Last Sunday, Julie and I did a no-tech day: no computers, no cell phones, no TV, etc. We fudged a bit to use the coffee maker (an essential item!) and the stove to cook. It was a wonderful experience, simply being unplugged<\/span>. Just being together in that way was quite an experience, finding her rhythm in the silence, finding <\/span>our <\/span>rhythm in the many subtle movements and expressions otherwise overlooked<\/span>. We played cards, lounged in bed, read, talked, and exchanged late Christmas gifts \u2013 one of mine being a lovely cast-iron cooking pan.<\/p>\n The part that made me smile most about it was that it was made in America. <\/span> I\u2019m far from being an isolationist or a nationalist, but it\u2019s just rare to find things made<\/span> in America these days. And it doesn\u2019t take much to see that the massive reliance on imported goods is not <\/span>sustainable (especially from an ocean away in China). One of my gifts for her: a photo of mine she liked, printed locally, and in a frame made in Mexico (not so bad). Most other stuff: made in China (boo).<\/p>\n A friend of mine has an electricity-free cabin not far from here that he rents out for short retreats\u2026 I hope to get there for a while some time after my return from England.<\/p>\n Incredible photography:<\/span><\/p>\n Sky in Motion<\/a> \u2013 a few moments of wonderful peace. Nalton has plenty of other beautiful imagery, music, and writing on his site, all well worth a look.<\/p>\n The Joy of Cooking:<\/span><\/p>\n When eating \u2013 spice it up<\/span><\/a> \u2013 spices ranging from cinnamon and nutmeg to cardamom and others provide powerful health benefits. I\u2019ve started adding cinnamon to my coffee, turmeric<\/a> and cayenne pepper on my salmon and veggie burgers, tons of garlic and oregano<\/a> in my pasta sauces, fresh, homegrown basil in my veggie-wraps, and much more. Not only does it have great health effects, but it builds amazing depth and complexity to the flavors and aromas of my favorite foods<\/span>.<\/p>\n A good Day:<\/span><\/p>\n Good day\u2019s don\u2019t always start out good<\/span>. Today I woke up grumpy over some person who I wish would just stop being the way she is<\/span>. I took that to the gym with me, along with some talks by Gil Fronsdal from audiodharma.org<\/a>. One of his was about working with difficulties in life, finding a presence even with the difficult person or thought or idea and just noticing how that presence itself is bigger, more satisfying than the drama\/story\/etc of the difficulty itself. The other talk that I downloaded was on Gratitude, a semi-regular theme for me these last 6 or so months. Between the two talks I was moved from <\/span>stuck<\/span> in someone else\u2019s drama, to acceptance and joy of presense, to gratitude for everything wonderful in my life. <\/span> After that things mellowed out quite a bit. And, after a couple more hours of study and writing, the day will end back at Julie\u2019s, for some Planet Earth<\/a>, and maybe some cards.<\/p>\n And so \u2013 a good day. Wishing you all a good day, happy studies, much peace and a fresh start to the new week<\/span>.<\/p>\n No-tech Sunday: Last Sunday, Julie and I did a no-tech day: no computers, no cell phones, no TV, etc. We fudged a bit to use the coffee maker (an essential item!) and the stove to cook. It was a wonderful experience, simply being unplugged. Just being together in that way was quite an experience, finding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/7907151-8989699952812290331?l=americanbuddhist.blogspot.com\")