A Simple Life

 

Six String Bass Solo

Artist:  Damian Coccio

As the temperature is now ranging in the 40s F - low 60s F (4.4 C - 15.5 C)...

instead of snow...

we are getting intermittent rain.

I have just been taking it easy lately...

as I can't do any outside work...

and I really haven't any more projects to do inside

(I had changed out the 2nd floor toilet seat to a plasticized wooden seat...

and the 2nd floor shower head to a low flow...but with much greater coverage)...

so I have just been listening to music as I cook...

relaxing, practicing music, adding to the construction of another story...

and enjoying the antics of Bandi.

I live a wonderfully simple life.

This is not to say I don't keep myself busy doing things.

There are many things to do in good weather

(it has just been raining lately so I cannot explore, trike, or trim trees).

This is my main reading chair...

although I will sometimes read in bed...

or in the infrared sauna.

I made myself a simple meal on this day.

I decided to eat Natto and eggs.

I had ordered myself this egg pan and special spatula.

This egg pan is non-stick...

and as I cook my eggs on low-medium heat...

it will never off gas or break down...

and the spatula is silicone covered so it has no plastic touching the food.

Both of these are just for eggs...

nothing else.

I also ordered a large titanium skillet to cook almost everything else

(of which won't arrive for another few weeks)...

and I have a stainless steel wok for specialty Asian dishes.

The bulk of my cooking will be in the titanium skillet though.

I plan to learn how to cook more of my favorite foods.

I chose a non-stick pan so I wouldn't have to use much butter to ensure its non-stickiness.

I just preheat the pan and then rub on some butter...

just enough to lightly coat the pan.

This also adds flavor to the eggs.

I then cover the eggs and let them partially poach at a low medium heat.

This allows the whites to fully cook while leaving the yolk runny.

I am a typical American...

I love my drinks filled to the top with ice

(I have heard that many places in Europe only put in a few cubes of ice).

(The left temperature is the freezer temperature...

and the one on the right is the refrigerator temperature).

I like it filled to the top with ice.

I then fill the glass up with purified and pre-chilled water (35 F).

I drink ice water almost exclusively at home.

I always have a filled glass of ice water to drink all day long.

The rice was ready to go.

I like this wide spatula as it turns over the eggs easily.

As the eggs were cooking...

I readied the Natto.

It comes in packs of three servings...

and most people eat only one serving at a time...

but I like having all three at one time.

Each Natto serving comes with a mustard and a sauce packet.

I just put in the ingredients and stir them up.

I then top off the Natto with some rice...

...and I stir them thoroughly.

I sometimes put in less rice...

and I sometimes put in this amount.

I am all set for the eggs.

I just salt and pepper them...

...and I then slice them into individual egg portions...

and flip them (only using the silicone spatula)...

(I usually let the whites fully cook before I do this step...

but I since I had already uncovered the eggs...

I decided to recover them and let them cook more before I flipped them).

The eggs just slide out and hardly any butter is left...

which makes the cleanup very easy.

I do not put any grease or oil in the sink...

I just use a paper towel to wipe up any butter or oily residue before I wash the pans.

A little sloppy...

but...

what the heck.

I usually give Bandi half of the eggs I cook.

As you can see...

the whites are done...

but the yolks are partially runny.

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I decided to take out the trash...

pick up my mail...

and then make a gas run

(although I usually do everything on my way to shopping...

I wanted Bandi to have some fun, as she loves riding in the car).

On the way home...

there was this herd of deer crossing the road.

I pulled over to take some photos of them.

It was after sunset...

my iPhone doesn't take good low light shots.

Bandi had so much fun looking at the deer.

She always gets excited whenever she sees any wildlife.

I had placed a magnetic protective sheet just below the rear windows

to protect the paint on the car where Bandi puts her paws when she leans 

out of the windows.

Bandi just loves going on car rides.

-----------------------

Living a fairly minimalistic life...

a very simple life...

allows people to concentrate on what truly makes them happy.

Filter out negative situations...

screen out and leave behind manipulative and selfish people...

remove junk from your home...

de-clutter your mind and everything in your life.

Each of us has only so much time and so many resources.

You must prioritize if you are to achieve your goals.

Living a simple life is not so much about focus...

it is more about removing the unnecessary...

so all you have left are the important things...

the things in life which make you feel so alive.

-----------

In simplicity...

you achieve the freedom to pursue your passions in life.

Living your passions fulfills you...

and in so doing...

you achieve serenity.

Serenity is...

knowing your fundamental self and being deeply happy in your own company.

It is having achieved your life goals...

or knowing you are on the correct path to achieving them.

And...

in knowing how to make yourself happy...

it gives you the freedom to walk amongst others knowing two things:

1)  Since your happiness can never be taken away

no matter what others do...

you can walk away from them and be happy

(true freedom).

2)  Knowing how to make yourself happy...

you know you can guide others in finding their own happiness

(true love).

The first is loving yourself...

and the second is loving another.

These are what make humans fundamentally good beings...

if...

and only if...

they have these two things.

It is having time for yourself...

and so...

for others.

Anything else is just a con job...

of yourself...

or of others.

----------------

Mirror Neurons 

(These are in the brain)...

 are what give most people the ability to feel other's emotions.

It is what make dogs such loving companions.

So...

yes...

most other people can read your emotions through your body language...

and vocal intonations.

They may not know why you are feeling a certain way...

but most can get the gist of the state of your emotions in a glance.

One of the most important objectives in life 

is picking the right people with whom you surround yourself.

Fundamentally unhappy people frequently manifest

their unhappiness through two very destructive ways:

Anger

Envy

Angry people mostly act directly.

They are acting on an impulse...

an inner drive to disrupt or destroy...

or to sabotage.

They act disrespectfully...

imperiously...

a mini want to be tyrant.

Their constant and preposterous 'power posturing' is a big tell.

Most of the time...

they are unaware of the hidden nature of their anger.

They just feel the need to act out in a certain way.

Envious people act surreptitiously. 

They are more calculating.

They act out of premeditation...

as they see you as the enemy...

and sabotage using various means to achieve their end is utilized.

They justify their feelings when they see you surpassing them in some way.

They see it as desertion of them.

It is the 'crab in a bucket' mentality.

We have all seen this behavior in others...

as well as other negative manifestations.

There is no fixing them...

not from you anyways.

One fix to a problem is to not have the problem any longer.

It is to change your surroundings...

and the people with whom you surround yourself.

You must cut all ties to the shore if you are to ever sail away.

Not all problems have a solution...

especially when it comes to human behavior.

-------------

I frequently use the metaphor of a sailing ship on the ocean...

to depict a certain mindset.

The ocean is life itself.

There is a whole world to explore.

And if you are to have smooth sailing...

it takes planning.

But...

no matter how well you plan your routes and provision your ship...

if you have a multitude of barnacles on your hull...

it will greatly slow your ship through the waters...

and if you remain tied to your anchor...

you won't ever leave the harbor.

The more unnecessary cargo in your hold...

the slower and more unsafe your transit.

We each must pick our own destinations...

but unless you simplify your heart and mind (your life...your ship)...

you will have a multitude of unnecessary variables which could hamper your journey...

and most certainly...

will keep you from the speediest of journeys.

Never fear scraping your hull of the many barnacles in life 

which seek to get a free ride on your efforts

(the parasitical beings who never learn the value of reciprocity).

Never fear weighing anchor...

and cutting loose any ties to shore...

for without that...

you will never leave your safe harbor.

A light ship...

with a good first mate and crew...

is a fast and safe one.

Simplification in life allows for the fastest transit...

so you may explore the world with full sails...

while sailing high on the water.

-----------

A cluttered life...

weighs down the heart and mind.

Life slows to a crawl...

and every thought takes effort.

Spontaneity is lost...

as is creativity.

And so...

our one and only life...

becomes lost in the clutter as well.

True freedom lies in simplicity...

and so...

true happiness then becomes yours.

-------

By simplifying your life...

you will be able to see what you truly wish for in life...

that which makes you deeply and serenely happy.

Merely understanding...

merely parroting the words of a way...

merely feeling a certain way...

these are all self made mind games which people play on themselves

to prevent them from having to put in the effort to change.

Positive actions are the only things in life that get positive results.

Do more while doing less...

have more true quality by having less extraneous quantity...

think deeply...feel deeply...

live life fully...

anything else...

and you are robbing yourself of life.

--------------

Why am I so seemingly arrogant in my views...

in...

well...

everything?

No...

I know I don't know many things.

But...

that which I do know...

I know...I know.

Big difference.  :)