Thursday, January 18, 2007

favorite photograph


My favorite picture happened at home one snowy winter evening. I held my pocket digital camera to shoot through binoculars, and got a picture of a coyote walking through the storm. It looks forlorn traveling between the edge of the woods and the snow covered marsh grass. Has it found enough mice to survive? Does it have anyone to go home to?


Tuesday, January 02, 2007

! 2007 !

These are my resolutions, but I know it is ineffective to say 'I will do this' then try to force myself into it and spend my time feeling bad when I fail. Instead, it seems better to say 'these are the things I want to do', and developing attitude of encouraging myself.
So instead of absolute rules, this is my list of behaviors I will focus on. I know that to doing them will improve who I am and have fulfilling results.


intercessory prayer / scripture meditation

As a Christian I seek to live to the full potential God has for me. Praying for others is more effective than my trying to tell them how to live better. And deep prayer is wonderful. I need to practice this regularly. Likewise, learning God scripture is the primary way he speaks, so I must study it asking "How do I live this in my life?"

write to schedule / work toward goals

I feel compelled to write many stories, and recently I have turned to books about writing for aid. If I am to achieve my goals, a short scheduled time of writing every day seems to be an effective method.

eat/exercise/body tone

This is the classic new years resolution, but I am not interested in regimens and specific pounds. I want to avoid eating heavily, thus learning restraint. I want to seek out and reform the habits and attitudes that keep me from exercising and having a capable body.

Be awake. Practice complex difficult thinking tasks and social interactions rather than simple fun.

I see myself falling into sluggish unthinking entertainment. Or worse, times when I just can't think clearly and have no interest in anything. Why? I must carefully monitor and record what I do and think that puts me into an unproductive mood. Also, what choices motivate me to an opposite and preferable place; being mentally awake, curious, engaged in complex things that require a mature and lively mind. If I want to become a mature thinker and productive adult I must consider how I live and pursue those things that encourage such, and thus avoid practices that make me a lazy bum.