful and multiply,” as I feel we have done quite enough of that for at least a few generations. It is not something you can deny. Our population will become unsustainable. How many more people can we pack onto this planet? And with the current obesity epidemic at large, that could also produce some interesting problems as well.

I came across a website called the Church of Euthanasia, a great website that has to do with voluntarily lowering the population to a sustainable level. I found the website both humorous and dark, but also mean at times. I am not going to condone anything they have stated, but some of it did make a lot of sense. I feel like if we keep letting the population grow, the woods and all other solitudes will be turned into multiplex cinemas or minimalls, something I could not bear to deal with. I might become the next member of the Church of Euthanasia if that happens on a global level. I pray that this does not happen. But you never know.

In all of this, I find peace in knowing I am conscious enough to realize these problems and that I can take steps, personally, to limit my ecological footprint, and encourage others to do the same. It is our battle to be won. I know we were kind of just thrown into this at birth, as we inherited these problems, from our ancestors. We just bought into this sort of lifestyle, and it can consume us all. I am not saying the complete extinction of humans would be a terribly bad thing, as the remaining ecosystem will still thrive without us. We are not integral to the world, and as a matter of fact, we have done more harm than good, but there still is some good in there. We need to get more of the good out, the helping hands, cleaning up this world, so that way I can buy a small plot of land and move into the woods. Come join me. You’ll enjoy it. I promise.

It happens every once in awhile that we have to “perform” for other people, if you would. We have to be “on.” I often joke with people I know when other people are coming to visit we have not seen in awhile that we’ll have to recharge our batteries in order to be “on” for that occasion. I guess it has to do with uploading your ego or something. Becoming the egoic personality that these people are used to seeing, or at least the egoic personality that you currently use in some situations. I am thinking of storing my ego along with my self-esteem in a wall-safe I am thinking about purchasing, so that when I need it, I know where it will be. It is not like my ego is very strong, it is just a humble sense of an ego, I am not someone who is the leader of the conversation, although it is often a comment I make that will drive the whole conversation. So, I am usually in control of the conversation, although I am not the person who contributes the most. I find it fascinating how so many people are invested in putting out their nuggest of information and not really listening to the rest of the crowd. That is a problem I have addressed within myself, as I have always been more of a listener anyway.

From an early age, I was one to watch. My mother always told me, even as a child, when interacting with other children, I would first watch them, for maybe hours on end, before joining into their reindeer games. I was more observant than I was active. And I still love to watch people. I always get a good read on people just by watching and listening. I don’t even need to utter a word to get a full understanding of most people. I guess you could call this a gift, but I guess I take it for granted. I have never been much of a verbal person, up until a couple of years ago, when I had my brain tumor and I put everything in perspective, but I still do not talk as much as the people around me. I guess this means I do not activate my ego half as much.

The ego is very reactive. It always has to react to the situation at hand. If it doesn’t, then it is almost like it is letting itself down. People always expect your ego to have something to contribute to the conversation, no matter how pointless it may be. Sometimes I wonder why some people put all their energy into somewhat meaningless arguments about which brand of clothes is better or how much hairspray someone is using. To me, and this is just me, I would rather talk about the meaning of life or why society functions the way it does, or how to take down the evil corporations that dehumanize its workers and take over small businesses like a bully in the schoolyard. But that is just me. I like to talk about things that are bigger than just me, bigger than the immediate circumstances that surround me. I like to encite change in the world, not just in someone’s personal regime. I couldn’t care less if someone decides to switch their cell phone number because cell phones are likely to contribute to brain cancer in the long run, so I avoid them at all costs, already having been through that experience.

I have been trying to make sense of this society for way too long, and looking at it through the ego, it makes me feel like I am powerless to change it. Like what can I do, one person, to change the way the world works, with all the greed and corruption, and a host of everything else. But when I turn off my ego-personality, and realize I am connected with everything, then I start to think I can actually change the world, as a collective consciousness, by intending for the world to improve in the ways that I see fit. This sort of feeling allows me to dream big, because since we all are connected, I can bring forth a new change in the world, simply by bringing others on board through the power of inention and through some action as well. I find that turning of the ego and embracing the “we all are one” hypothesis, it empowers me to be able to change the world around me to fit my needs and wants, the way I want the world to be. I haven’t solved any major problems yet, but they are definitely on the horizon. Wish me luck and I wish you all luck as well. More power to the non-egoic personalities. Boy, does that sound awkward or what? It’s okay, it is the idea that counts.

Spending time with nature is one of the best things you can ever do. I can attest to this personally. The unbelievable beauty contained within this world is only seen through a certain lens, and if you are now carrying that lens, I encourage you to go out into nature and get a look at everything you are missing by spending hours a day inside, working at a job, or just spending time inside. One of my favorite things to do is to take an undetermined amount of time and spend it out in the wilderness. Where I am from, there is not much wilderness, so I guess a golf course will have to do. Even so, watching the animals get their food for the upcoming winter, the birds flying about, chirping incessantly, or the wind blowing the trees back and forth, back and forth, until you feel like this is where you are supposed to be, where we were meant to be.

I am a strong believer in coming back to our natural state of being, and I definitely feel that nature has a strong part to play in all of this. It is there from whence we came, and we shall return back to this natural lifestyle with epic proportion, soon enough, as so I hope. I feel that the more time I spend in that sort of area, the more centered I become, the less worried I feel, the more peace I can invite into my life. I feel that humanity, in a sense, has lost touch with our natural roots and are so concerned with technology and deadlines, not to mention fear of nature, that we completely neglect what is out there and focus primarily on what we have created rather than what has always been. To watch a tree, to know that it has grown for twenty, thirty years to get to where it is today, that there are whole networks of animals and insects, and whatever else could be contained inside that tree, living there, instinctively, intuitively, as if it came natural, without any rhyme or reason, except it is the only way for them to survive effectively. There is no logic behind this, it is all instinctive.

This is the concept I am talking about here, our instinct, our intuition, our sense of knowing without having to justify it. Things that just feel right. For the most part, humanity no longer relies on its intuition, except in some very rare circumstances. We have lost trust in our inuitive senses, spending so much time away from nature, and it has denied us a very powerful tool. I find that the more I get in tune with nature, the more I feel trustworthy of my intuition. I think what scares most people about nature is it is not logical in any sense. There is no math equation that can describe nature. And if there is, I don’t want to know what it is.

I know that the way we are currently living, with the destruction of nature, our original home, our overconsumption of resources, our complete disregard for animal rights, and our high stress environment workplaces. That is not a utopia. There is nothing there that even resembles a paradise. We need to get back in touch with our roots, people, and I sure hope that it starts happening fast. We have turned our backs on our place of origin in the pursuit of “progress,” whatever that means, taking more and more natural resources out of the Earth and further depleting the very clean air and water we need to survive. And when you spend time in nature, you will wonder why we allow this outright destruction of such a beautiful thing. It is only because we have lost touch and now this nature has become the enemy. We fear what we do not understand, and until we once again understand nature, we will fear it, and be ready to destroy it. That is all I have to say about that. Good day.

Something as of late has provoked me to becoming more organized. I don’t know what it is, but it has reaped some enormous benefits so far and I am looking forward to the culmination of complete organization. I have thrown away quite a bit in the last month or so, things I thought I would need someday, so held onto, and never used. I am still not all the way there, but it is an ongoing process. Eventually, I would like to strip everything down to the bare minimum, with just a couple of extras, like my laptop and a couple of DVDs I actually use. The rest is all going to be either sold, given away, or tossed out, depending on if I can find ways to better dispose of them.

Here is what I have been noticing when it comes to clearing out clutter: You feel better, you are more focused, more relaxed, less agitated about clutter. Clutter can be very distracting, especially when you are trying to do something like write a blog post there is a gigantic mess staring you in the face. I believe the key to organization is giving each and every one of your items a home, a place where they belong, and be sure to keep placing them back in their home after you are done using them. This has two benefits: One is that you will always know where your things are, and two is that those things will not be all over the place, impeding your mood and well-being.

I find getting rid of excess items to be a rewarding process as well. This is especially true if you give those items to others. I remember a saying that goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” I agree with that statement to the degree it has worked for me. I am going to start giving away some of the things I do not use regularly because getting rid of them will free up more space for either other things or more oxygen in my room. Oxygen is probably the most precious item for me to have around, so having more room for it is a definite must. The key for me is to figure out which items I will probably never use again, and which ones I will definitely use again. But what is the difference anyway? None of the things I own, besides my laptop, is worth over $100. Every other individual item is worth less than that. So, if I ever need another one of something I have thrown away, I can always get another one, for a nominal fee.

One of my plans is to probably sell some of my DVDs on eBay or sell them to used movie stores. A lot of the movies I have bought seemed like a good idea at the time, but I feel like every time I feel like watching one of them, I say, “Well, it is going to take two hours. Could you possibly put those two hours to better use?” And the answer is usually yes, so I feel like these movies are not really satisfying their space on my desk. The same goes with my bookshelf. Probably more than half the books on there I will never, ever read again, so maybe it is time to make a trip to the library and donate them. I don’t even know why I own books that aren’t something I would use at least once a month, as having them just sit there is a colossal waste of space. All in good time I will bring myself to get rid of the ones that no longer serve me, and if for some reason they do after I get rid of them, I just have to go down to the library and take it out.

It is all a matter of what you need, what you want, and what is just not worth keeping. Then there is a way to systematically organize the things you own into those three categories, trashing the latter and keeping the two first ones, then working on different methods of organizing the things that remain. I think it is a good idea. I have heard that in office buildings, often a person with a messy desk will not get a promotion. The whole thought on that is messy desk, messy life. Your clutter is a representation of who you are, and by clearing it out, you clear out a part of yourself to invite better things to come in its place.

Now where are my keys?

We all dream sometimes. Actually, we supposedly all dream every night, although many people do not remember their dreams. Over the last year, since last March, I have kept a pretty steady dream log, although I sometimes went, twice, without writing for maybe a month when I started forgetting my dreams once again, but putting out the intention to start having vivid dreams once again, right before I go to bed, has proven effective in having rich and vivid experiences even while I am dozing away in my most comfortable place. Some of my dreams are very normal, filled with the usual things. Others have a certain mystic effect about them. In at least three dreams, I have used the power of intention to manifest money right before my eyes. Recently, I had a dream where I could move things and people with my mind. So the experiences are getting much richer and much more fulfilling.

I don’t know if anyone here who reads this is familiar with lucid dreams, but that is a dream where you are conscious that you are dreaming, and now take complete control of the dream. I have had a couple of these such dreams, but what happens is as soon as I realize I am dreaming, I wake up twenty or thirty seconds afterwards and am not able to do much with them. I have heard many stories about lucid dreams and how wonderful they can be, and since I am already having a wonderful experience dreaming as of late, I figure it is not a bad idea to try and influence myself to have a few lucid dreams every month or so. It’s not like I’ll be doing anything better while sleeping. It will give me something to do while I essentially lie lifeless on my bed.

The thing that amazes me the most about dreams is absolutely anything is possible, anything out of the ordinary can happen, and if you are not a lucid dreamer, you accept it as normal. Because when we dream we are still in the dream mindset, we adopt our dream character’s mindset and no matter where we are, whatever happens makes sense from that perspective. However, if when we wake up we remember the dream, much of it will seem distorted and unplausible to real life situations. This is another reason why I would love to work on lucid dreaming. It would give me the opportunity to do things I could never do in real life, ever, well maybe I could, but right now I do not see a way to attain it. Flying is one example.

I wish I would have numbered the dreams I had, but even that would not make much difference, just to have a running tally, because I know that just having them down in reality on paper gives them that extra credibility that other dreams do not get. Often, if I wake up right after a dream in the middle of the night, I will write down some key words to remember the dream, just in case I am to forget it. The unbelievably strange thing is that if I write them down, I remember them, even if I do not look at the paper I wrote them down on. I guess using the mind, the hands, and the eyes one time, as three ways to remember it, will burn it into my mind and it will no longer need to be looked at after that.

I am not certain, but I lean towards thinking the dream is an alternative universe where my consciousness goes to when my body is no longer conscious. It is a place where all things are possible because I go in there wilh no expectations that anything will be held constant. I am starting to suspect that real life is also a dream, but it has limitations because we are told this from a young age about how you can’t do certain things. There is no one in our dreams telling us we can’t do things, unless you have dreams riddled with limitations. I think maybe if we relax our beliefs about reality a bit, we could most likely do all of the things we do in a dream and more, but it will be a gradual process. I view reality like this: We are having a dream, and when we go to sleep, we have a ream within a dream. I know this is possible because I have went to sleep, had a dream, then went to sleep in that dream, and had a false awakening, where I woke up in the dream, but I was still asleep, so I went into the first dream I was having. So it is not entirely ridiculous that we are living in a dream world. It is just interpreting this dream world that will pose the real challenge.

Until next time, happy dreams.