Love and simplicity

Love is not a simple concept is it? There are so many kinds of love: love for your children, your husband or wife, your lover, family, friends and so much more........

We say we love all kinds of people and things but what do we mean by love?

Do we mean unconditional love? Or are we attached to the person or the thing being a certain way to give our love?

If there is passion is it necessarily love?

If there is attachment to the object of our love or dependency what will it mean if that object is no longer there to fulfill our need?

Do we love our idealised version or the real thing? Do we try to make it fit with what we think it should be to enable us to love?

Can love change to something different like warm affection without diminishing or demeaning the object?

Why is it that we can love someone then not even like them later?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions? Or tried to define love? It can help to simplify love if we understand it through examination but it can be difficult and maybe confronting.......

Quotes and Instincts

All those who are adventurous,

May meet with the mysterious,

They may meet the untoward -

But they will not be bored!

Diana Deer

I wrote this last night. Throughout my book there are quotes from people as diverse as Einstein to Woody Allen. I thought I'd insert one from me. 

I've always liked quotes that remind me to be all I can be. Not to try and meet the expectations of others but to follow my own path. It may be an unconventional philosophy that I live by but at least it's mine. Developed though reading widely, listening well and following my deepest instincts. 

Often when I have rationalized away an instinct it has bee detrimental to me. So I have learned to trust my instincts about a lot of things. What about you?

India travel

India challenges you in every possible way and delights you in ways that are unexpected. Some people love it and some hate it. I love India! Its diversity of people, the aromas (and smells), the color and vibrancy, the ancient historical buildings, the Himalaya, the desert, the hills and vast waterways and the sheer energy are a delight. People are so humorous  there that I think that I've had more laughs there than anywhere else in the world so far....

Have you ever been to India? I've been there several times over the years. Each experience has been different. It's a place that teems with every strata of humanity: from those who eke out a day to day existence and may live under a piece of plastic to the obscenely and conspicuously wealthy. It's a place where you can come face to face with yourself too. That can be shocking sometime.

 I went to India at the beginning of my journey to a simple life. To seek support from a spiritual man who is a great teacher.

It was an interesting month in 2008 and one that I will always remember for a number of reasons....

Life's Questions

Let me ask you something...

What does friendship mean to you?

What about love, truth, enemies, trust, work?

These are some of the things I explore in my book. It's interesting when you try to really define what these thing we talk about all the time are for us. Just try one and you'll see.

Take truth for instance. Now there's a tricky one because at first glance it seems so straightforward. But is it? Mmmmm. What if there was a situation where if you told the truth you may harm someone?

And friendship. Friends have helped me so much and been there when I've needed them in Bali. Like these two. New friends I made in Bali who really support me. There's a lot of trust between us too. But I had to examine trust to know what I really meant by it.

Spirituality and Philosophy

Seeking a simple a way to imbue my life with spirituality on a daily basis, and a simple philosophy to abide by every day has been a trip in itself.

I wanted something to give me tools for living: practical implements of the mind. In Australia in Sydney or Byron Bay NSW, Chenrezig Buddhist Intstitute QLD, New Zealand, or in India, Thailand, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia and other places I have sought these tools to simplify my life.

Examining my life and simplifying it was a journey that involved many facets of the enquiry process in many parts of the world. Everyone has their own path to follow.....

Have you ever been through a process like that? There is so much on offer out there that it's difficult to sort it all out isn't it? Some of the most useful philosophical and spiritual teachings get entangled with cultural and traditional trappings that have nothing to do with the essence.

But what I found out during the process was that wise people and different philosophies can be accessed so that we get something that boils down to is a simple daily living plan. It took me a while to get to that. I went through some pretty complex studies and processes but it was worth the journey!

So you want simplicity!

Is simplicity something that you want more of in your life? Is there too much complexity clogging up your brain and your life? Or maybe you want to simplify just some aspects of your life?

Well here's the good news: you can simplify your life! It doesn't matter how complex things are in your life it's all about taking the first step. Simple? Maybe. Scary? Possibly. Satisfying? Definitely!

I had a very complex life just a short time ago. I felt as if there was never enough time to do everything because there was so much that needed to be done. I was tired most of the time and it wasn't just from the doing. It was from thinking about it as well, when I wasn't doing it. What a crazy life! I longed for more simplicity. Yearned for it. It wasn't until I took the first step toward change in my life that I started seeking simplicity in earnest. Instead of just dreaming about it.

So...... that's why my book is called Seeking Simplicity! Because the steps I took and the places I traveled to in the process were all about reaching for that goal.

I love the colorful cover we created and I hope you will enjoy the book when it's published soon.

Bamboo gamelan

Seeking Simplicity Book Cover

My gorgeous book cover has been designed by Robbie and me. We've finished it sitting in a restaurant in Ubud, Bali, with gamelan practice as background music.

Gamelan music is preformed by groups in temples. Metal gongs, bamboo gongs, drums and other instruments can be used. Gamelan is the music that accompanies the traditional Balinese dance featuring both male and female performers in colorful and elaborate costumes, some with masks, others as mythical beasts. Characters such as witches appear and sometimes tall puppets are mingled into the performance - as in the topeng or masked dance. Stories such as the Ramayana are told and the gamelan is the soundtrack to the story.

If you come to Ubud, Bali, go and see a performance at one of the many temples in the area or at the Ubud Palace! It's an experience that will be etched in your memory forever!

Colorful Hindu ceremonies in Bali happen nearly every day of the year!

My book is nearly ready!

This month two good friends are helping me to get my book ready to publish as an EBook. We are all in Bali where part of my story takes place......

So what's the book about? Well it's about taking some steps to change my life. Hopefully when you read it you may make changes to yours. Why? Because most of us have some dreams that are unfulfilled.

But it's scary to change things, right? It's exciting to think about change but when it comes to making the first move it's hard.

In my case I wanted to change some very big things that weren't working in my life. Is there something that you want to change in your life whether it's big or small? But you just can't seem to take the first step? That's what it was like for me too.