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Re: Gwen Bell - Blog - Intention: Presence Through Practice

Becky Vartabedian — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:59:42 -0000

Welcome back to the web, Gwen! My intention this week is "attend to my efforts." By this I mean to cultivate a balance between high- / medium- output days and fallow ones (or, in Brian Eno's words, "nothing times"). I'm in the early stages of a very large project, and this intention will help me to avoid frustration and getting bogged down.

At least this week.

Re: Gwen Bell - Blog - Life Experience: Quit Alcohol to Thrive

Becky Vartabedian — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:34:26 -0000

I am an "extreme moderator." My Health Month rules include "No sugar or white flour after breakfast six days each week," and a maximum of "Two alcoholic drinks per week." These rules helped me get some things in my life under control, and are rules I go back to when things get hectic. They give me a little bit of wiggle without forcing me to shut down the whole works at once.

My own difficulty with abstaining is the feeling I have of being deprived, which I've felt in the past but not quite articulated until now. I wonder how to tackle this feeling, which is the likely obstacle to following a path of abstention. On the other hand, I also see that I may suffer from a "grass is greener" sort of syndrome here, thinking things like "It would be better if I abstained ..." or "I wonder what it would be like to abstain ..." instead of being satisfied with my progress and honoring the success of extreme moderation.

Re: Gwen Bell - Blog - Digital Dharma: What Gets Your Goat? (When I Feel Your Finger on My Trigger…)

Becky Vartabedian — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:50:18 -0000

I *always* take the bait. I'm learning not to, but it's sure tough.

Re: Gwen Bell - Blog - Digital Dharma: What Gets Your Goat? (When I Feel Your Finger on My Trigger…)

Becky Vartabedian — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:51:27 -0000

So far the answer seems to be that I am so embedded in "the bait" that I've needed to hear what people I trust say about me and my work. It's like these trusted people have dug in and given me light and air so I don't suffocate from feeling insecure or comparing myself to others. I've done a lot of reading about mindfulness and "the present" this summer, and am learning to understand and benefit from those patches of light and air others reveal. Otherwise, I'm hooked.

Re: Gwen Bell - Blog - How to Create A Travel Sanctuary

Becky Vartabedian — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:20:26 -0000

I am gearing up for a major transition in the next week, so my intention is to "keep it together." This includes being present with my loved ones, trying to keep busy with work to extended times of sadness, and managing today today (I'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow). It's hard, but I suppose that's why it's an intention! Thanks for the good questions.

Re: Gwen Bell - Blog - Sunday Question for Reflection: Align

Becky Vartabedian — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:42:31 -0000

This week I'm entering a period of time where I'll have to find the internet, rather than have immediate access to it 24/7 ( I'm moving to the apartment in the "second city," which isn't quite as nicely appointed as the permanent address). I hope this week - and the three subsequent weeks without the internet at my fingertips - will help me to better understand the where-when-why questions regarding access (i.e., where do I find it, when do I need it / when do I want to have access, why is such access important) and the *quality* of time I spend online. It's a (late?) forced sabbatical of sorts.

Re: Gwen Bell - Blog - Question for Reflection: What's Alive in You?

Becky Vartabedian — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:10:12 -0000

I'm on the "start" side of a huge project, and am enlivened by the possibilites of shaping my time and effort in such a way to realize progress at regular intervals. This is an exciting time, and I hope I can carry the excitement through the project as much as possible.