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[DDuff]

[quote=Sandra Bostwick;2191526]

bead 51: THis made me think about how people in some parts of the world honestly look at a life span of about 40 or 50 as all they can hope for, and how lucky we are.

[quote]

My mom and I were just discussing this fact earlier in the week with all the doom and gloom wall street news. Even if we had another full blown depression we would still be some much better off than a lot of the world.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Heres the gold stars for finishing last week's assignment!

July 20th-beads 53-60 Looks like we are just about half-way through our book! Stick with it everyone!

[tkm1005]

Hello All:

I am just returning from Disney, but hope to post some comments tomorrow. I can't believe I left my book at home for this trip. I had a spa day and I was planning to do some reading while DH had the kids. I was soo bummed. I enjoyed reading the comments you all made while I was gone.

After my crazy week I would love to be meditating somewhere in silence. I'm not sure that Disney is the right place for self discovery, unless of course it is to learn patience.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by tkm1005

Hello All:

I am just returning from Disney, but hope to post some comments tomorrow. I can't believe I left my book at home for this trip. I had a spa day and I was planning to do some reading while DH had the kids. I was soo bummed. I enjoyed reading the comments you all made while I was gone.

After my crazy week I would love to be meditating somewhere in silence. I'm not sure that Disney is the right place for self discovery, unless of course it is to learn patience.

Welcome back, Teri!!!! I brought my book with me to Disney, but did not do much reading, though I really spent alot of time thinking about the ideas in the book, since it was my own Eat, Pray, Love(Mickey!) quest!

Hey, book club, we are a small group for sure, but let's stick together and get through this! Remember, I am open to suggesting for how to pace the beads, but it seems like we are still at 8 beads a week.

Silent readers, feel free to give a shout out! You don't have to go bead-by-bead!

Bead 53 was a reminder of the futility of that dream where she was trying to stop the wave. Some waves are just comin'! I liked the concept of jad or the dangers of being inert, which also seemed related to stopping those waves that come through. Liked the ocncept that gurus are in a constant state of self-realization.

Bead 54-Interesting concept that the little soul she had been trying to help was actually herself!

Bead 55-You cannot see your reflection in running water, only still water. (A bit of a paradox because still water is inert.)

Bead 56-I'm really trying to be in the moment and appreciate! Liked the concept of sitting with discomfort instead of trying so hard to make it stop, especially beause some discomforts just plain need to be endured. Loved the thought what will I be able to do tomorrow that I cannot yet do today?

Bead 57-FAITH!

Bead 58-I like the concept of trying to only harbor empowering thought. A tough thing to do, though.

59 and 60 will follow soon!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day! Carry on!

[BelmontBelle]

Good Morning!
I'll get started on the beads I've done so far this week.

Bead 53 - I didn't get a whole lot out of this bead, just enjoyed learning the background on Swamiji and Liz's guru.

Bead 54 - Lots going on in this bead. I cracked up when after all her trouble to get to the Gurugita, her first thought was "I don't want to be here!" It made me wonder how many times I've thought the same thing and it was purely out of habit and not that I really didn't want to be somewhere? I also loved that her nephew's life was changed by her prayers. Another testament to the power of prayer!

Bead 55 - Richard again with his words of wisdom - Priceless!

Bead 56 - The thought of all those mosqitos, made me itch! That type of meditation must take some very serious devotion and concentration, I can't even imagine.

Will follow with 57-60 later.

[DDuff]

Since I just finished a novel yesterday I thought I'd try and get my beads done for this week before I start another book.

Bead 53: I loved her descriptions of the Swamiji and her Guru. How many times in our lifes have we been hesitant to accept the views of someone who doesn't quite fit our picture of what a leader should look like. What a great reminder that we should listen with our hearts more and not get caught up in our own visual prejudices.

Bead 54: I was touched by the fact that Liz devotes her hymn to her nephew. Sometimes by focusing on others we attain more of a gain than we ever would if we were focused on ourselves.

Bead 55: I don't think it is any coincidence that Richard is at the Ashram. He is like an angel sent to help Liz. Let me just say that I hope my angels have just as much wit as Richard. I'm not sure I'm the type of person that could handle a sweet lovey dovey angel.

Bead 56: "In our real lives, we are constantly hopping around to adjust ourselves around discomfort - physical, emotional and psychological - in order to evade the reality of grief and nuisance." AMEN! Sorry I just can't help but feel like many of the problems we face today are because we haven't learned how to cope with our feelings in a healthy way. I'm sure that the drug companies are bankinig on this fact. How about no more "I'm fine" and let's just learn that it is okay to be sad, angry, frightened, etc. Okay I'm stepping off my soap box. I too am itching thinking about the mosquitoes although our problem as of late has been deer flies.

Bead 57: I'm grateful that I was raised in a home where I've always known that God is with me.

Bead 58: First off, love the quote "Prayer is a relationship, half the job is mine." Secondly, Liz's therapist should be very proud of her. This bead reads like an advertisement for cognitive therapy. The concept of choosing your thoughts and having control over whether they are positive or negative can really change a life. If you know anyone struggling with depression, let me plug the book "Ten Days to Self-Esteem" by Dr. David Burns. He is a guru of mental health.

59 and 60 will have to follow. My Taxi service is running full speed today.

[DDuff]

The Taxi returns....

Bead 59: I enjoyed meeting Tulsi. What a great reminder of how fortunate I am to be a woman in America.

Bead 60: I was kind of shocked to discover that A Plumber's Progress is a real book. I thought Liz made a big deal about Richard being the only real person in the book. Oh well, one reviewer on Amazon.com says it is the male equivalant of Eat, Pray, Love. I agree with the notion that resolution can be acheived all on your own and I love the idea of creating rituals in your life to help you find peace.

Anyone up for finishing with India next week? Book 2 is my favorite so I guess I'm just wanting to keep it separate from Indonesia.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by BelmontBelle

Another testament to the power of prayer!

Bead 56 - The thought of all those mosqitos, made me itch! That type of meditation must take some very serious devotion and concentration, I can't even imagine.

I agree!

I tried the mosquito meditation the last time I read this book. FOr some reason, I thought about places in the world where they honestly don't have screens and they have mosquito's big enough to...well, Richard said it best a while back! It sort of made me think about how my "pains" are so small in the big scheme of things.

Great job again!

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by DDuff

The Taxi returns....

Bead 59: I enjoyed meeting Tulsi. What a great reminder of how fortunate I am to be a woman in America.

Bead 60: I was kind of shocked to discover that A Plumber's Progress is a real book. I thought Liz made a big deal about Richard being the only real person in the book. Oh well, one reviewer on Amazon.com says it is the male equivalant of Eat, Pray, Love. I agree with the notion that resolution can be acheived all on your own and I love the idea of creating rituals in your life to help you find peace.

Anyone up for finishing with India next week? Book 2 is my favorite so I guess I'm just wanting to keep it separate from Indonesia.

COOL RESEARCH!! I may have to check out A Plumber's progress.

I found Bead 60 to be deeply moving in so many ways! GOing through this book so closely with all (both, actually) of you is really an amazing experience for me right now, and I am very grateful for this experience to share this journey.)

Great suggestion! Let's finish India next week, so that will be beads 61 thru 72. (I was already reading ahead anyway.)

[tkm1005]

Hello:

Not sure that I have enough thoughts about each bead to go bead by bead in this section. I think the biggest thing that is surprising me about India is just how different it is from Italy and how much she is struggling to calm her mind. I haven't done yoga or meditation so its sort of fascinating to me to read about the different stages and things like the blue light experience. The Gurugita experience with climbing out the window is interesting. I love how she fights that ritual so much only to find that the fight against the ritual is proof that it is really that much more valuable to her. I think its symbolic of so many things in life that you fight against doing, but when you bend they become the cornerstones of the important things in your life. Love Richard's place in her life and how he helps so much in such a new way for her.

Sandra - I'm curious about your journey at Disney. Care to elaborate? I myself have had an interesting summer traveling to Utah to visit my parents, then Disney for a week and now back home. I have lived in these 3 places at different times in my life and while reading this book I have been able to make some comparisons and parallels. FL was my Italy, UT a bit of India and I'm not sure about Indonesia yet, but its interesting, while she is doing this all in one year, I have a feeling many of us have experienced the different types of experiences in a lesser way in various points of our lives. A time for self reflection, a time to be carefree etc.

[tkm1005]

Originally Posted by Sandra Bostwick

I agree!

I tried the mosquito meditation the last time I read this book. FOr some reason, I thought about places in the world where they honestly don't have screens and they have mosquito's big enough to...well, Richard said it best a while back! It sort of made me think about how my "pains" are so small in the big scheme of things.

Great job again!

Ok, I just kept thinking about West Nile and the other diseases you can get from mosquitoes

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by tkm1005

Hello:

Not sure that I have enough thoughts about each bead to go bead by bead in this section.

The Gurugita experience with climbing out the window is interesting. I love how she fights that ritual so much only to find that the fight against the ritual is proof that it is really that much more valuable to her. I think its symbolic of so many things in life that you fight against doing, but when you bend they become the cornerstones of the important things in your life. Love Richard's place in her life and how he helps so much in such a new way for her.

Sandra - I'm curious about your journey at Disney. Care to elaborate? I myself have had an interesting summer traveling to Utah to visit my parents, then Disney for a week and now back home. I have lived in these 3 places at different times in my life and while reading this book I have been able to make some comparisons and parallels. FL was my Italy, UT a bit of India and I'm not sure about Indonesia yet, but its interesting, while she is doing this all in one year, I have a feeling many of us have experienced the different types of experiences in a lesser way in various points of our lives. A time for self reflection, a time to be carefree etc.

Hi Teri, Please don't feel you need to do bead to bead. I actually LOVED your global views. I'm not even sure why I chose bead to bead, except maybe that I think the author had a different point for each. WHO KNOWS?

A agree that sometimes we don't see true value until we almost lose something.

I liked your comment on Richard. He is like the symbol for those people that come into our lives and guide or change us briefly before they move on. Sometimes it can be good to be a drifter because you leave more space for those people.

My Disney vision-quest. Well, a big part of it was because I wanted to be able to give some current info for the 2009 PassPorter. Another reason was that I had a few new articles I wanted to do research for. A big reason, though, was I needed a vacation and Disney is like walking around my own backyard. No stress, no unpleasant surprises, just easy fun. I jokingly call it a vision-quest because it was the first time since I toured Europe with an all-American band before college, that I spent a good amount of time with no one around that I really knew.

I wanted to explore the unique solitude that you can have right in the middle of a large group of people. It is almost like a solitary nature walk, but the rabbits are children and the deer are grown-ups (who, by the way, are not eating my flowers and shrubs!)

I sort-of stood back and appreciated all the people in the moment the way I love to watch the birds and animals. I purposely avoided any attempts to get together or bond with any person other than in the moment, the way that I don't try to make lunch plans with the squirrels that I feed. I just appreciated each person who I saw for the gift of a word or a smile before they walked back off into their lives. IT WAS SO COOL!

I listened to the music, the languages, and used every sense to immerse myself in the hypereality (I am a fan of Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation concepts) superimposed by real people with real lives.

It was a truly AMAZING journey! OK, probably more than you needed to hear, but I guess you could say I can have complex reasons for what I do. Or you can say I am a little....

Book Club, have an amazing morning!

[tkm1005]

Sandra:

I think your trip to Disney sounds like so much fun and quite inspired. I used to appreciate Disney in such a different way pre kids, which is why I think people without kids should definitely visit the parks. There is so much to really appreciate and take in, which you can't do while chasing a child around, navigating a stroller and such.

Continuing on...

[BelmontBelle]

Great thoughts Teri!

OK time for me to finish up with this weeks beads.

Bead 57 - I loved this bead, I just found so much truth in it about devotion and faith. My favorite quote of the bead is "Devotion is diligence without assurance. Faith is a way of saying, Yes, I pre-accept the terms of the universe and I embrace in advance what I am presently incapable of understanding." It's not always an easy thing to do.

Bead 58 - Loved this bead too! Several different things stuck out to me, 1.) "Prayer is a relationship; half the job is mine. If I want transformation, but can't even be bothered to aritculate what I'm aiming for, how will it ever occur?" So very true.
2.) Great thoughts on destiny....divine grace vs. free will and 3.) She wraps it all together by deciding to monitor her thoughts and not harbour unhealthy ones any longer. This is what I need to do too.

Bead 59 - I'm glad I'm not Indian. I hope Tulsi is able to persue her dreams.

Bead 60 - Comment to Danell..... I think that Liz said that Richard was the only person she called by his real name in the book. She never said the plumbers name, even if it is easy enough to look him up. This bead was another really good one. I was so pleased for Liz that she was able to let go of her husband and find peace with that situation.

Time to finish up India. Until next time ladies.

[DDuff]

Originally Posted by tkm1005

Hello:


Sandra - I'm curious about your journey at Disney. Care to elaborate? I myself have had an interesting summer traveling to Utah to visit my parents, then Disney for a week and now back home. I have lived in these 3 places at different times in my life and while reading this book I have been able to make some comparisons and parallels. FL was my Italy, UT a bit of India and I'm not sure about Indonesia yet, but its interesting, while she is doing this all in one year, I have a feeling many of us have experienced the different types of experiences in a lesser way in various points of our lives. A time for self reflection, a time to be carefree etc.

I so agree with you about UT being a bit of India. When I think of great spiritual spots in the continental US, I automatically think of the West.