Why is this blog called Thailand Bound if there is nothing mentioned about Thailand yet!
Well here it goes. I am on a six month road to Thailand. I have committed to a year of service to teach English and work with a women's prison! I'm very excited and nervous. Its something I've always wanted to do but I've never been gone for that long from my family and friends. I have a lot of work to do before I get there. I have a home and a job, both of which I will be leaving behind. I also have an extensive amount of money to fund-raise for my trip. This is especially difficult because I'm not the best at asking people for help, but a good lesson in humility. I hope to keep those interested in my journey to Thailand updated as well as share my experiences as they come!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Cup In Your Hands
From the book The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh:
"........I have a close friend named Jim Forest.....Last winter, Jim came to visit. I usually wash the dishes after we've finished the evening meal, before sitting down and drinking tea with everyone else. One night, Jim asked if he might do the dishes. I said, "Go ahead, but if you wash the dishes you must know the way to wash them." Jim replied, "Come on, you think I don't know how to wash the dishes?"
I answered, "There are two ways to wash the dishes. The first is to wash the dishes in order to have clean dishes and the second is to wash the dishes in order to wash the dishes." Jim was delighted and said, "I choose the second way-to wash the dishes." From then on, Jim knew how to wash the dishes. I transferred the "responsibility" to him for an entire week. If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not "washing the dishes to wash the dishes." What's more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can't wash the dishes, the chances are we won't be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life."
"........I have a close friend named Jim Forest.....Last winter, Jim came to visit. I usually wash the dishes after we've finished the evening meal, before sitting down and drinking tea with everyone else. One night, Jim asked if he might do the dishes. I said, "Go ahead, but if you wash the dishes you must know the way to wash them." Jim replied, "Come on, you think I don't know how to wash the dishes?"
I answered, "There are two ways to wash the dishes. The first is to wash the dishes in order to have clean dishes and the second is to wash the dishes in order to wash the dishes." Jim was delighted and said, "I choose the second way-to wash the dishes." From then on, Jim knew how to wash the dishes. I transferred the "responsibility" to him for an entire week. If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not "washing the dishes to wash the dishes." What's more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can't wash the dishes, the chances are we won't be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life."
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
"The way you see people is the way you treat them. And the way you treat them is the way they often become." John C. Maxwell - Leadership author, speaker
How is your viewing filter? Do you see others as: Arrogant, aloof, ignorant, incapable, weak, poor thing, lazy, unworthy, limited, mean or, on the other hand, do you see others as: kind, thoughtful, patient, trusting, capable, worthy, wise, and friendly? As a parent, teacher or person in authority, it becomes imperative to see children, employees, and even family members at a level greater than they see themselves; with integrity and qualities they have not yet achieved. The mental filter through which we see others becomes the lens by which we respond and behave toward them. Could we be getting from others just what we expect? Our expectations are built around those thoughts. Does your lens need adjusting?
How is your viewing filter? Do you see others as: Arrogant, aloof, ignorant, incapable, weak, poor thing, lazy, unworthy, limited, mean or, on the other hand, do you see others as: kind, thoughtful, patient, trusting, capable, worthy, wise, and friendly? As a parent, teacher or person in authority, it becomes imperative to see children, employees, and even family members at a level greater than they see themselves; with integrity and qualities they have not yet achieved. The mental filter through which we see others becomes the lens by which we respond and behave toward them. Could we be getting from others just what we expect? Our expectations are built around those thoughts. Does your lens need adjusting?
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