You may know that I recently got an “Inner Jedi” notebook that’s beautiful and super-cool (check it out here if you want). And I thought that maybe once I started writing in it I’d share some insights and entries here. I don’t usually share such personal stuff here, and some of you may not be interested, but I really think it’s a great exercise (and fun, too!).
The Week One journal question is this:
“Jedi are keepers of the peace who act on pure selflessness. As you embark on your Jedi path, what are you hoping to achieve or discover by using this journal? How can seeking peace and acting on selflessness help you reach those goals?”
Good question. My answer was this:
“I want this journal to help me act on my better self–the one who gives money to the homeless, who shovels the neighbor’s sidewalk, who encourages a writer friend online. I like to think I’m a “nice” person, compassionate, understanding–but actions speak louder than thoughts. It’s these little acts of kindness that make a difference in the world–and counteracts the belief that that the world is shit, which is a pretty easy thing to believe right now. It’s easy to get lost in your own bubble and forget these things. This journal will remind me.
I’ve also been wanting to start a meditation practice for a LONG time. I just never “get around to it” or make the time. I think it’s important for a lot of reasons: it will help de-stress and center me, calm my mind, build up patience, and just give my mind a break from all the crappy thoughts that clutter it. I hope it will instill a sense of peace and serenity that I can call upon at any time. Also, per Jen Sincero [author of You Are a Badass], it directly links you to Source Energy: the Creator, Universal Intelligence, God, or–yes–The Force. (Okay, not just Jen, but she’s the one who inspired me–as well as the Jedi, of course).
Two things I want to work on are anger and fear. Just watching the news makes these two emotions spike exponentially. Anger tends to come and go and is a quick reaction, and just as quickly dissipates. But fear tends to linger and haunt me. Fear about many things–money (or lack of it), Lilly’s health and happiness [my daughter who has spina bifida], the fate of democracy, lol. It’s more like a gnawing worry that’s an undercurrent of my life. Like a Jedi, I must learn to deal with these emotions and keep them in their proper place.”
Yeah, so I’ll never swing a lightsaber like a Jedi or move rocks with my mind and stuff, but, with some practice and commitment, maybe I can achieve the poise and calm that these warriors possess. Life goals, lol.
How would you answer this question? Feel free to give me the long or short of it in the comments and we’ll talk about it!
Star Wars and Other Obsessions 