Contemplating on Chair in my Room

by paulkivelson

I spent an hour sitting in my chair just staring up at the ceiling. I found for the first 5 minutes thinking  about all the deep thing I must be learning from my quite contemplation. Then I checked the clock.  For the next ten minutes I looked up at the ceiling I just got more and more bored, until I checked the clock again. Then my started to wander and I found thoughts drifting all over the place. After the point of extreme boredom you find your own way to keep your mind occupied. The thoughts I had were not super deep they where in truth very one dimensional and mostly about what it would be like if I could teleport.

As I was coming out of my musings I had a thought about improv. The best mode to be in for an improv performance is that space after boredom where your mind is  nimble and able to freely wanders. The question then becomes how to get in that mental state without being incredibly bored for a while and a lot repeatedly looking at the clock. I guess that is why you take improv class so you can learn to go through all the stages of ceiling observation quickly.

Puppies and problem sets

by betsyoneducation

The example in Full Catastrophe Living of being engaged in looking at a sunset really spoke to me. I have been helping friends in San Francisco for the last week and a half by petsitting. Their incorrigible corgi has growled at me, and I have sworn back at her; one morning she literally drive me to tears with her unwillingness to let me catch her to put her in the pen.

But surprisingly the puppy has induced a mindfulness in me. For one thing, I have to put aside other worries (like problem sets) as I deal with her. Even more, she makes me more receptive to the beauty around me; just yesterday, as she tugged me up a hill as I walked her, my mind was clear, and at a switchback I was able to fully appreciate being there and watching the moon rise across the bay.