1-1-16
this morning a woman sitting with her little girl on the front step of their home said "happy new year mark" as i walked by. and i replied happy new year too with a smile. it was a nice instant as i went out of my home the first time this new year. i remembered an article i read yesterday with good advice: form a new habit of dwelling longer on little things that make you feel good. pause longer than you might normally, especially if you're in a hurry, and focus your heart and mind on something nice, like the kind voice of a neighbor wishing me well. the article advises that doing so regularly will actually make you a happy person, that it will actually improve your overall feeling. that we can replace a lot of our unhappy ideas with happier ones and feel better!
i went down to the little store in front and bought some fresh orange juice and ice. anin also spoke to me and she was kind, and her little boy sang the ABC song, which is really great because he is 2 years old and Cambodian, and already learning English. He is full of energy and absolute like and dislike. there is no uncertainty in his mind or heart, and this is inspiring to me. he smiles or cries or jumps up and down because he is charged with energy. and anin's mother said she exercised this morning! that's great because they said she would not. so she started the new year with a positive change (she had an h. pylori infection the previous year and was very fat).
i'm fortunate to have a very comfortable home and nice neighbors. i'm grateful to have some nice friends from a church here in siem reap who come to visit me, and we laugh a lot and talk about spiritual matters and good values. their names are hills, stringham, gardener, morgan, and satterthwaite in totally random order. a woman that i cared for very much last year invited me out, and though i was too tired to go out new year's eve, i am grateful to hear from her and to get a kind word. and i am very grateful for my friend sarath, who is very kind and forgiving and generous. and i am glad to be in touch with my mom and dad again. yesterday i noticed that i have not heard from my best friend Hans in a while. so i used the beacon he carries to send his location to a website, and i tracked him in Qorveh, Iran. then i saw his little arrow move past another town and it looks like he is making progress on his long bike ride along the silk road. also this morning my friend nornsay visited for a few minutes so i could give her a late christmas present. she gave me some weird dried sweet fruit which was kind. and her daughter called me poobarang which means french uncle because they call white people french. and i am very grateful for a new friend i met at an online social site because she is very positive and kind and patient.
i am very grateful that i am recovering from the destructive drug diazepam which i used excessively for years. i am eating healthy food again, and getting stronger. i intend to continue this direction. and i am glad for the little seeds which sprouted in my garden, and even for the ladybirds and snails and sparrows that eat a lot of them, because this gardening has changed my focus to growth, a positive view of the cycles and interactions of life, that we all share this world together, and we're healthier taking a positive view of what we see than trying to change or "fix" things. yes, there are things that need healing, improvement, but this can be encouraged positively and gently. gradually. like most of nature, which is gradual from our perspective.
THANKS!