Have your eyes touched written words that you wanted to explore deeper? That made you pause?

Have you heard lyrics in a song that you made you smile, melancholic, or caused a drop in your heart?

Have you ever met someone whose own words opened your eyes to see something sweeter?

Quotes are those very things that throughout time and history, we carry on, reference and embrace.  Combing single letters to create words that are elegantly beautiful, defining, and yet so powerful. So powerful, a simple word can define you. For instance, “Truth.”

What are your favorite quotes?

I’m just getting started…

CK

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“Burgundy makes you think of silly things, Bordeaux makes you talk of them and Champagne makes you do them.” – Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.”

“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies…” – Aristotle

“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” — Audrey Hepburn

“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.”

“Dreams are illustrations… from the book your soul is writing about you.” – Marsha Norman

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you’ll move mountains.” — Dr. Seuss

“Just remember, when you should grab something, grab it; when you should let go, let go.”

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. – Galileo

“I dont want to be your regret, I’d rather be your cocoon.” Jack Johnson

“I think I’d miss you even if we’d never met.” – The Wedding Date

“I don’t pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.”

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”  - Mother Theresa

“I miss you.  I’m proud. I’m confident. I will tell you again and again.  I miss you and you don’t have to respond back.” RJF

We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans. And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate. It’s just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there. Destiny plans a different route, or turns the dream around, as if it were a riddle, and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn’t have expected.” – Ben Okri

“You only see what you want to see, hear what you want to hear.”

“We all dream a lot – some are lucky, some are not. But if you think it, want it, dream it, then it’s real. You are what you feel.”

“If we were in highschool, I would ask you to the prom.” – RJF

Sometimes the most simple instruction and obedience to it, can be the most impactful. Read this passage, and apply it to your life today. (thedailyverse.com) 

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Romans 12:9

Power Thoughts

1. “Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.” ~ Karen Kaiser Clark

2. “We aim above the mark to hit the mark.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

3. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” ~ Mother Theresa

I recently attended a 2 day Internet Marketing seminar in the City with my close buddy. Initially I was very pessimistic and doubtful about the Quality of the information, presenters and the learning I would receive from this ‘free’ seminar. I even wanted to pull out from it last minute, until my buddy offered to drive me to the event.

I was actually blown away from it and I even invested in a $3000 Online Coaching course! This seminar also opened my eyes to the possibilities of doing business via the Internet like never before. It has also made me a few new friends and opened a few doors for future networking. Have you ever experienced a situation in your life (similar to mine) where you thought it would end up bad but it turned out for the better, plus it became an impetus that changed the course of your life?

It reminds me of the saying…’If you want a different result…try doing something different’. We all are fearful and unsure of anything new, risky, untested, uncommon and unknown. That is why less than 1% of all population in any country have truly tasted REAL SUCCESS! (and at times real failure as well). Think of it this way, there can only be 1 Tiger Woods, 1 Mother Theresa, 1 Billy Graham, 1 Martin Luther King Jr., 1 Suu Kyi, 1 Nelson Mandela, 1 Gandhi, 1 Obama, 1 U2 and 1 Oprah. What makes them stand out from the crowd to become an Icon in their field?

I’d like to say that with all their individual strengths, they all also shared a common thread; they all had a Heart to Believe and the Resilience to Go Against the Flow!

I believe 2010 will be a Defining Year in my life…Why? It’s because I have a DREAM and the DRIVE within me to become ALL that I am intended to be! The only person stopping me right now is the one facing me every morning in the mirror. If you don’t believe me…try it…

Exercise: Think about a Hairy Audacious Goal (or Dream) that you are “fearful” to achieve…

Answer: For some, it’s to Quit their Job, for others it’s to start a Business, yet for some it would be to go back to do an MBA or a PhD…and yet for others is to challenge their Fear over Something or Someone.

Challenge: Will you give yourself the authority to LIVE OUT this Goal (Dream) and be Free to decide your Destiny without anyone (including yourself) stopping you?

Forget about the planning and the step by step process for a moment. You will find yourself rationalizing…if you don’t make a decision today. Do you truly want to be successful? I challenge you to say YES!!!…try it and I guarantee you…2010 and beyond…will never be the same.

Take one more step…contact Coach Mel today…for a Free 20mins Coaching Skype Call and he will work with you to take a step forward >> to Live Your Dream! Go to www.dvcoaching.com or write to mel@dvcoaching.com

No.  I didn’t make this up.  (Seriously, I like a “feel good” story as much as anyone, but I’m still skeptical anytime anyone sees God’s / Jesus’ / any saint’s / any religious leader’s / Mother Theresa’s / any famous person’s face in a household items, food, underpasses, etc.)

A Methuen, MA woman has found reassurance that “life is going to be good” in spite of the fact that she recently separated from her husband hand had her hours cut at work.  ”What is the source of this, ‘It’s all good’ attitude?” you ask  She believes that she has seen the image of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, on the — stifle your fits of laughter, people — bottom of her iron.

Mary Jo Coady first noticed the brownish residue — I mean, the countenance of a man with long hair — on the bottom of her iron on Sunday, November 22, 2009, when she walked into her daughter’s bedroom.

Coady, age 44, was raised in the Roman Catholic religion.  Ms. Coady and her two daughters agree that the image “looks like Jesus” and is in fact testament that “he’s listening.”

Coady plans to keep the iron in the closet, as is, and buy a new one.  She hopes that her story will inspire others during the holidays.

Mary Jo Coady's "Jesus Iron"

From http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=123&sid=247716

Mother Teresa once said, “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”

I think this is such a powerful statement because appreciation and gratitude is such a powerful tool, and when people are appreciated, it brings about a huge sense of accomplishment, value, power, and happiness to their life.

The great part about appreciating others is that it’s so easy!

So, who have you appreciated today?

I’d like to encourage you to think about who you have (or haven’t) appreciated lately. Take just a minute or two to write people’s names down…and the next time you see them, make a point to appreciate them for the blessings they bring to your life.

I know I make this point frequently and Jack Canfield probably reaches more than I ever will in my lifetime, but that doesn’t make the message that less important for today and tomorrow!

So, who have you appreciated today?

Dear darling readers, were you running out of sarcastic comebacks at social outlets?

We’re very sorry for our “we-couldn’t-help-it” silence, and we’ve got just the thing to make you forget all about it. Or, to distract you at least for a while. This is a bunch of quotes knitted with what we think was either missed out on, or actually intended.

We’ve picked out a first batch of ten, and revamped them YakhneBatata-style. Feel free to use them, let us know which you think have more of a “BAM” impact!

1. Be nice to spoiled brats. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

Original quote: “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.” (Bill Gates)

2. Be faithful to small things because it is in eating them that your strength lies.

Original quote: “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” (Mother Theresa)

3. A man will fight harder for his interests than for your rights.

Original quote: “A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights.” (Napoleon Bonaparte)

4. A celebrated people lose sleep. A very celebrated people lose brain cells due to celebration beverages.

Original quote: “A celebrated people lose dignity upon a closer view.” (Napoleon Bonaparte)

5. Opportunity is nothing without ability.

Original quote: “Ability is nothing without opportunity.” (Napoleon Bonaparte)

6. I am an extraordinary patient, provided I get my meds on time.

Original quote: “I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.” (Margaret Thatcher)

7. I am a little keystroke under the tip of the finger of a writing drone who is sending a forwarded email to the world. (No, this quote is not intended to speak of God)

Original quote: I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world. (Mother Theresa)

8. Women are nothing but machines for producing children. Happy Mother’s Day!

Original quote: “Women are nothing but machines for producing children.” (Napoleon “Yes-I-Actually-Said-That” Bonaparte)

9. I don’t think the Republicans can damage my character. I reserve the right to accomplish that myself.

Original quote: ”I don’t think the Republicans can damage my character.” (Bill Clinton)

10. God does not play dice. He does not breed mice. He does not eat rice. And he doesn’t ever blink twice.

Original quote: “God does not play dice.” (Albert Einstein)

11. ”My sister’s expecting a baby, and I don’t know if I’m going to be an uncle or an aunt.”

Original quote: ”My sister’s expecting a baby, and I don’t know if I’m going to be an uncle or an aunt.” (Chuck Nevitt, we threw that one in extra)

So, which of these do you think would perform better for you?

Oooh, just look at that queue! Such vitriol and rage. I see you’ve all successfully channeled your inner Bobby Knight… kudos! Let’s see how this plays out.

Q: I’m guessing you wouldn’t know the difference between a foil, epee and sabre were they laid in front of you. And yet you find it somehow appropriate that you judge the very nature of the sport of fencing from behind your keyboard. I guess my question would be, where do you get the nerve?

- Armando Valverde, Somerton, Arizona

A: The nerve comes very natural to me, Armando, like my way with words and stuff, and my lilac scent. I didn’t “get” it from anywhere… I’ve always had it (though I hear they now sell it at Wal-Mart for a very decent price). To assume that I wouldn’t deconstruct a game I may or may not know… well, that’s on you.

Besides, I would, in fact, know the difference between a foil, epee and sabre. Now, whether or not that’s thanks to a quick google search I’m not saying one way or another. But I could at least feign a certain level of knowledge when it comes to your game. Again, that’s game.

Q: Fat sailors sink boats.

- Uli Schulte, Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony, Germany

A: Like sarcastic Germans without questions ruin mailbags. Burn.

Q: Table Tennis not a sport?!?! Seriously? Are you sure you’re not thinking of  table football? What gives?

- Nils Torstensson, Ystad, Sweden

A: Now that’s a question… well, a series of questions, which I will respond to in reverse order.

You ask “what gives?” Santa Clause, Mother Theresa, the Red Cross and this page (The Art of the Plug, coming soon, watch this space). As it pertains to my decision, I believe I explained myself quite skillfully in my original column. As a Swede, you’re surely aware of Jan-Ove Waldner’s performance at the 2004 Olympics, when he reached the semifinals at almost 40. Are you saying with 20 years and 50 pounds, he couldn’t perform at least moderately well? Well are you?

You ask “are you sure you’re not thinking of table football?” Yes, I’m sure.

You ask “seriously?” Yes, seriously.

You ask “Table Tennis not a sport?” Yes… wait… no… well, yes, table tennis is not a sport. No, it’s not a sport. So yes and no. Clear?

Q: You heard Carson Palmer’s offseason comments, right? That someone was going to die during a game? Do you agree?

- Felix Manlove, Tooele, Utah

A: Yes, but only in a Last Boy Scout style shootout on the field. Would you really put it past some of today’s players? Speaking of that Oscar-worthy scene, does anyone remember what actor played that character? That’s right, it was Billy Blanks of Tae-Bo fame. Just thought everyone should know…

Q: Is my career over?

- Allen Iverson, Hampton, Virginia

A: Hey, check it out everyone! Allen Iverson wrote in to my mailbag! Mark this moment down! This is the exact moment Ed Honcho hit the big time! Allen Iverson! I can’t believe it!

Q: So Greco-Roman wrestling is a game, huh? Since clearly you have no knowledge of the game, I’d like to challenge you to a match… teach you a thing or two. You up for it?

- Jake Deitchler, Ramsey, Minnesota

A: You’re on, Deitchler! I’m gonna wipe the floor… what’s that? Hold on a minute… Oh, right. You’re lucky Deitchler. My manager’s just reminded me that I have this thing that… I have to go to. And I am already in my suit. You’re lucky, buddy!

Q: I can wait.

- Jake Deitchler, Ramsey, Minnesota

A: Oh.. well,  uh… after that, I’ve got this other thing I’ve got to go to. You know… life of a celebrity. And then, you know… I’m very busy, just as a general statement of fact. I don’t really know when I could squeeze in… a, uh, match. Which is lucky for you! But again, uh, sorry to disappoint. Gotta go, yo.

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of not belonging.  -Mother Theresa

This amazing quote is the inspiration for this post. 

Humans are hard wired for connection. We need to feel that we belong in order to be healthy. A few months back I read The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner. A Blue Zone is a region of the world where people commonly live past the age of 100.

The Blue Zones book takes a look at these zones in order to figure out what they have in common. What do Blue Zone folks have in common? They have a plant-based diet, above average physical activity (often gardening or walking) and a strong sense of community. People in Blue Zones are socially active and integrated into their communities.

Interesting.

Would you like your area to become a Blue Zone? Why not increase your efforts to connect with others? This could be a note, an invitation, a smile or a phone call. New American Dream posted the idea of bringing cookies to a neighbor. It’s simple, easy and helps build community.

At our home we’ve been having friends over for dinner. In the past I’ve had lots of reasons for not doing this. Here are a few of my silly reasons:

• I’m not much of a cook
• Being a family of three is awkward (one parent, two kids)
• Cooking and cleaning are too much work
• I’m too tired

However, I’ve put aside these excuses because community and connection are more important. The results? More joy. We’ve had some wonderful dinners, conversations and lots of fun with friends. Making dinner for family and friends is worth every bit of effort.

How about you? How do you build community in your life?

Interested in the lifestyle of longevity? Take a look at the Blue Zones web site. It’s good stuff.

“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motive; be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.”
- Mother Teresa

This is a good LifeStyle Way to Live!

Ah, anxiety. From where does it originate? I have been on the ever unfolding journey of meditation for some time now and my latest obsession has been with looking away from the mind and toward the heart. Last night in my yoga class I posed the question to all the seated yogis as they literally moved their closed eyes away from their brains and down toward their hearts, “how would it be to become a slave to the heart rather than the mind?” What would it look like, feel like, be like to turn away from the tapes that are constantly running in our brains, the commentary, the chatter, the lists, the reactions, the obsessions, the neurons of emotion that fire all day long and splatter up onto the walls of our craniums like cave paintings of advanced emoticons- how would it be to turn all that noise down and consult with the heart primarily?”

I have been feeling like I’ve been “idling high” as of late; envisioning worst care scenarios and feeling in general like the sky is falling. I fear of losing my loved ones. I fear that I am terminally ill. I fear that my fears will manifest. I have underlying, omnipresent nausea throughout the day and no, I’m not pregnant. I checked three times. What on earth is going on with me?

In many eastern cultures, a lowered gaze is considered polite and possibly reverential. On the contrary, an upward glance indicates that the mind is our sole container of wisdom or it can even indicate distaste such as in the rolling of the eyes. And notice how when you close your eyes, the mind relaxes as the eyes look away from the mind toward the heart. Then roll them up toward the mind again, eyes still closed and you probably start feeling tense again.

When I sit and practice meditation, I am able to come away with a healthy dose of equanimity. That is to say, I can hold my own emotions- things like fear, anger, and pain with a level mind. Just like breathing in a challenging yoga posture, I allow whatever comes up to have a seat in my mind however uncomfortable that initially might be. Then I breath, relax, feel watch, and allow. Allowing the difficulties to recede back into the darkness doesn’t assist them in moving on or through. Shining light on them, seeing them for who they are, breathing with them, allows them to slowly begin to dissolve.

So what happens to my golden equanimity between sits? Why do I become a buzzing bee of high frequency? Why can’t I hold all my nervous energy up to that healing light? My hunch is that I’m backlogged.

I’m a big proponent of keeping good emotional hygiene. Just like a kitchen, the mind needs to have the dishes done, the counters wiped down, the floor swept, and the trash taken out so that we can begin anew without the garbage and mess of yesterday getting us off on the wrong foot. However, if there is a high volume running through your kitchen, and only one disher, things aren’t always going to be nice and tidy for the next day. Sometimes the best we can do is let the dishes soak overnight.

I think I have been starting my days lately with a messy emotional kitchen. And things are coming into the mind and not getting processed or looked at and all I’m left with are those grotesque emoticons on the walls of my mind.

Why do we think we are so great that things require us to think about them? What happens when we look away from the brain and simply pay no mind to it. Nothing seems to fall apart. Life goes on. What happens when we view what comes through our minds with equal response; naming the thought, saying hello and then returning our inward gaze to the heart? The sun still sets. The moon still rises.

If I could hear my own vibration right now, I imagine it would sound like one of those dog whistles that humans can barely hear because it’s out of our aural range. After meditation, I feel the energy coming off of me resonating deeply like a mystical didgeridoo.

Thus, my quandary is this; do I remain in the unsustainable position of the overworked mind-slave, maintaining Godly emotional hygiene, or do I look away from all things cerebral, gazing into the heart, letting things fall where they may, keeping my eyes lowered, accepting all things with the same peaceful knowing? Something tells me I am going to miss out on a lot of meaningful eye contact that way, let alone all the juicy bits of narrative that make life interesting. I’m no ascetic. I am highly spiritual but I am not willing to retreat into a cave for months on end with my bowl of brown rice. I like contemplation but I also like participation. How do I prevent having to process all the emotional stamps of my day through the brain without adding even more to the to-do list? Is there a menu option to defer certain stimuli directly to the heart? How did Mother Theresa- the ultimate spiritual participator- do it, encountering all that suffering day after day, year after year, her inky brown eyes joyful until the very end? She operated from the heart and kept her eyes on the road ahead.

Perhaps it’s the application of faith on top of a riddle:  Faith that everything is going to be alright, even if it isn’t.

American mail just got more prayerful and mindful of the world this year, as Mother Theresa’s face gets set to grace American letters and parcels for the US Postal Service.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes from the Lady who once loved and led the world from the slums of Calcutta. That’s true power. 

“Good works are links that form a chain of love.”

That’s why I blog.

And this next saying of Mother Theresa’s should be all bloggers motto this year:

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them. ” Ouch!

How amazing is this woman’s legacy of words that live on. For more… go here. 

Because she’s so hot still… Mother Theresa’s stamp is being held back until August.

~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 1.2.2010~

Ani Choying Dolma’s songs are ethereal and meditative in a language I do not know.  In the quest to discover the meaning of her words several years ago, I found a treasure to last a lifetime.   As we enter 2010, it is time to share this story.

Coming from a very tradition society, Ani Choying Dolma considers herself to be broad minded and thrives in the modern world- even though she is a very traditional Buddhist nun.  Taught by taxi cab drivers, Ani Choying Dolma is the first nun to drive a car in Nepal.  She is also the first nun to create a CD in Nepal.  Her songs are blessings, which we should all be so fortunate to hear.  Her perspective on life is enough to create a pause to question the direction of your own pursuits.

Ani Choying Dolma’s family was originally from Tibet a long time ago.  She was born and raised in Nepal with two younger brothers and an older half-brother and an older half-sister.  By the age of ten, she knew wanted to join the nunnery to avoid a possibly abusive marriage (an all to common reality for women).  Her experience showed that the only choice girls have in society is to either marry and certainly be abused or join the nunnery.  The choice was rather obvious.

Ironically, the men in her life gave her the worst and then the best impressions or examples of mentorship in her life.  Men in her family left the worst impression.  However, it was her teacher when she entered the nunnery – who was the best – as he encouraged her to use her gift of song.  He encouraged her to dedicate her voice to the ritual ceremonies, which include mantras or prayers sung or chanted.  Ani Choying Dolma explained mantras are a “meditation technique uniting the mind with the sound.”

Officially launching her musical career (alongside her spiritual journey),  Ani Choying Dolma thanks Steve Tibbits for hearing her sing and then making an album with her. With her first recording in 1996,  Ani Choying Dolma has just released  her 8th album Matakala in the Newari language in November 2009.  She regularly does concert tours through Europe and Asia.  Through the proceeds of her concerts and CDs, she created the Nuns’ Welfare Foundation, which helps educate young girls in Nepal.  She also has a special place in her heart for the street dogs in Nepal so she sponsors Street Dog Care Camp, which provides street dogs with veterinary care and adoption.

Ani Choying Dolma’s songs are blessings – traditional mantras or contemporary lyrics.  Her perspective on life is enough to create a pause for anyone to question the direction of their personal pursuits.

She shares the words of one song,

In the eyes of flowers the world appears as flowers

In the eyes of thorns the world appears as thorns

Talking about perception – how everything depends on how we perceive things

May my heart always be pure.

May my words always be enlightened.

May the sole of my feet never kill an insect.

In the beautiful eyes the world appears as beautiful.

When asked who inspires her, she immediately responds, “Mother Theresa because she is a nun.  Regardless of our differences in religion, fundamentally, we believe in the same thing:  kindness and compassion.”

East meets West as Ani Choying Dolma explains her views on the West, “everyone knows what the problems are … ”  as though speaking the obvious.  Inquiring further, she responds that in the West people live only with their brain as shown by the drive for intellectual and financial successes.  However, not that in Nepal everything is perfect, she said at least they live more with heart shown by compassion and hope.  Nepal is one of the few (if only) countries that does not identify the Gross National Product financial data but releases the Gross National Happiness number. Success is in combining the intellectual qualities of the brain and the compassionate qualities of the heart equally.  In her view, Ani Choying Dolma thought that in the West there is too much pressure to develop intellectually, increase the capacity of the brain and “forgetting ignoring the spiritual quality.”  By developing the heart qualities, a person becomes “more helpful, more wise, meaningful.”  She said, “Both sides are important.”

Ani Choying Dolma offers the sensitivity and wisdom to consider everyday.  She reminds that  “Everyone wants to be happy … even the animals wish to be comfortable.”

By Keri Douglas, writer/photographer, Washington, D.C.

Ok, Pervs, as though The LOPG hasn’t made you enough money this season – we are offering our 5 Star Lock of the Year this Friday.

Take the San Diego Chargers (+3) and the points on Christmas Day against Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans.

Chargers’ Quarterback Phillip Rivers is a legitimate MVP Candidate (though Peyton Manning will win the award – a Free Futures Bet from us).

Vince Young, the Titans’ passer, is coming off his best game ever. He threw for 3 TDs in Tennessee’s OT win over Miami. Whoopdy-fuckin’-shit. 3 TDs is a career day? How many did Matt Moore (or whatever his name is) have for Carolina Sunday night?

VY is the most overrated QB in the league, the Chargers are riding a long winning streak and battling for a first round bye and the Titans lost 2 starting LBs (including Keith Bullock) for the season on Sunday.

The Titans, their ridiculous-powder-blue-suit-wearing, bird-flipping owner and mullett-sporting, porn’stache-having Head Coach will find out that all of these late seasons wins have done only 2 things. One, hurt their draft position and two, made it impossible for them to free themselves from the shackles of VY.

Merry Fucking Christmas to Bud Adams and his dead wife!

Most people are familiar with the phrase “it is better to give than receive.” It’s cliché. I’m sure you probably heard it while at a charity event, religious function or maybe even from your 14-year-old daughter requesting funds so she can see the latest Twilight flick. The phrase has been so over used that it appears more as a marketing ploy than a proverb. Regardless of how it was first presented, have you ever taken the time to ponder whether or not it’s even true? Like can you actually give without ever receiving?

I don’t know that I have ever “just given” anything to anybody. Seriously. Every time I’ve given something, I’ve always received something in return. Just a couple weeks ago I gave away a jacket to a friend. He was stoked on the new threads. Did I receive anything from the transaction? Most Definitely. I got rid of a jacket I didn’t really want, which gave me more closet space, and at the shallowest level, I felt good about myself. It felt good blessing someone. Don’t judge me. Even Mother Theresa, who spent her whole life in poverty so she could serve the “untouchables” in Calcutta, said that she was the most selfish person in the world because of the joy she received from giving all that she had.

Receiving is part of the beauty of giving. When you give you are a part of a double blessing. First, you are the catalyst for blessing (the actually giving). Second, through the act of giving you receive blessing one way or another. That’s part of the reason why it truly is better to give than receive.

Health Begins in the Kitchen

Here’s my recipe for weight-loss and world peace: A cozy (vegetarian) sit-down meal in a home, where we share a humble feast lavishly seasoned with respect and honest conversation.

In today’s fast life and fast food, our health is the most sacrificed. Much of it is seen in weight gain. Re-establishing a healthy relationship with our food is fundamental to long-term vitality.

Some of the most gratifying times of my life have been around the home dining table. The creation and consumption of food is a barrier-breaking medium for us to get elemental with each other and ourselves. From simply the need to satisfy bodily hunger to the aesthetics of gourmet consumption, food is a way for us to be aware of the realness of our humanity in this global village.

Satisfying hunger together…

The invitation to the kitchen is an invitation to life. It is for us to immerse ourselves in the undeniable realness of aromas, textures, colors, sounds, flavors and that additional sixth sense that guides you to create, if you’ll allow it. The preparation of food in the home is one of the most authentic experiences we can have. Rolling up the sleeves and getting the hands sculpting, molding, baking and sautéing, is such an organic and creative process that forces us to concentrate on the matter at hand.

Being in the moment is a pre-requisite to awareness and peace. There are many things constantly vying for the mind’s attention. But it’s a little difficult mentally wandering while chopping garlic. Even if we did, the bleeding finger will remind us where we are soon enough. Hence, food is a tangible way to be honest with ourselves. Which is why I loved it when one of my favorite authors bluntly stated:

If a woman can be made more peaceful, a man fuller and richer, children happier, by a changed approach to the basically brutish satisfaction of hunger, why should not I, the person who brought about that change, feel a definite and rewarding urge to proselytize?

– M.F.K. Fisher in An Alphabet for Gourmets

There are layers of flavor and depths of comfort in honestly prepared food. When this is served forth with respect to the soul who will eat for nourishment and pleasure, it is a beautiful experience. There is great satisfaction in showing ourselves the respect in preparation, and the other respect in consumption.

… and discovering our common humanity

Consuming food is a communal process, even when we’re eating alone. It reminds us of others that help us along towards the creation that is on our plates, like the farming, distribution, and friendly advice from the market hawker. Taken to the next level, eating together is a beautiful concept. How can there be war and battles of any scale if we repast together? It’s comforting, and it is human. Some of my best experiences have been cooking with, and for, friends and family. There is a bond beyond words that forms. Barriers dissolve and all that is important is fun, creativity and learning from each other.

Senge, the MIT guru synonymous with The Fifth Discipline of learning in organizations, asks us:

Is it too big a stretch of our imaginations to envision a world engaged in conversations that have real heart and meaning for us all?

- Peter Senge in The World Café

The communal process surrounding food results in an organic communication beyond spoken language. The best conversations I’ve had are at the table when feasting and sated, we create a world that is perfect for that moment through words. This is because we relate to each other with less barriers that we normally barricade ourselves with.

She had a point

The organic communication created is a great currency to celebrate the dignity of the human spirit. Responsible conviviality allows us to nourish the body through food, the mind through conversation, and allows the soul expressions of creativity and a certain sense of peace.

When I cook, yes, it is a combination of love, respect, affirmation, expectation, fulfillment, joy and many more emotions that I cannot articulate in words. I will be honest. I do want to see more peace in my world; the people I live with and the environment I live in. This is surely to have a ripple effect and subsequently the world will be an even better place to be in.

Mother Theresa may have been on to something when she said the way to peace on our planet was to go home and love our families. And allow me to add, to respect our bodies too.

Let’s begin in the kitchen.

There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.

Mother Theresa (1910 – 1997)

…the Nobel Peace Prize winner. 

Acknowledging the controversy surrounding his nomination and selection, Barack Obama boldly admitted,

“Perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars.”

Some past Prize winners which challenge me:

1993 – Nelson Mandela

1984 – Desmond Tutu

1979 – Mother Theresa

1977 – Amnesty International

1964 – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Each of the above mentioned names each have brought about justice in the world through radical acts of nonviolence believing that love wins. Some (and I’m sure many other Nobel Peace Prize winners) have been directly inspired and moved by the life and teachings of Jesus.

I certainly pray that the United States becomes a true force for peace in this world.  That we lay down the sword and, like so many of the Nobel Prize winners of the past, seek justice through peace.

Sometimes you hear this argument: Generosity, altruism, and self-giving are really just different forms of selfishness. Even if we are being truly generous, and making a real sacrifice in order to help someone else, the underlying motive will be one of the self-interest. Not because we are sly or manipulative, but simply because we are programmed to do what is ultimately in our best interests. This might include a degree of altruism, of caring for our family or friends, of going out of our way to help others. But deep down we are always thinking about what we will gain — even if that gain is the satisfaction of knowing that we are a noble person, or the pleasure of seeing other people given help.

There is some truth in this. It’s good to acknowledge that even when we do something for others, even when we are acting in a completely selfless manner, there is still an element of ‘myself’ involved. I am still choosing, freely, to do this deed. I am deciding, in some sense, that it is important to me, that I value what I’m doing. I can’t say ‘I don’t care about this’. The very fact that I want to give myself generously shows that I have an interest in giving myself — it matters to me. To this extent, there is no such thing as pure altruism. Put it another way: If I love someone, even by giving up everything for them, it is still because I love them. And if I choose to care for someone I do not love, it is still because I want to care for them.

But it’s not quite true to say that all self-giving is simply another form of selfishness — because it blurs some of the distinctions that we rightly make in ordinary life; distinctions that are crucial in moral thinking and in the choices we make about how to live. We come face to face with moments when we are called to be more generous than we have been, to put others first, to make a sacrifice that costs us some time or energy or personal satisfaction. Now and then we face a fork in the road, and we have to choose between selfishness or self-giving. We know they are not the same.

Yes, the self-giving needs to be a personal choice, it needs to be something I make a commitment to. In this sense it is still part of my own search for meaning and fulfilment. But it is nevertheless a kind of meaning and fulfilment radically different from the selfishness that seeks happiness locked up in one’s own introverted satisfactions. There is a selfishness which limits me and traps me; and there is another kind of self-concern that allows me to go beyond myself, that opens me up to others, and takes me beyond myself.

I mention all this because yesterday evening I was in Kilburn with the Missionaries of Charity, the Sisters of Mother Theresa. During Mass in their convent chapel, three of the sisters renewed their religious vows. As well as taking the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the Missionaries of Charity take an additional fourth vow. It goes something like this (I’m writing from memory): ‘I promise to give myself in wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor’.

What promise to make! A promise to make of one’s life a pure gift, to give oneself completely to those in most need, to those who will probably be unable to pay anything back. A promise to live for others in love. Of course, this has a religious meaning — it’s to do with knowing the love of Christ, and wanting to share that love with others. But even on a purely human or ‘philosophical’ level, it is a wonderful example of how self-giving is possible for the human person. Not a generosity that denies our own needs, but one which allows us to find a deeper kind of fulfilment in giving our lives joyfully for others. It’s a model not just for religious sisters, but for all of us.