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Looking back at 2010
Jan. 22nd, 2011 02:13 pmI've taken some time to reflect on the year just finished, and I've come up with a few thoughts.
What 2010 taught me:
You get what you pay for most of the time. If you pay someone cheaply for service or quality you get jobs half done, poorly done, or that don't last and low grade quality goods. Always trying to do everything cheaply results in more problems down the line -- cheap things often don't stay done or stay working.
Some people will let their ideologies get in the way of doing something good for other people or even themselves. For them the ideals they hold are more important than reason, logic, or their personal honor, and if you align yourself with them be ready for these beliefs and rhetoric to consume everything, possibly in flames.
Nothing lasts forever. All things are equally impermanent. Relationships definitely fall in this category.
Most charitable organizations are very limited in what help they can provide, and some sources that people mention when someone needs help don't help at all. And in these tight economic times what help they can give often isn't enough. If you really need help, you have to look at every possible source, because often the one that you think will be the least helpful has the answer. And definitely don't forget elected officials.
Sometimes that which is thought impossible is actually very possible.
Expectations still decrease joy. And this is a constant.
If you honor the big five, not just on the know level but on the grok level, relationships work so much more easily than you would ever imagine they do. This is hard to do, because past baggage gets in the way, but if you can do it trust grows very quickly and even really bad stuff can be dealt with. (The big five are Honesty, Acceptance, Affection, Communication, and compatibility)
If you're diagnosed with an ailment, whether it be physical or psychological, and it involves medication, take it. Take it every day.
Some people's words are like vaporware.
Someone who is nice to you for a long time and then turns on you in the end is not a good person. This is especially true of landlords.
A year without one's principal creative outlet is frustrating.
Someone who is hard locked into their beliefs will find any excuse to keep those beliefs intact, even in the face of strong contradictory evidence. They will do this even if their survival is threatened.
It's not hard to know if you're on your Dharmic path -- if things seem harder than they should, you probably aren't, while if they seem to fall into place naturally you probably are. And this can be rather surprising to people on either side of the coin.
When things get chaotic or a lot of change is going on, do two things -- remain flexible and maximize your options. This allows you to react to changes with the maximum flexibility and number of options.
Love is. That's enough -- it doesn't need any qualifiers or further comment. And Love doesn't involve a lot of fear, so if the fear starts up, something is not right, either with oneself or with the other person or people in the relationship. As Ron Fulce once said, "Love is like a sword -- it'll cut through your defenses and then run itself right up your backside if you don't handle it with respect and care."
What 2010 taught me:
You get what you pay for most of the time. If you pay someone cheaply for service or quality you get jobs half done, poorly done, or that don't last and low grade quality goods. Always trying to do everything cheaply results in more problems down the line -- cheap things often don't stay done or stay working.
Some people will let their ideologies get in the way of doing something good for other people or even themselves. For them the ideals they hold are more important than reason, logic, or their personal honor, and if you align yourself with them be ready for these beliefs and rhetoric to consume everything, possibly in flames.
Nothing lasts forever. All things are equally impermanent. Relationships definitely fall in this category.
Most charitable organizations are very limited in what help they can provide, and some sources that people mention when someone needs help don't help at all. And in these tight economic times what help they can give often isn't enough. If you really need help, you have to look at every possible source, because often the one that you think will be the least helpful has the answer. And definitely don't forget elected officials.
Sometimes that which is thought impossible is actually very possible.
Expectations still decrease joy. And this is a constant.
If you honor the big five, not just on the know level but on the grok level, relationships work so much more easily than you would ever imagine they do. This is hard to do, because past baggage gets in the way, but if you can do it trust grows very quickly and even really bad stuff can be dealt with. (The big five are Honesty, Acceptance, Affection, Communication, and compatibility)
If you're diagnosed with an ailment, whether it be physical or psychological, and it involves medication, take it. Take it every day.
Some people's words are like vaporware.
Someone who is nice to you for a long time and then turns on you in the end is not a good person. This is especially true of landlords.
A year without one's principal creative outlet is frustrating.
Someone who is hard locked into their beliefs will find any excuse to keep those beliefs intact, even in the face of strong contradictory evidence. They will do this even if their survival is threatened.
It's not hard to know if you're on your Dharmic path -- if things seem harder than they should, you probably aren't, while if they seem to fall into place naturally you probably are. And this can be rather surprising to people on either side of the coin.
When things get chaotic or a lot of change is going on, do two things -- remain flexible and maximize your options. This allows you to react to changes with the maximum flexibility and number of options.
Love is. That's enough -- it doesn't need any qualifiers or further comment. And Love doesn't involve a lot of fear, so if the fear starts up, something is not right, either with oneself or with the other person or people in the relationship. As Ron Fulce once said, "Love is like a sword -- it'll cut through your defenses and then run itself right up your backside if you don't handle it with respect and care."
