Live a Life of Wonder

I have had a great day. I continue to turn to Buddhism for inspiration, and continue to find that aligning myself with its teachings can produce these great days. This is the same reason I like Protesilaos so much. The work of Buddhism and the work of Prot instill a positive outlook on life in me. It is important for me to remember that I must apply what they say to my life, and not attempt to replicate it exactly. I must keep in mind my wants and needs.

I have been able to maintain a state of gratiude and see with a sense of clarity. I feel like I was able to nourish my joy and appreciation for life, while saying no thank you to my suffering. I do this by channeling my inner Thich Nhat Hanh. Yes I feel the sadness and confusion of a break up arrive throughout the day, but I let it go. It is ok to feel that sadness, and I show compassion towards it, but I do not need to feed it. This is easier said than done on many days, but it is important to remember that it is possible. This is where faith becomes important. When I am feeling stuck, and that life is not worth living, I need to have faith that genuine that joy and optimism is possible in any situation. I need to have faith that feeling this joy and wonder makes life worth living and that I should fight through whatever battle it is that I am facing.

There is beauty to experience in this world as long as there is consciousness. You will never have all the answers, but as long as there is a mind, there is a way to build a beautiful world. Journaling like this is important because it helps you see what the common themes are that help you see this beauty. There is wonder to be found in every moment, and when that wonder is found you have to feed it. This is what the Buddha means when he talks about nutriments. It is important to pay attention to what you feed your mind, because it will contribute to your experience. Happiness produces more happiness.

When you see clearly that nothing in this world is owed to you, you become appreciative of what is in front of you. I am lucky to have the vitality to interact with this world. I am lucky to have the vitality to play disc golf.

Setting goals is fine, and even good for a sense of direction. You just have to ensure these goals align with what you really want. Knowing what you really want is not always easy, because you cannot just say “happiness”. You have to know what fills you with a sense of wonder and joy, and sometimes this is not easy to find. Lately, I have been finding bouldering and disc golf to fill me with joy. So my goals should be set around doing these activities. This is the idea I was trying to express in my journal entry about Buckets of Experience. Having a sense of direction is nice. Having confidence in what you are doing feels good. This also starts to lead into the idea Prot is trying to express here. If you think through the goals you set, then you have confidence in why you are pursing them and can do it with your full mind. The outcome does not matter, because you have the humility to understand that outcomes are beyond your control. Nonetheless, you commit to it with a sense of wonder in the every day. You feed this wonder, while keeping an eye on the bigger picture.