Oh, save your life (’cause you’ve only got one)

September 25, 2022 / robertcday / Leave a comment

If I felt like this all the time then I would have a really shit life to look forward to.

The man who moved to his left as I moved to my right on the pavement then stepped off the pavement as I did then crossed to the middle of the road as I did then stayed in the middle as I moved towards him was a cunt. He’d either seen the headline in the papers that said that covid cases were up 17% this week in the UK and wanted to contribute further to that rise or he just wanted to wind me up. Either way, he’s a cunt. In fact, I came think of any other explanation for his behaviour. All of which means that I’m the biggest cunt of them all.

I was thinking, only yesterday (was it really so short a time ago?), that the world is composed of matter in various configurations and that the vibrations from that matter enter out brain through various sense organs. Then we try to make sense of it. Our perception of the world depend on how we interpret those vibrations. If we apply love to those vibrations then it seems as if we’re living in a world built of love.

Obviously I’m not doing that today.

Can I change my mind?

Dunno. Probably.

Let’s see.

World Embracing Love

September 19, 2022 / robertcday / 6 Comments

Each day is an opportunity to reach out and touch someone’s life in a way that makes the world better for them, you and, actually, everyone. This works especially if it’s an amazingly massive good thing you’re doing, like … and here imagination fails me.

I mean, what kind of deed could really reach out and touch the whole, entire human race. Giving money’s not really going to cut it; unless it’s lots and lots of money. And that ain’t going to happen. Not because of the lack of will but because I just don’t have enough money to make a difference in almost 8 billion lives.

But what about love, I hear you say. What if you were to do some kind of loving meditation that embraces the whole world and everything it contains with some kind of healing and revitalising power. Well, yeah, there is that. The thing is though: I’ve been doing that for some time now and no one’s stopped me in the street and said great meditation last night, Robert, I feel much better now, thanks. Not that I want the praise and adulation, you understand, but it’s just that … well, how do you know if something like that is working!?

Wait, hold on; I got it. I just realised how I know it’s working. I know because I’m having a really great life and I feel the good vibes of everyone I meet. I feel that we are all joined in one loving and supportive family and every time I meet someone, that vibe comes through really clearly. Okay, well, in that case, I’ll carry on with the loving, world-embracing meditations. 🐸

Join me?

Photo by Kristina Paukshtite on Pexels.com

Have a Good Breakfast

September 18, 2022 / robertcday / 9 Comments

You know, of course, that the word breakfast literally means to break the fast that you conducted throughout the night, right? Good. That’s one thing I don’t have to tell you then. That leaves me with ample space and time to tell you something that I’ve just found out: having a good breakfast makes you feel absolutely terrific!

I found this out just by chance.

Ignoring the fact that I’ve read this advice countless times in the past, it was only yesterday that an opportune set of circumstances presented themselves to me in order for me to translate the theory into practice.

I mean, sure, I’ve had big breakfasts in hotels when I’ve been away from home, but those experiences don’t really count. When you’re on holiday you’re naturally buzzing anyway and so the addition of a good breakfast doesn’t really make much difference.

I looked in the fridge when I got up yesterday and there was a cream cheese tub full of half a tin of beans and a square crumpet left over from … something. Quick as a flash, I popped the crumpet in the toaster, the beans in the microwave, whipped out a plate, some vegan margarine and, minutes late, was tucking into the first course of my breakfast. Yum!

Then, feeling a little bit too tomato-saucy, I scanned the kitchen for something else. My eyes fell on the cornflakes and, quick as another flash, I whipped out a bowl, poured in a helping of cornflakes topped by some vegan granola, poured some plant-based milk on top and tucked into course number two. Yum-yum!

A nice cup of tea completed my breakfast and and vast and contented sigh escaped my smiling lips just after I tipped in the last drop. Triple yum!

You know what? Yep, you guessed it: I was bouncing all morning. Lovely breakfast; lovely life. I’d recommend in to anyone.

What do you have for breakfast that makes you feel fine?

Behavioural Activation

September 14, 2022September 14, 2022 / robertcday / 16 Comments

Here’s my longstanding theory of life/joy:

You should always plan stuff to look forward to. It’s not exactly about future thinking, but more about creating something good in the future to think about and look forward to. You can’t achieve the same effect by thinking about the past. I mean, sure you can celebrate something you’ve achieved in the past, but I find that this fades rather quickly. No, it’s all about the future.

Here’s something I discovered today

Behavioural activation is based on one key principle: that scheduling and completing meaningful, purposeful, and rewarding activities can lift our mood, energise us, and stimulate our interest and pleasure in day-to-day life.
University of York: Introduction to Behavioural Activation for Depression

So, yeah, seems that my thoughts and theories about life aren’t so mad after all. 🐸

*‘light at the end’ – photo from a barge trip on a canal near Dewsbury*

Fourteen Point One Two Miles

September 10, 2022 / robertcday / 2 Comments

Enough said.

Shaking Sadness

September 9, 2022September 9, 2022 / robertcday / 7 Comments

Strikes me that death causes sadness, and that sadness, while it can be appropriate for a finite amount of time, is ultimately not a state for anyone to linger in for long.

I just killed a snail and, as a result, I feel sad.

Two things: firstly: I didn’t kill the snail on purpose and secondly: the life (and death) of a snail is not as significant as that of a beloved queen. But there parallels, as we shall see.

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross wrote about the five stages we go through when we lose something valuable. Well, forget about that; I’m going to give you some proper advice on how to overcome loss. Here’s what you have to do:

Say sorry as soon as you hear the crunch of the tiny carapace under your boot. Don’t worry, you’ll mean it; trust me. Life is precious, even when it’s small.
Get rid of the corpse. It goes without saying that, no matter how sorry you feel, you don’t want to walk around all day with snail on your boot. Find a piece of grass or a puddle or, better still, both.
Balance your feet up. Now, I’m not saying you should stomp on another snail, but it’s good to, somehow, get both your feet feeling alike. Maybe go buy some nuts in shells and crunch one of them under the other foot. I don’t know why but it just helps when you balance out your experience.
Do something to take the horror out of your mind. Try reading a book. If you don’t have a book with you then write a blog post about your experience. Or any experience. Heck, just whip out your phone and write.
If you can, arange for the battery on your phone to die half way through typing your blog post so that your precious words disappear into the ether and then walk home in a funk, growling at everyone you pass on the way (man and dog) whilst reflecting on the fact that you’re not even recording your steps anymore due to having a non-functioning phone in your pocket.

After you’ve done all that then it’s as certain as the sun shines that you’ll not feel sad about any recent death whatsoever. Sure, you’ll feel bitter and twisted, but hey: that’s a small price to pay, right?

You’re welcome. 🐸