AsheSkyler

Everybody has a good story to tell and no two are identical. Would anybody like to share how they first came across or got started in Taoism? Mine, oddly enough, was started from one of those wife swap shows. A Taoist family swapped with a Christian one. Eccentric, but peaceful folk. When asked what Taoism was, none were shown doing more than scratching their heads. Made me curious, so I started looking it up. My interest lay dormant for a few years after I got a basic answer. When it rekindled, I got a copy of the Tao Te Ching and here I am.

If I understand the concept of Wu Wei, how it's applied in my life is instead applied to my kid. I've been given many papers saying he should do certain things at certain ages and how his daily routine must be planned down to the minute. I don't force him into their mold. He feed him when he's hungry and let him sleep when he needs it rather than deny him because "it's not time". I never counted meals and I never counted diapers, much to the resent of many doctors with long lectures. I'm not weaning him, he's weaning himself because his appetite is calling for much thicker stuff. And so far, he's turning out to be very healthy and very happy.

"I didn't trip! The floor just does not like me." "The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with."

Your last line reminds me of tales my parents and grandparents would tale about the cows they milked. They said it was nasty to drink if the cow had been eating onion or "bitterweed". Only had fresh goat's milk myself. Pretty good. I've never had any other kind of raw meat, to my knowledge. Wouldn't mind trying sushi sometime. First you'll have to get me away from the little pastries that have cream cheese and crab meat in them. Those things are divine!

Ahhh, those are the details of it I couldn't remember. (Both the breathing and what parts it was bad for.) I think some try to counteract sitting all day at the office by using one of those big balls as a chair. Something about a ball constantly challenges your body to make minor adjustments to keep balance. Not sure if it's enough movement to make a difference, but I find the balls to be much softer to sit on than a cushion.

@ Marblehead: Would you believe I went and Googled both the pig and goat for giggles? @ zerostao: A few of the strip mines in Alabama. None quite so large as a few I've seen out in the desert, but big enough some have huge cranes.

Had deer sausage once. It was definitely different. Not bad, just different from the meat I'm used to eating. One thing I enjoy about my husband is that I get to try new food every so often! So far the only thing I won't touch again is raw oyster. He didn't tell me in time "don't chew". ICK. Like eating a balloon.

"We have a saying in my country. It says that you can put a tuxedo on a goat, but, it's still a goat." Did I miss a sentence in the Declaration of Independence that said "And, yea, all things in our new nation that were not of those icky British shall attach the word 'American' as a prefix or suffix to themselves and be known henceforth as either 'American-<insert title here>' or '<insert title here>-American'." Why is that? Our offical "seal of approval"? Or are we cultural cattle ranchers that have to burn everything on the butt when we get it? So please don't play dress-up word games with the goats anymore. Let them mingle and eat their grass in peace.

I have a mobile, curious infant who often pulls at my hair and clothes and nibbles on my feet. What is this "meditation" and "quiet thinky time" that you speak of? Rumours from the medical world say you should spend much of your day either standing or walking. Sitting around all the time kills you faster and is bad for your body all around. So say the rumours from the medical world.

I would have had to move when spider moved in. I feel guilty enough walking face-first into unseen webs, I wouldn't want to intentionally destroy one. It's like breaking another kid's Lego fort.

Thankie. =)

Hrm... Not logging in for a few days makes it embarrassing to reply to replies in fast moving topics. Yes, yes. One thing I might add that's made it easier to get along with others is not to be so arrogant to assume my religious, political, dietary, or other viewpoints are superior to another's. Peace and love knows no religion nor political viewpoint. Just like "crazy" and "hate". Same coin.

I made chickens! =D

I still don't have enough sense yet to keep my mouth shut at all times, especially around the devout. I don't even mind a difference of opinions between people. I enjoy it, in fact. The problem lies in the ones who believe they have a God-given right to nag and verbally bash you into becoming the person they want you to be when there's nothing wrong with who you are. Today I got a several hour mocking and insulting for not letting a woman put socks on me because my feet temperature was not to her liking, despite me feeling fine, not needing them, and generally don't like wearing things on my feet. Part of me says to be a pawn to people's wishes because they will always be more important than me, another says that I shouldn't be a doormat and they should learn to respect my wishes if they want me to respect their's. It's confusing, it's petty, and I don't understand why she made a big deal about me politely refusing in the first place.

True that. The only absolute is that nothing is absolute. I haven't done a proper study of other cultures in a long time to make a remark. I'd like to assume it has something to do with raising and the population focusing on the greater good for the community rather than best for the individual.

As long as people are polite and leave the rudeness, arrogance, and taunting behind, I really don't care where a thread goes.

The only way I can have a peaceful experience with society is let them think I'm what they want me to be, and try to avoid any conversation or situation that will let them learn otherwise. It's like a game of hide-and-seek to where if you're found, you're subject to hours or even years of lectures of how you're inferior to the general population, should never speak because you are stupid and have bad ideas, will never amount to anything, and will never be wanted by any employer or mate and will die poor, alone, and hated because of it. Those people reaaaally don't appreciate it when you ask why they are projecting their insecurities onto you, pretending you possess those qualities, and then punish you for having those qualities. Big no-no. Just be their strange sounding-board and hope they figure themselves out before they spread rumours that you are the embodiment of their worst fears or they even walk off and do the same thing to another person.

Now you guys have gone and made me hungry! Curses! Overall, my diet leaves me feeling happy, well-fed, and with enough energy to chase down a mobile infant already getting into cabinets and drawers before he can crawl. Most of what I serve the family is homemade. Many of my sauces are homemade too. It was a necessary step when I kept forgetting to pick them up at the grocery store. We go through a lot of canned goods. Hopefully this summer we can grow a garden now that we're finally back in the country. I drink milk for breakfast, water during the day, and I might have a glass or two of soda throughout the week or the occasional glass of juice. Breakfast may be toast, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, biscuits, gravy, cereal, oatmeal, or pancakes. Lately it's been either oatmeal or a scrambled egg and ham sandwich. Supper will likely be a soup, chili, casserole, pasta dish with a high chance of salad served, pizza, or be a single meat with 2-4 sides, like salmon, chicken breast, or a beef patty with bread, peas, beans, potatoes, rice, corn, macaroni and cheese, or jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese. Lunch and late-night snacks are usually a sandwich or some fruit. Pickled, spicy peppers like cayenne or jalapeno are a rare treat! I've had sorta-vegetarian meals. My grandparents and my husbands' were farmers. They rarely had meat and it was usually a chicken, or a community hog, if they did. So they don't serve much meat to this day. Lots of fruit, veggies, and bread. Vegetarians certainly have my respect to eat no meat and yet feel full at the end of a meal. My stomach can be full to bursting after the same meal and I'd still feel just as hungry before as after. I avoid cold things because of sensitive oral surgery scars, caffeine because of a thyroid-induced heart problem, careful with sugar and carbs because of a blood sugar drop if I eat too much of it and because my husband is a diabetic (juvenile version), and I like high-calorie stuff because I have a high metabolism. I stayed underweight for years and I'm barely in the "healthy" range.

I've learned even Taoists can be petty and bicker wih each other. But that reassures my belief that there must be a balance in all things, and if everybody was a serene sage, the Taoist population would be severely outta whack.

That very thought runs through my mind all the time. Every time I hear somebody say the world is ending or that times are bad, I stop and think over history. Proportionately, I think nothing's changed beyond technological advances and how much land is settled now by people. How's the saying go? "The more things change, the more they stay the same"? People are still being killed over stupid reasons, wars are still started by people with more power than responsibility, grandmas are still the best pastry chefs in the family, mother-in-laws are still the scariest things on the face of the earth, and there will always be some dude with a sign running around claiming we're all about to die horribly from some natural or supernatural phenomenon.

I've met three pits. One was a stray that came up the house. He was a massive brute and his back came halfway up my thigh. The danger about him was if he wagged his tail or stepped on you. That tail was a good inch or two thick and those claws with that weight would feel like it was going through your foot. He had a very gentle nature. The cat scratched him on the nose once, and his reaction was to jump back, wince, and then pretend to be asleep every time the cat walked by. I would have kept him if he hadn't required so much food. The other two were the pets of the woman who made my wedding cake. They were all smiles and wagging butts (no tails). Admittedly, a "smiling" dog of any breed can be a little alarming until you notice those teeth aren't accompanied by a growl. One was bow-legged, but they were still very friendly animals. So from personal experience, I would say they get a bad rap. From hearsay... I'm not sure. The news only shows pitbull attacks, or they did when I watched the news, and you have to dig to hear stories like the pits that defended adults and kids from muggers, wild cats, and other dogs. The largest dogs I ever had a real aggression problem with one neighbors' pack of retriever-mix pups, and another neighbor's Australian shepherd. Quite a contrast to our own Australian shepherd. She was, quite honestly, a bitch. All the other dogs that have given me trouble have been terriers and lapdogs.

I agree, Zen Nomad, whole-heartedly. But, man, this is America! Land of the Free-to-Finger-Point, home of the Not-So-Brave-to-Accept-Personal-Responsibility. Maybe the day that changes, we can expect to see the psychotic violence drop.

I've read of kindergarteners up to fifth graders being suspended or even expelled for bringing a GI Joe 2" plastic gun for Show And Tell, bringning a water gun to school, pointing a chicken bone at another kid and saying "bang", kissing one another on the cheek, hugging each other, singing a song, shaving a person's face into their hair, saying their teacher was cute, and passing out candy. And one teenager for "breaking dress code" by growing his hair so Locks For Love could make a wig for his sister who had cancer. And to think, when my parents were growing up it was quite common to have your hunting rifles mounted in your truck while you were at school. Of course, they also told me that if anybody had a beef to settle, they'd just brawl it out and never once think of reaching for a knife or gun.

We had snow a few days ago! But it only lasted for one day before it melted. =( Probaby if I had grown up in a more northern place that snows heavily a few months out of the year I wouldn't like it so much. But I didn't, so it's a delightful treat to me.

Heheh, it's a wonder my own mother wasn't charged with a BS crime. People didn't appreciate that I was energetic and wanted me drugged up instead of letting me romp outside when I had no homework or chores. Would you believe I had a social worker jumping up and down at me and accusing ME of being a child abuser just because I made a nurse respect my privacy? I'm all for any video saying government and their lackeys should just butt-out and let people raise them and their kids how they best see fit.