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Post by sue5000 on Jan 27, 2016 19:31:28 GMT -5
What's going on in here?? Please turn on the lights. I'm scared.
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Post by Chris on Jan 28, 2016 16:31:31 GMT -5
Well you made me look anyway .....
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Post by dtesposito on Jan 29, 2016 22:54:41 GMT -5
HA HA!
I was seeing if I could finally get charts to work here, but there's still a formatting problem that I can't figure out, so I abandoned the idea. It would have been under the category of "spending all my time creating charts/lists for my tasks instead of actually doing the tasks". I was going to chart my time on my clutter piles, but instead am just keeping track on a piece of paper of the amount of time I spend today and tomorrow--if I get to the equivalent of 20 minutes per day for the week I'll consider it a successful week for the weekly goal challenge.
I'm feeling very weepy tonight. I was sad because coming home from the grocery store I saw a sign on a lightpost that brought my mind back to the old stray cat I found a year ? ago. There was photo of an old black cat, saying "found, elderly cat, our vet thinks she's about 18 years old. She's being cared for but if you've lost her, please call--she's on her last legs." How sad that it happened to another old cat--possibly lost, but more likely thrown outside, at that age. I thought about that cat, and the cat I had found, all day. I'm especially fond of black cats so I keep picturing her.
Then, someone told me about a public service announcement she wanted me to see, she said she thought it was going to be shown at the Superbowl but I didn't find it when I searched for Superbowl ads. I found it by searching for "organ transplant dog commercial". If you have any ounce of feeling at all, you will cry at this commercial. I cry now just thinking about it.
It's a good ad, and how they got those perfect expressions on that dog's face is amazing. And it's supposed to be hopeful. But it's SAD too.
MINI MINDFULNESS POST
I read a book that isn't about mindfulness, but it figures into my thoughts about it in a weird way. It's called Strangers Drowning, about people who are obsessed with good works, to the point where there isn't anything else in their lives. The reason I started these posts is to explore what I would like to do to make sure the things that are important to me are in my life--I've been feeling the lack of any kind of volunteer work, there's just been a pull to do something meaningful, but it's hard to do with my work schedule. And yet I still believe that being of help to the world is the most important purpose of being a human. So I'm missing that part right now.
Anyway, this book profiles some people who go way too far the other way, to the point where they don't seem to value any kind of human relationship in their life, every minute is spent doing what they consider good work. The title comes from the idea that when you take it to the extreme of making sure that every single thing you do in life is as geared toward good works as it's possible to be, then if you saw 2 strangers drowning on one side of you, and 1 family member drowning on the other side, and you could only save one side--you should choose the 2 strangers because then you're saving 2 people instead of 1.
So the question is, what is the right amount of time/effort/mental and physical energy that you should spend on making the world a better place, while still maintaining a life of your own, with separate interests, relationships and care of yourself and your loved ones. At what point does spending too much time on good works start hurting others (and yourself) instead of helping. One of the profiles was of a couple who started out intending to have 2 children of their own and then adopt 2. Over the years they adopted 22 children, including several with serious illnesses and special needs, until the whole family was overwhelmed. Several of the children ended up in trouble with the law, and almost every female child ended up pregnant during their teen years. The point being that in an attempt to save a lot of children, the parents weren't able to give the attention and time needed to help the kids grow up in the best possible way.
Of course, there are very few people who would take things to the extremes that the people in this book did--most people are too far the other way, not caring much about helping others, or, if they do think it's a good idea, not following through on it. So it's not like this is an epidemic problem or anything. But, the psychology of it is interesting.
Diane
In other words
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Post by flotsam on Jan 30, 2016 4:48:00 GMT -5
Diane, you do volunteer work, though maybe not officially, by writing and engaging here. Of course I can only talk for myself, but I guess there are quite a few more who really appreciate your work here, by setting an example, writing about your successes and failures authentically and challenging others very respectfully.
And then there's Mr. Pooper Pigeon. You took care of him though you didn't need to.
It is good work. Engaging in a forum is a good way to do volunteer work when you have a crazy/non-existing schedule.
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Post by sue5000 on Jan 30, 2016 14:54:07 GMT -5
I agree with flotsam, Diane. We appreciate your ideas and your encouragement of others here. If someone really needs a push, I'd send them your way! "Mr. Pooper" !
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Post by flotsam on Jan 30, 2016 15:12:11 GMT -5
sue5000 , it was Diane herself who called him like that. (I hope I remember that right.)
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Post by dtesposito on Jan 30, 2016 21:54:54 GMT -5
Wow flotsam, what an amazingly nice thing to say to me. You really made me feel good with your post. Thank you too, Sue. I don't think of posting here as volunteer work, I think of it as expressing my opinion as well as letting people know that if I'm able to succeed in the clean up process, then anyone can! This board helps ME tremendously. I do hope I can figure out some kind of actual volunteer work that will work with my schedule. But thank you. And yes, I did call the pigeon Mr. Pooper, and I still do every time I go in to check on him and change the paper. Apparently parakeets poop even more often than pigeons, but they're so small that you don't notice. With a pigeon you notice, you can't help but notice. Diane
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Post by Chris on Jan 31, 2016 15:01:21 GMT -5
Hi Diane -- I'm another person who really appreciates your posts here. I think it's "service" when we come here and respond to each other and post positive things!!! Even at my OA meeting they make a point to thank us for coming and count it as service that we are there present. ~Chris~ PS I hope you do find a volunteer opportunity you are h appy with.
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