Hi everyone,
I know this has been a stressful time for some people - for others it may be extremely stressful. It doesn't need to be like this. It can all be completely dropped right now in the moment – situations like this are why we have the dharma. For me, this is when the teachings and the practices are really precious, and most useful
I had the idea to do some metta practice tonight, or it just started happening
For me, I picked the few people that have really been getting on my nerves, and I think of them like they are my brothers and sisters – not dharma brothers and sisters, but actual ones
I imagine that in the future we could be the best of friends. It doesn't take too much of my imagination, sometimes (IME) things actually go that way
This may sound a little fluffy, and I may be embarrassed to read this later, but I really mean it. In my mind metta meditation is a very personal thing and we probably all go about it in different ways. I just like to create goodwill and I change up how I do that. If anyone wants to join me in this tonight, that would be cool. If not, that’s ok
I have a lot of love for Daniel Ingram because of how he has helped me. Same goes for this community. I use to be miserable, well, much more miserable. I like a lot of you very much, naturally – your intelligence, compassion and humor sometimes leaps off my computer screen. Some of us haven’t clicked so much, but who cares, it’s all done – I’m dropping it. We’re all here as well intentioned people doing what we can to make ourselves and the world around us a better place. We have no other choice
I’m hoping everyone has a bit of calm and rest tonight. And that we treat each other in our hearts and our words a little more gently, and we do the same with ourselves. I need to start that one with myself. Allow yourself to feel supported by people that you’ve never met before, and, for reasons unknown to me at least, they care about you
Daniel

Lovely. And you posted this just as I finished my grading. Am anticipating really sweet dreams tonight.

Oh, and Valentine's Day is Saturday! Perfect timing.

I really like the practice of generating thoughts of goodwill towards the person that I am about to communicate with. You spend a minute or so doing it then engage. Yopu might try experimenting with it first by not doing it, then on the next engagement engaging with ma mind jolted by metta and see if there is a difference. 

It really hits home when it is someone who irks you the worng way. I really see it condition what I say or don't say.

i live in a world that needs no reassuring, where goodwill is not generated by thoughts or emotions and no suspicion arises in need of assurance.  if more lived here my social skills would be non existent and my joy uncontained.      

it's effortless sending you metta Laurel  

 I want to apologize for ever upsetting you, sorry.  For real.  

Psi

I appreciate the apology. We're good.

Oh well, I'll try to figure out ways of giving you a useful challenge. 

Ha! hand on my holster...

Thanks, Daniel.

Sometimes I forget even the trees are fighting against each other in stressful times (like drought). There is a lot of stress we living beings have around: living, providing, trying not to take too much, having too little of essentials, dying, seeing others die, fighting... hard.

When I remember this -- that all life has the urge to live, to be content and not to suffer -- that this is me, too, then the most intelligent and natural emotion is compassion, and when I forget this... <sigh> 

Here is a lightening comment by one of Bill Hamilton's teachers: "If you know that you are angry, and have hatred, you are no longer in ignorance but possess knowledge. (...) If I do everything with awareness, then a whole lot if 'I's will be aware too (...) Midnight is dark; new moon is dark; the thickness of the forest is dark, but darkest of all is ignorance." ~ Taungpulu Sayadaw.

<sigh>