Karma Chameleon

Karma Chameleon – Reincarnation: do you believe in it?

No.

However, I do think it is cool that our bodies have the possibility to nourish other lifeforms as we decompose. But apart from our physical bodies, I don’t believe our consciousness survives in the traditional sense of reincarnation.

I do take some comfort in the fact that our legacies will continue on. That can take the form of DNA we pass to our descendants, and also what we teach our kids or friends, and the lasting impressions we might make. This is entirely within our control and the choices we make. Let’s live good lives!

This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.

Naked with Black Socks

Naked with Black Socks – Are you comfortable in front of people, or does the idea of public speaking make you want to hide in the bathroom? Why?

The idea of speaking in front of a group of people makes me incredibly nervous, yes! Before I have to speak, my heart beats so fast and I get anxious. And when I start talking, my voice is often unsure and shaky. But then I become more comfortable and it’s ok and oftentimes a lot of fun.

I used to teach classes of maybe 25 students and I would get nervous at first, but soon it wasn’t a big deal. The key is preparation for me. If I know what I am going to talk about, and also have knowledge about the subject so I can answer any questions that may come up, then that confidence carries me through. But, ALWAYS before I speak, I get those butterflies! It used to really stress me out but now since it happens every time, I am used to it and know that it is a normal part of the process. I try to feed off that nervousness a bit if I can… you know, it’s all about turning things into positive energy for me these days!

This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.

Voice work

Voice Work – Your blog is about to be recorded into an audiobook. If you could choose anyone — from your grandma to Samuel L. Jackson — to narrate your posts, who would it be?

I would choose Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein to narrate my posts. I have no idea what it would sound like, but I bet it would hilarious.

Here’s my favorite scene from the movie:

What the World Needs Now

This Is Your Song – Take a line from a song that you love or connect with. Turn that line into the title of your post.

My favorite song “What the World Needs Now” written by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.

Lord, we don’t need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross,
Enough to last till the end of time.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some, oh, but just for
Every, every, everyone.

I often think these days that we have an overabundance of everything… so much clutter and everything tries to demand our attention. It would be nice if we could all focus on the simple things that matter and shut out the rest.

Give a listen to this version with Burt Bacharach and The Posies from the movie Austin Powers. It’s wonderful:

This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.

Favorite ritual

Just Another Day – Our days our organized around numerous small actions we repeat over and over. What’s your favorite daily ritual?

This is a daily prompt subject that I have answered already back in 2014, but I thought it would be good to think about it again and see if anything has changed. Although I still enjoy reading at night, I don’t do it every evening, so my new favorite ritual is something that happens in the morning: having the first cup of coffee. ☕

But before I can enjoy drinking it, there is the ritual of making the coffee. First, I’ll heat up 5 cups of water in the microwave. This is not to drink, but to get the semi-airtight carafe nice and hot. This is the key to keeping the coffee nice and hot for hours. After I fill the carafe with the boiling water and screw on the lid, I’ll fill up the kettle with filtered water, then get that going on the stove. I’ll set the kitchen timer for 7 minutes.

While the water is heating up I’ll get a paper coffee filter and put it in the ceramic filter holder, then rinse the filter under cold water. I’ll also put the coffee beans in the Coffee Grinder. When there is about a minute left on the timer, I’ll grind the beans, then put them in the Bee House Ceramic Coffee Dripper.

Just before the water in the kettle comes to a boil, I’ll empty the hot water out of the carafe, then put the ground coffee and filter holder above the carafe. Next, the water from the kettle is poured over the grounds… and soon, I’ll have perfect coffee for myself and Mariko! And that coffee stays hot for a long time in the carafe!

A perfect morning routine to wake myself up.

"Morning Coffee" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2015.
“Morning Coffee” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2015.