Saturday, July 28, 2007

Another kind of sychronicity?

Again, I need to rethink my theories about the cause of that inner drive that sometimes makes me feel a need to be tied up. That feeling has been extra strong the last few days.

Earliest theories had to do with socially inhibited sex drive. Last year came a realization that this drive doesn't necessarily have anything to do with sex. Recently I had been drifting back toward updates of the old theory.

Today I was surprised by 4 year old Ian when he brought me a piece of rope, put his hands behind his back and politely asked me to tie his hands. In light of the theories that had been on my mind lately, I was so surprised that I didn't really answer him. He asked me at least three times. Later I found that he asked his dad the same thing last night.

Obviously, Ian's wish to be tied up does not spring from socially imposed restrictions on his sex drive. It pokes a big hole in that line of theories. It leaves me really curious why sometimes, some of us want to be tied up. I will be looking for answers, data, research, and your input.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Separation synchronicity

I'm not sure I have ever seen stronger synchronicity in a lesson of the week. Perhaps the teacher is working overtime to get us in alignment.
This week it seems like everyone in the family is dealing with separation issues that are coming to a head.
Lynn and I were dealing heavily with estate planning.
Amy's best friend died.
Ryan working his way out of Green Range Energy.
Raya working her way out of Round Belly Clothing.

Each one contemplates great change.
Each one requires learning to release; to let go.
Each one requires the student to examine who they are, who they might have been, and who they want to be.

In those around us we observe that great change brings great emotion. It tends to progress; Early stages often include anger, then greed. Those emotions need to be accepted as real, but if we act on them, they can trap us in a recursive whirlwind of misery.

If we learn to minimize those parts, we focus on asking "How can we make this the best possible outcome for everyone involved?"

Sunday, July 08, 2007

What is your population?

According to Discover magazine, your body is a planet; population 100 trillion cells. However, 90 trillion of them are not your cells. They are bacteria, viruses, yeast and other critters that keep you functioning. Most of them also help defend you from the occasional bad bugs that hurt your walking ecosystem.

Our modern society tends to think that the only good bacteria is a dead bacteria. We tend to focus so much on our fear of the bad bugs that we forget about the good ones. It is not good to eliminate bacteria. It is important to keep a high ratio of good to bad.

Bacteria are everywhere. One teaspoon of soil may contain up to 10,000 species of micro-organisms and billions of individuals. There are specialists for just about every situation that might come up. By changing the ecology, we can encourage certain specialists to flourish. For instance; after an oil spill, the oil eaters take over and help clean up.

When we try to kill bacteria without understanding the ecology, we are likely to set up a situation where the bad guys have no competition, with disastrous results.
The bottom line is two part action...
Clean up anywhere you expect bad bugs (around meat etc.)
Encourage good bugs (healthy soil, yogurt, kefir, etc)

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Perfect

I was listening to an interview of the author of The Square Foot Garden on TV last night. As part of his speech habit, he likes to use the word "perfect" a lot.
Later, Ryan and I were contemplating... That is a pretty good philosophy. When something is adequate, it is "perfect".

Eventually, that made us wonder...
What is the difference between mediocrity and moderation?
Mediocrity is moderation in an area in which you like to excel.