Calligraphy I: Mindfulness in Action

I once had a beautiful calligraphy portfolio of samples and client work, but it perished, along with many other irreplaceable parts of my life, in a fire. During the last three weeks, I have missed three opportunities to pick up money doing calligraphy, so I decided to spend a few hours this afternoon doing creating work for a new portfolio. It’s been years. I started to feel a little apprehensive. It was harder than I remember, and just thinking about the portfolio brought memories of the fire, etc. But the work turned into an exercise in mindfulness; it was meditative, really, because when I came up for air, the sun had been replaced by the moon.

No inky paw prints, no cat hair-induced streaks.
















A week tobacco, nicotine and caffeine free (well, I did have a nice cup of coffee today – does that count?)






I know -- "sumer."



This one isn't new; in fact, it's the very first piece I did -- in the 80s.

No Chewie, No Drinkee

No gum today. I can't read and chew at the same time.

Reading, reading, reading. Patricia Cornwell (Point of Origin), Philip Martin (The Zen Path through Depression), Lynne McTaggart (The Field, the Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe). I don’t have an attention deficit disorder, no, I simply like to read several books at a time. Like being in college. Usually one of fiction, one on Buddhism or Buddhism and health or so-called self-help (I like self-development better) and something like the McTaggart book, which I’m about to start (“… reveals a radical new paradigm – that the human mind and body are not separate from their environment but a packet of pulsating power constantly interacting with this vast energy sea, and that consciousness may be central in shaping our world.”). No room in my mind for psychological craving. No room in the inn.

Oh, forgot to add Digital Photography for Dummies!

Coca-Cola Se Prohibe Aqui -- Hoy, Baby, Hoy!

I'm doing okay with my new non-smoking existence. Mostly slept off and on the whole day, then finally rose for good from my dark cave and went outside to find a moon to howl at.

Had to resort to the Duane Reade brand of nicotine gum, which I purchased as a backup. Not chewing it as prescribed, but only as an "emergency" measure (as recommended by a friend). The effect is like baby bees buzzing on your tongue and gums. Actually, I don't like the effects of the gum at all; I caught a little digestive upset and reflux (but, of course, it might not be the gum at all). Looks like I'll need to get back to the melatonin as a sleep aid for a bit.

On the way to the pharmacy to get the gum, I passed a guy who was smoking, or, more specifically, I passed through his little swirling universe of second-hand smoke. I would like to say that the primary response was revulsion, but it wasn't. For about 3 seconds, I would have back-tracked and proposed to the dude just to get a puff (more like the whole cigarette) of whatever he was smoking. (Heh-heh-heh (that's the mad laugh of withdrawal).)

BTW, just broke up with that no-good bastard, the caffeinated, calcium-leeching, corn-syrupy Coke. Well, maybe I'll see him sometimes, just not every day. I have to tell you, the sound of that aluminum tab snapping and letting that fizz escape, the feel of that cold, sweating can between my palms, the first swig of the tongue-tickling stuff (hey, kinda like baby bees, too!). Oh my . . . No one should feel that way about anything except love -- or winning the lottery.

Got a big jug of water by my side filled with electrolytes. Got a cup by my side ready for de-tox and ginger teas. And the brand-X gum.

Se Prohibe Fumar -- Manana, Baby, Manana

Okay, okay, alright already! I'll put it out forever. I've decided to become a nonsmoker. Forever this time. I'm about 3 cigarettes away from quitting.

I won't go into a song and dance about it, but let's just say that I'm so looking forward and I am so nervous(?) about it. I think it's because I want success so badly. It'll be great to be unaddicted. (I hope my allergist's assistant doesn't read this, because they don't know that I still smoke.) I plan to make use of some kind of support -- nicotine gum for a while, acupuncture. In addition to stopping, I want to do a detox program, so I'm looking into nutritional therapies, too. And my Buddhist practice, which goes without saying. $9.00 a pack! Yes, I'm divorcing the tobacco companies. Hit the road, Jack!