1. When I was in a state of adolescent angst about all the suffering in the world a somewhat sarcastic voice asked, “If you’re so smart why aren’t you happy? “But, but”, I answered, “How could I be happy when there’s so much suffering in the world?” The voice answered, “How is your moping around doing anyone any good?” I couldn’t argue with that and got curious about the whole matter of happiness.
2. The summer before I went away to Stanford my inner voice said, “They’ll never civilize me!” It was right, of course.

The cat who is no more was a talker: She and I had great conversations. I swear she was Plato reincarnated expressing her opinions to my offerings in dozens of different miaows. And to MY credit she never yawned at me.

And that’s the funny thing: Even when people catch you having in-depth conversations with your cat they think you quite alright. As soon as you start muttering to yourself they want to know who you are talking to. Mind you, I have a far worse problem, and I only confess to it since it’ll be buried in the depth of your blog: I hear voices. Like my son calling “Mama” in the middle of the night. Which is fine – but NOT when he isn’t in the house. Make of that what you will.

U
.-= Ursula´s last blog ..Upright =-.

When I take time out to spend praying and meditating, I get great messages from my inner voice. But it’s not an audible voice of course, more of a compulsion.
.-= gaelikaa´s last blog ..Unselfish Trees =-.

My thoughts aren’t like a “machine gun fire of words”. I’m more of a visual thinker and I’ve noticed my thoughts are slower now. It could be just a sign of getting older but I also think it’s because of all the time I spend absorbed, say in working with Photoshop or solving Sudoku problems. When my thoughts used to come rapid-fire and I wanted to slow them down I would play FreeCell on the computer. There was something about the bright colors and manipulating the cards that was calming. Drawing in Photoshop now has the same effect, with the added advantage that I sometimes wind up with a picture I like. Sudoku occupies my mind but doesn’t have the bright colors. Its advantage is I can do it while using my NordicTrack treadmill, which is always a mood lifter.

bikehikebabe,
I thought you listened to audio books…they’re my sleeping pills. You might try the 25-CD Gandhi and Churchill. It has enough details to put me out right away.

Rummuser,
That’s the advantage of meditation, whatever form it takes.

I not only talk to myself, I even laugh at my own jokes (someone has to). Sometimes I wish I could switch off that constant machine gun fire of words in my brain: “SHUT UP”.

YOU plan your posts; whenever I write something, whether on my blog or a comment on someone else’s, I throw it out as is my mood that very moment. To me they are not essays or articles carefully crafted; it’s how I splutter in a conversation. Do I sometimes shake my head re-reading my spontaneous utterings a few days later? You bet. Tough doesn’t bother me. It’s just me. As I keep saying – and, yes, I know it’s wrong: Lump it or leave it.

U

PS: Jean, you often lump so many wonderful questions into your posts I’d need to book a appointment with you to answer them all in any depth
.-= Ursula´s last blog ..Dragging my feet =-.