Flow Chart

I have this stupid survival instinct that makes me try and be perfect all the time. It clearly doesn’t work.

Support/Bullying

I’m not quite sure what this cartoon is about, I think it’s about how good it feels to have someone back you up in a situation. But then I got thinking about the little guy, I bet he doesn’t feel real great. Maybe the others went to far, and didn’t take care of him. I guess it’s tricky to balance backing our mates and going overboard.

Creativity!

God is creative. Right at the beginning of the Bible, before they describe God as 'good' or 'powerful' or 'loving' or anything they say “God Created”. And what amazing stuff he created! Suns, plants, gravity, electrons, values, experience, consciousness, everything! He loved it so much he did it non-stop for a week. Then he got all excited and got Man to be involved in the creative process.
I reckon we're just like that, creating and building relationships with each other. Some of us create solid things like cars and sandwiches, some of us create abstract things like art or romance. Some of us create solutions to problems and build better futures.
I think that we get starved when we’re deprived of the opportunity to create, just as we’re starved when we’re deprived of relationship. Creating gives us expression and allows us to communicate who we are. Go and create something, you’ll thank me if you do! Comment what you created, that’d be awesome!

Simple things

My monitor got scratched this week. It’s sort of a dramatic scratch that stretches out over the expanse of the corner, starting on the piano black frame and bursting onto the LCD.

At first I was furious and desperate to fix it. And then I realised that there was no real need. There was nothing wrong with it. I wouldn’t even notice it after a day or two, it didn’t affect my experience at all. It’s strange how I worry so much about stuff that doesn’t really matter. I want to live more simply.

Right Here, Right now!

How often do we live in the moment? How often are we really present with ourselves right now?

I was once told that we can only really experience God, others, and ourselves in the present, but we spend all our time focussing on the past or the future. Not even on the people we’re with right now.

Try being present. Not here, you’re looking at a screen, go somewhere interesting. And try and be present. think about only things in that moment. How your body feels, how the air feels, sounds and sights, but only things in that moment. Try and enjoy it.

Hazel in Art

This is a picture our friend Kathleen drew of Hazel on a recent camping trip. I thought it was so lovely that I would show it off to the world. Thanks Kathleen!

Thoughts on Valentines Day

Sometimes it’s just nice to be affirmed and appreciated.

Sometimes our expectations of relationships are very different.

I love you, Jess.

Listening

In case you don’t know, people only think they care if they’re right, they really only care if they’re heard. What most people need is a damn good listening to.

Butter Fly

My body, in moments of great emotional stress, can create such tangible discomfort. Like the discomfort you feel when you have to do something that is impossible (seemingly or otherwise). It’s a comfort to me to know that I’ve accomplished some of these impossible tasks, butterflies or not…

I haven’t posted anything since before Christmas so here’s my latest instalment. There’ll be more to look forward to from now on. Thanks for watching this space!

Positive Affirmation

I once had a friend comment on why they always complimented people. They said something like “its such an easy thing to do that cost absolutely nothing, why wouldn’t I just make people feel great?”

I think that’s an amazing piece of insight, especially when there’s so much negativity in our culture, not only in media images which feed our insecurity, but from our friends and family as well. I tend to compete and put people down without even thinking about it, I’m getting better at seeing the truly best in people.

You look great by the way.

xkcd

This is a comic by Randall Munroe at http://xkcd.com/828/ which he put up last Thursday. xkcd has been a big influence on my drawings and this site. Randall Munroe has said on his site that there’s an illness in his family, which I think this might relate to. Since this comic seemed to fit into the content I post, I thought I would share it with you.

We all know someone who is sick or in need, sometimes its us. Our thoughts, prayers, service and company should be with those it will bless.

Theo

More prickles than a desert cactus.

This is guest comic by the space princess who appeared in the first post. She was all ‘You should do another story, with a cowboy who walks into town and says ‘blablabla’ and then in the end something funny happens.” So I told her, ‘You draw it.’ And she did.

Feelings

My feeling are only a portion of who I am, and therefore smaller than my whole. For some reason I feel encouraged when I remember that I’m physically bigger than any negative feeling I have.