From Story Worth 3/17/18

   Am I Morning Person or an Evening Person?

    Who knows? For much of my life I was clearly an evening person Thinking with speed and any kind of clarity was much easier after noon than before. In the first hours after arising it was difficult to focus. I remember thinking “I have a thought about this but I can’t quite find it.” It has been a long time since I felt like that. During that time thinking worked well late into the night.

    Many years ago I decided that a regular schedule would be good for me. That began a schedule of rising about 6:00 a.m., and heading for bed about 10:00 p.m. That has been my routine for so many years that even if I decide to sleep-in I seldom can make it to 7:00. Now, the time of day does not seem to change the how easily I think. Have I become more of morning person because of a long regular pattern of early rising? Perhaps my pattern had changed simply because I’m old? I don’t know.

    My mother’s sleep pattern was interesting. For the forty years she lived with my father, until his death, she rose early which was his practice. After he died she became and evening person. She lived twenty years after his death. During her long widowhood I could call her until mid-night knowing she would be awake. A call before 8:00 a.m., would probably get her out of bed. Her experience would lend support to the idea that my change is due more to habit than old age.

More Buddhist Wisdom

        Why should this be so hard?   Just pay attention in the moment.  Don't drift to the past thinking about what happened, why it happened, who was responsible, who is to blame why did I, why didn't I....Just pay attention in this moment...be present to what is.  Why is that so hard?
         Be in the here and now.  Quit thinking about the future.  What is going to happen, what will I do, what should I do, what will happen to me, what if......Just be present in this moment.   Why is that so hard?
        In those moments when we are present wonderful things happen in relationship, internally, in the now.

Buddhist Wisdom

      On our second day of playing tourist in Chiang Rai, Thailand, we visited some kind of a Buddhist Center.    I never did get the exact story on it because of language barriers.  It wasn't a temple but more like a park with plantings, trails, and scattered buildings in a natural setting.  Posted around the property were sayings such as the one above.
    "Miracle happens from sufficiency" made me think of Jesus' miracle with the loaves and fishes.  The opposite of sufficiency is scarcity.   The scarcity model is very common among us.  Fears that there will not be enough, that I might be left out, that someone will get more than me, that if someone gets something there will be less for me, tempt us to hoard.
    However, when we feel that what we have is sufficient all those fears miraculously disappear.  Peace floods our soul and we find contentment.   Think of all the anxiety we experience over getting and having. Wouldn't it be a miracle to be freed from those fears?
   There is also another possible interpretation of this saying.  Enough...that we have enough is a miracle.  In Buddhist understanding whatever we have is enough.  It is in the wanting that we forfeit peace and tranquility.  It is a miracle that we have enough.
     On one of my trips to Thailand I came face to face with the fear of scarcity.  To see my response was not comforting.  For emergencies I always carry some cash with me.  However, mostly I rely on an ATM card to finance my travels.  While I was in Bangkok my ATM card was refused at all the competing bank machines.  Fear crept in "What if I can't access my money with weeks left on my trip?"  Walking down the sidewalk I saw a beggar to whom I always gave a few coins and we have "smiling and nodding" relationship."  My first, and unlovely response was a fearful "I can't spare a coin for him because I may not have enough."   In my anxiety I went to a bank to see what could be done.  The banker said in effect,  "Not to worry, the international lines that connect American and Thai banks are down but the connection will soon be restored."

From Story Worth, March 9, 2018

THE MEANING OF LIFE

     Perhaps it may be helpful in answering this question to begin with the obverse.  The big lie foisted upon us, as articulated in the story of the Garden of Eden, is that the universe is ‘out to get us’.  It preys  upon our fears and insecurities…”Maybe we are in this all alone so we have to look out for old number one!”  “There is scarcity and I may not have enough.”  Acquiescence to this falsehood leads to a life robbed of meaning.  We are constantly co-creators of our universe.  If we accept the ‘big lie’ we participate in the creation of a negative and hostile world.  Think, ‘self-fulfilling prophecy.’ 

     This is not to say that there are not negative and dangerous currents globally.  The world can indeed be a frightening place with many traps and pitfalls. Evil is real and not to be taken lightly.  Jesus is quoted as saying “Be wise as serpents but innocent as doves.”  However, this does not mean that reality is essentially hostile. 

      So, if the world is not our enemy, what does life mean?  It is a tremendous gift that we are given in being allowed to co-create the universe.  When we co-create for life, health and beauty we participate in the meaning of life.  That meaning can, perhaps, only be understood in the doing.  Seen from the outside a parent’s sacrifice for a child looks like that…a sacrifice.  While the parent may not feel that at all “Sacrifice?  No not all, it’s a gift to me that I can provide for my child.”  Created to be givers we are in the flow of the meaning of life when we freely give.  Want life to have meaning? then give as has been given to you.

Random Pictures From Thailand

A load of elephants.

Sweet corn for sale with a photo bomb. :)

French fries now in a street food stall.

The total bread section in large supermarket. 

This is a sidewalk.

As hot as it is "Chill Out Hour" is a good name for happy hour.

Good News From Thailand

    As previously reported on this site, the family with whom I reside in Thailand have been in a financial pinch.  Met, mother/grandmother has had two sources of income.  She is a masseuse on call from various clinics.  Met also has an in home sewing business doing garment production.  Both of these jobs are under threat.
    Severe tendinitis in her left thumb coupled with an over supply of massage clinics has curtailed that source of income.  Consequently, sewing became her best resource.  Living in the house with Met and her husband are their daughter Poo, pronounced Poe, and her 20 month old son, Nice.  The sewing dust was causing Nice, severe respitory problems so Met had to quit sewing.
    Poo is a single mother whose husband left her while she was pregnant.  He provides no child support and their are no laws in Thailand mandating such support.  Therefore, Poo, who is a university graduate, has been staying home to care for Nice.
     While I was there the family decided, that, given Met's loss of income, Poo would return to work and Met would take care of Nice.  Poo has been out of the work force for about three years so I wondered if she might have trouble finding a job.  Never worry!  Today I received an email from Poo reporting that she'd been interviewed, offered a job and will begin work on Monday.
    The job, she said, is in administration which makes me curious.  Her background is in I.T., so I wonder if this is a change.  She's excited and I hope it works out to her satisfaction.
    In the past her salary has been about $300.00 a month working six days a week.  That is a typical salary in Thailand.  Here's hoping she might make a bit more.

Poo and Nice.

She nicknamed him "Nice" hoping it would be self fulfilling prophecy.

Nice and Met.

Foreign News

     The English language newspaper, the Bangkok Post, recently had an interesting article regarding wild elephants many of which inhabit the forests of Thailand.  They are nuisance to farmers living near the forest because they raid the farmer's crops.  Many attempts to fence them out, including electric fences, have been ineffective.
     Perhaps you'd never guess what is working and it is an organic solution...honey bees!  Elephants have a strong natural aversion to bees.  With a row of bee hives the elephants are effectively fenced out of the farmer's fields.
    It is a win win because the honey produced is consumed by the farmers.  Surplus honey is sold providing additional income.  A very sweet solution to the elephant problem.
   My flight from Thailand took me through Korea.  Embarking from Korea I passed a table full of newspapers for the taking.  Choosing an English language Korean paper I was struck by a front page article about a new South Korean labor law.  Their parliament has just passed legislation reducing the official work week hours.....wait for this....from 68 to 52 a week!  That's a significant reduction but still a long week.

Art work done by volunteers from the University.

Three year old's dressed up.

Remakable Generosity!

      Much of this story goes back to the devastating floods that struck Thailand in 2011.  Pastor Mary, of Grace University Lutheran Church, of which I'm a member, approached me with the possibility of an offering at Grace to send money with me to help in Thailand.  She knew that I was going every year to teach school.
      That began an annual tradition of  Grace taking a special offering for me to distribute in Thailand.  This year Grace sent $4,000.00 with me to which other friends made generous contributions.  In addition I use my own funds and I pay all of my travel costs.
      This outpouring of generosity is very humbling and I take seriously the trust that's placed in me   So where did the money go?   Long time readers of this blog know that we've been supporting Gai's family with the aim of keeping her daughters, Mia, 19, and Pearwa, 10, in school.  With our support they can continue their studies where otherwise they might have to drop out of school to work.  To that end, I paid a year's tuition for each girl.  Mia, having completed junior college, will now enroll in a two course in marketing after which she will be able to provide family support.
       Living with the same Thai family, now for eight years, has provided access for me into a local community.  In the past we've provided financial support for Baan, and his wife, who live nearby in a squatters shack with electricity but no running water.  Things are going a bit better for Baan, who is a skilled handy man.  This year in place of direct aid I paid him to do some work at the house where I stay; plumbing, bench repair, shelving and other minor jobs.
      There's a rather long list of  other accomplishments with these funds; cooking gas for a widow, financial support for another widow who has to take a month from work on doctor's orders...no health or disability insurance...a month's supply of rice for a family, paid off a loan which was at 18% interest, paid some utility bills, made a house payment, did motor bike repair, bought food for numerous people, paid a "pawn shop" loan so a widow could get her valuables back.  Most ordinary people don't qualify for bank loans and even if they could the interest would be 18% or more.  So they go to loan sharks...there aren't really any pawn shops...where they pay 20% PER MONTH!
       The school in which I teach is in a poor neighborhood.  When I asked the teachers how many of the students are poor they said "They all are."   The teachers always supplement the school lunch with food from home or that they buy on the way to school.  Consequently, there always a lot of left overs after lunch.  These left overs are bagged and sent home with the neediest students.  In spite of the need I've never found a mechanism for giving financial aid to students.  It's an issue I'll continue to explore with the principal.

        What astonishes the recipients is learning that a congregation, temple in their parlance, in America  would care enough to provide support.  Two things are in play here.  First, is the distance factor.  People from so far away doing it.  Second, is the corporate aspect.  They are familiar with individual generosity  In their Buddhist understanding if an individual gives a gift that individual is making 'merit', i.e., good karma.  So the recipient does the giver a favor by receiving the gift so it is often done face to face.  But temples  don't take offerings to benefit anonymous receivers.  So the recipients are flooded with gratitude.

       Those reading this who contributed in any way; 1, know you are making a difference, and, 2.

that the recipients are profoundly grateful.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

6th grade farewell at school.

My farewell speech.