Tuesday, July 8, 2008

I Want My Cup of Coffee

Last night was a little stressful. It was very hot and muggy and Steve wanted the air conditioner on, which is loud and I find that I don't sleep well when it's on. And then at around 2 a.m. I went into Zoe's room (because she is usually awake at that hour) and started to nag her about making an appointment for an upper G.I. She's been complaining about stomach problems and feeling a tightness in her throat and the doctor says it's possible she has an ulcer. So, at 2 a.m. our conversation went like this:

ME: I think it's important for you to make this appointment and go. Soon.
ZOE: Are you kidding me? It's two o'clock on the morning.
ME: I know, I can't sleep thinking about you and worrying...
ZOE: Mom! Stop it, okay? Not now.
ME: I'll make the appointment and you will go.
ZOE: Go away.

That didn't go so well.

And then I woke up needing some caffeine, but I can't really drink it. I have been slipping it back in again after giving it up a few months ago, but as much as I love coffee, tea, chocolate and anything with caffeine in it, I get headaches and can't seem to handle it anymore. Organic white tea seems to work, it has a small amount of caffeine, only 15 mgs compared to a cup of coffee which averages about 150 mgs. I was up to the equivalent of about three cups of coffee a day and getting headaches all the time, needing Excedrin, which has 65 mgs of caffeine per tablet. There was an article in National Geographic several years ago about caffeine and how it's the number one most addictive psychoactive drug. (Avoid diet sodas by the way...aspartame is terrible.) Anyway, I'm on my fourth day of cutting way back and I feel lethargic and still have some headaches, but I'm hoping by the end of the week I will feel better. And I will make an appointment for Zoe.

Two quick readings this morning: one is from "When Things Fall Apart" by Pema Chodron.
"Well-being of mind is like a mountain lake without ripples. When the lake has no ripples, everything in the lake can be seen. When the water is all churned up, nothing can be seen. The still lake without ripples is like our mind at ease, so full of unlimited friendliness for all the junk at the bottom of the lake that we don't feel the need to churn up the waters, just to avoid looking at what's there."
"This is the liberation that naturally arises when we are completely here, without anxiety about imperfection."

And about money, from "The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity" by Catherine Ponder: "Since it is the law of mind action that you attract whatever you appreciate and repel whatever you depreciate, money responds accordingly. If you think favorable about money, you multiply and increase it in your midst; whereas, if you criticize and condemn it in any form, either your own money or another's, you dissipate and repel it from you."

Just a few thoughts to consider.

1 comment:

Robin Amos Kahn said...

this is a test from me. To see if it will show up