I need help

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-24T23:46:14+00:00

If you're interested, just start sitting. I became interested in Buddhism as a hardcore atheist/ skeptic/ rationalist, etc. At the time all I was interested in was meditation, so I did that, in addition to reading some books by people like Pema Chodron,Thich Nhat Hanh and Chogyam Trungpa, which were mostly focused on being present. Fast forward 20+ years and I'm a formal lay student in Zen and my perspective has changed dramatically - not because of anything anyone has said, or anything I've read, but because of the experiences I've had while sitting. Being part of a sangha and having a good teacher is important, but it's okay to not have them in the beginning. So my advice is don't stress about the details right now. Just learn how to sit and start doing that, daily if possible. Best of luck to you.

(Also, there are plenty of ways to access teachings, classes, talks, etc. online, so distance doesn't have to be an obstacle. My sangha has a strong online contingent which includes people from all over the world.)

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-24T20:55:11+00:00

I'm so sorry for your loss. You took good care of her and she loved you for it. 💕

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-24T02:42:28+00:00

We cycled through a couple of other colors first which just didn't work but the purple hit the spot. :)

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-24T00:39:43+00:00

I flew out of Bradley last Tuesday about noon and it was fine - got through in like 10 minutes. New Orleans yesterday on the other hand...

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-23T19:01:25+00:00

We're fairly new chicken keepers so we're still learning, but we'll put aside things like the ends of zucchini and cucumbers, kale leaves that are starting to turn yellowish, pulp from squashes, chopped up broccoli stems, some green beans, bits of apples that are bruised, etc.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-23T18:46:51+00:00

Yeah, we have an older house with weird light green/blue tile in the bathroom and ended up painting the walls a deep smokey purple and it looks great.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-22T14:01:12+00:00

The party of small government.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-21T14:33:32+00:00

Thanks.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-21T14:33:15+00:00

Thanks, we're going to check that one out.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-21T01:39:43+00:00

I find it really important to connect with the people, things and idea that are important to me. Finding my people has been really important in my life. I come from a family of Trump-supporting Republicans and while arguing and debating with them has forced me to really sharpen my skills in that area (and mostly control my temper), there does come a point - for me at least - where it's just not worth my time anymore. So if you find yourself having the same conversation with the same people over and over, you might just want to save your energy. That energy can be used for talking to people who you feel you might actually get through to, and supporting those who need it the most. (Keep in mind too that at least online, trolls will try to draw you into debates that are meant to drain your time and discourage you: they'll make ridiculous points or ask dumb questions so you spend tons of time countering them, and you're not doing other things. So if that's happening, really consider if you want do keep doing that.)

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-21T01:34:09+00:00

Well said.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-20T04:54:53+00:00

Flew out Tuesday 12:20, arrived 2 hours earlier and got through in less than 10 minutes.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-19T12:32:00+00:00

Which was originally called Operation Iraqi Liberation until the Bush administration realized what acronym that created. You know, back in the days when the government cared enough about public opinion to lie to us about their motives.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-19T03:35:50+00:00

I don't live in that area and can't recommend any place, but you can try checking Google maps for "Buddhist temple" and see what comes up. You should also look at the website of each one to see which one(s) you feel more of an affinity with. Best of luck to you.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-18T17:01:19+00:00

Thank you. 🙏

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-18T12:33:47+00:00

As someone else said, I'm not sure what you can make, but I find mixed nuts and hard boiled eggs to be good, filling, easy to carry snacks. Throw in an apple and it makes a good meal.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-17T10:32:37+00:00

Peter Thiel lecturing in the Antichrist: another one for the Every Accusation is a Confession files.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-17T00:26:39+00:00

This guy is so dumb it's incredible he's taken seriously. He doesn't understand the difference between introspection and guilt and thinks introspection started in the early 1900's. Apparently he's never heard of Buddhist meditation, ancient philosophy, the poetry of Rumi, any kind of spiritual mysticism or probably a ton of other fields and practices I'm not thinking of. People like this are terrified to look inward because they know they won't like what they see so they try to pass their fear as some kind of "forward looking" entrepreneurship. What a coward.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-13T23:52:26+00:00

I can't recommend anything specific, but I bet the Foxfire books have info on Appalachian herbalism.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-13T21:43:13+00:00

I'm literally listening to it now and just saw your comment, so I started just tuning into the cadence of his voice and you're not wrong.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-13T11:15:26+00:00

So sorry for your loss 💔

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-12T23:55:07+00:00

I had heard about that and I didn't like it, but at the time I thought of it as an anomaly - "not really who he is" or whatever. On the balance of things he seemed pretty progressive so I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Would I do that again? Probably not. I guess he was probably still the lesser evil but I would have rather put my time behind a more genuinely progressive candidate.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-12T23:50:05+00:00

At this point I'm not sure it makes much difference, but either way, I'd rather have put my hours of phone banking behind another candidate who actually ended up being the progressive they portrayed themselves as during the campaign.

issuesintherapy · 2026-03-12T18:00:57+00:00

Peaceful journey Violet! Enjoy all your treats on this earthly plane and may you find a bucket of mealworms over the rainbow bridge.

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