Cereal Chin

On my round today I knocked on a door and was greeted by an elderly man.

Soon after he had started to talk I noticed he had a milk-soaked Rice Krispy stuck to his chin.

It absorbed all of my attention and I can't remember what the bloody hell he was talking about.

Hope it wasn't anything important.

...A lack of awareness on behalf of both of us.

Spending Time Doing Things Not Worth Doing

I was talking to an elderly lady on my walk today - in fact, I stand at her window most days talking to her for a few minutes (she enjoys the company). 

She commented on how much trouble the town's football match had caused. Then she moved onto the trouble with the protesters in Ireland due to the Queen's visit.

She looked up at the sky and said, 'It's a shame they can't find anything better to do with their time'.



  

Inside the Human Body

They say that the greatest trick the devil ever played on humanity was tricking us into believing he didn't exist.

But I think the greatest trick is making us believe that we are our bodies, and that when this body decays so do we.

Because of this belief a lot of people live a life driven by fear (although they may say they are driven by success, but what they probably mean is they are driven by the fear of failure).

The other day I was watching Inside the Human Body on BBC1 and they showed an old man take his last breath.

There has been quite a mixed back of opinions about this. My mate said he was disgusted at the fact that they had filmed it.

I personally think it's one of the most beautiful things in life.

. . . An amazing transition that we're aware of.

Do we think the caterpillar's aware of its transformation into a butterfly?

If not, I bet it wishes it was.

A Second Step

I did something quite significant today.

I took my dog for a walk through the local fields. I was walking at my normal pace then it occurred to me how fast that pace was (postmen walk quite fast). So with this realisation I started to walk really, really slow.

I absorbed all of my surroundings. My thoughts were at a low volume, and when they did get too much attention I soon turned my awareness to what was.

And what was?

• I could feel the wind against my face. It came in waves, sometimes weak, other times strong.
• There were little insects scuttling away from my feet.
• A plane was going over carrying a couple of hundred people.
• The knee-high crop was swaying in the breeze making a sound like soft whitenoise.
• I could hear cows in the distant fields.
• I watched a kestral hover, looking for its lunch.

I'm sure there were much more going on.

All the time I was aware of my breathing and every move I made.

I got my phone out and selected the stopwatch mode. The pace I was walking at was about one step every second.

It was nice.

As a society we rush too much. This causes stress which in turn causes illness (of course, there are other factors too).

But just try slowing down.

See how you feel.

Stay well.

The Key

Those who have experienced an NDE (near-death experience) have said that their consciousness expands at the point of separation from the physical body.

It's like a butterfly. As soon as it leaves the chrysalis it stretches it's wings and prepares to fly.

Imagine what it must feel like to be set free from a cage that you thought you were . . .

. . . and for you to remain the same as you were when you were in the cage.

Self observation is the key.

5D

I'm currently exploring astral projection, out of body experiences and lucid dreams.

I'm reading A Course in Astral Travel and Dreams by Belzebuub. It's a 9 week course that teaches you to consciously leave the body and travel in the astral plane (the fifth dimension).

It's all about taming the mind. Reducing the amount of attention the internal chit-chatter absorbs. This takes a huge amount of concentration. 

The mind is a tool, after all, but the average person is a slave to their mind. But it should be the other way round in order for us to be more present.

So it comes down to practising mindfulness. Being aware of the here and now, of every movement of every moment. 

This is difficult. 

Just try seeing how many conscious breaths you can take before a thought comes in. My guess is it isn't many.

You'll be the first person to know if I experience astral projection.

Imagine -  - - - being free from the restrictions of the physical body.

Everyone who has ever had the experience (and there have been many throughout history - it usually occurs because of a traumatic experience (hence NDEs - Near Death Experiences) or during an operation and under anesthetic) have said that it's a life changing experience and they no longer believe in the general concept of death being the end of life, rather a continuation of life, but just on another level - the fifth dimension.

I'll see you in the 5th!

Chicken

I was on my walk today getting a packet out of my bag. It was full so it was taking me a while.

Then I heard something.

Something weird.

Something strange.

I was on a quiet street; modern detached houses, no traffic, no dogs - this was a sound I hadn't heard before, at least not round here.

I turned around.

And there it was.

A damn chicken!

Massive!

I looked at it.

It looked at me.

It clucked.

I swore.

The packet I was trying to post wouldn't go through the letterbox. It said 'Do Not Bend' on it, but whoever wrote that didn't take my chicken situation into consideration. 

So I bent it.

It went through.

I backed up. My new clucky friend didn't take its eyes off me. I started to walk slowly to the next house.

I got about 10 meters away from it then it started to peg it after me - I mean PEG IT! I didn't know whether to laugh or lay an egg. (A chicken running is hilarious!)

I froze. It stopped in front of me and clucked and made other weird sounds.

'Piss off, chicken!' I said, then the owner came out and shoo'd it away.

My mate said I should've shouted 'NUGGETS!!' at it.




  

Simple Things

A chap I deliver to had just come back from Scotland with his Mrs, Doreen. They have a huge motor home so they go quite regularly.

Yesterday I asked him if they'd had a good time.

'Brilliant, Gavin, we didn't want to come home,' he said, peering over his gate. 'A black swan took bread out of Doreen's fingers, then sat next to her on the grass. Then, just as we were packing up to come home, a young deer ran out into the open, stopped, looked at us, then shot back where it came from.'

He looked very happy and full of life. Bare in mind he's in his 70s. 

'That's what life's about, isn't it,' I said, 'the simple things.'

He smiled.

'It really is, Gavin, it really is.'

I'm typing this whilst eating some mangetouts and sugar snap peas.

I didn't pick them.

I'm grateful for every bite.