never thought answering simple questions would be so difficult.

more @ thought questions

a guide to personal freedom: the 4 agreements.

be impeccable with your word.

speak with integrity. say only what you mean. avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

don't take anything personally.

nothing other do is because of you. what others say and do is a project of their own reality, their won dream. when you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

don't make assumptions.

find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. with just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

always do your best.

your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to when you are sick. under any circumstances, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

buy the book or audio tape, it's absolutely amazing.

broke? here's a list of summer activities that are cheap and fun !

1. Enjoy a concert in the park, or at Tom Grainey's on Wednesdays!Concerts and movies are just the beginning..
2. Go camping – Still one of the cheapest vacations someone can take!
3. Go for a hike in the woods.
4. Go for a swim, the river will be open soon!.
5. Go fishing... so much fun.
6. Have a picnic.
7. Take the kids to the park.
8. Visit a museum -BAM is cheap on first thursdays!.
9. Work on an arts and craft projects.
10. Play board games.
11. Dig for fossils or gems. Find out where to dig in your area.
12. Build sandcastles!
13. Have a barbecue.
14. Run through your garden sprinkler.
15. Play a pickup basketball or volleyball game in the park.
16. Visit the library. Take out books, movies, music or take advantage of some of their great programs.
17. Take a free online class.
18. Find a fireworks display.
19. Go canoeing or kayaking.
20. Do some birdwatching.
21. Make a kite and take it for a ride.
22. Go for a bike ride.
23. roller blade.
24. Ride your scooter.
25. Visit the zoo. Most zoos are affordable and if you get a summer zoo pass you can visit as often as you like for one price.
26. Make a list of all the books you want to read, and start on them!
27. Sell lemonade!
28. Watch a play at a local theater.
29. Visit a vineyard – some tours are free while others are affordable.
30. Visit a street fair. Food is cheap, plus craft displays, flea market finds and entertainment abound.
31. Tour a college campus
32. Lounge on a hammock.
33. Adopt a pet – Actually adoption fees aren’t as cheap as they used to be but it’s well worth the cost.
34. Tour a fire house or police station.
35. Bowling  – A night out for the family really doesn’t cost much, especially if you bring your own snacks.
36. Tour a brewery.
37. Bake.
38. Make a chalk mural in your driveway.
39. Tour a television or radio station
40. Attend a tv show taping
41. Shakespeare in the Park!
42. Make a birdhouse.
43. Stroll through a public garden.
44. Work on your own garden
45. Visit the state or county fair.
46. Join a book club at the library, Borders or Barnes & Noble.
47. Browse the flea markets.
48. Find a drive in movie theater in your area.
49. Take advantage of local cultural events.
50. Visit a dairy farm.
51. Visit historic battlefields.
52. Paint a wall in your house a different color!
53. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or another place that feeds meals to the homeless.
54. Have a scavenger hunt.
55. Teach yourself a new language using online tutorials and materials from the library.
56. Start a scrapbook and fill it with items found outdoors.
57. Jigsaw puzzles!
58. Make a working volcano.
59. Have a campfire in your backyard, roast marshmallow and tell ghost stories.
60. Clean out your house and have a garage sale.

some of my favorite buddhist quotes!

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.

You only lose what you cling to.

Fill your mind with compassion.

We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all.

The Four Reliances: First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words; Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher; Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation; And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions.


To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.

Pay no attention to the faults of others, things done or left undone by others. Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.


What we think, we become.


Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.

He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

On life's journey Faith is nourishment,One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the messiah?"
"No", answered Buddha.
"Then are you a healer?"
"No", Buddha replied.
"Then are you a teacher?" the student persisted.
"No, I am not a teacher."
"Then what are you?" asked the student, exasperated.
Virtuous deeds are a shelter,
"I am awake", Buddha replied.

On life's journey Faith is nourishment,
Virtuous deeds are a shelter,
Wisdom is the light by day and Right mindfulness is the protection by night.
If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him;
If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.


We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.

Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you.

Speak or act with an pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unshakable.

In this world
Hate never yet dispelled hate.
Only love dispels hate.
This is the law,
Ancient and inexhaustible.

Better than a thousand hollow words
Is one word that brings peace.
Better than a thousand hollow verses
Is one verse that brings peace.

There is no fire like passion
No crime like hatred,
No sorrow like separation,
No sickness like hunger,
And no joy like the joy of freedom.

You too shall pass away.
Knowing this, how can you quarrel?

It is better to conquer yourself
Than to win a thousand battles.
Then the victory is yours.
It cannot be taken from you,
Not by angels or by demons,
Heaven or hell.
You are the source
Of all purity and impurity.
No one purifies another.

It is better to do nothing
Than to do what is wrong.
For whatever you do, you do to yourself.

To share happiness.
And to have done something good
Before leaving this life is sweet

Master your words.
Master your thoughts.
Never allow your body to do harm.
Follow these three roads with purity
And you will find yourself upon the one way,
The way of wisdom.

The fragrance of sandalwood and rosebay
Does not travel far.
But the fragrance of virtue
Rises to the heavens. 

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

The mind is everything; what you think you become.

Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be ye a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.

On a long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest property.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
The greatest prayer is patience.

With gentleness overcome anger.
With generosity overcome meanness.
With truth overcome deceit.

For in craving pleasure or in nursing pain
There is only sorrow.

Never speak harsh words
For they will rebound upon you.
Angry words hurt
And the hurt rebounds.
Like a broken gong.

Let go of anger.
Let go of pride.
When you are bound by nothing
You go beyond sorrow.

The wise have mastered
Body, word and mind.
They are the true masters.

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

Think: Happy, at rest,
may all beings be happy at heart.
Whatever beings there may be,
weak or strong, without exception,
long, large,
middling, short,
subtle, blatant,
seen & unseen,
near & far,
born & seeking birth:
May all beings be happy at heart.

Let no one deceive another
or despise anyone anywhere,
or through anger or irritation
wish for another to suffer.

As a mother would risk her life
to protect her child, her only child,
even so should one cultivate a limitless heart
with regard to all beings.
With good will for the entire cosmos,
cultivate a limitless heart:
Above, below, & all around,
unobstructed, without hostility or hate.
Whether standing, walking,
sitting, or lying down,
as long as one is alert,
one should be resolved on this mindfulness.
This is called a sublime abidinghere & now.




quotes: thanks to this link  and this one

it will make a difference in how you treat people, really.

before you say anything to anyone, ask yourself 3 things:

1. is it true?

2. is it kind?

3. is it necessary? 

my life's inspiration: people to whom i owe a life-time of gratitude.

i read this post secret on this weeks segment, and it reminded me of all the people that inspire me in the littlest ways. today, i want to celebrate those people (famous & not) and thank them for lighting the spark of my

spirit.

margaret thatcher, thank you for showing females all over the world that they're capable of extraordinary things.

thank you, HamRony, for believing in who i am. your strength and imagination of the world makes me feel like  if you can do it, i can too. 

my cheyb, thank you for being an example and for being a beautiful soul. your heart is the most forgiving & generous i know, and i will love and admire you for the rest of my life.

thank you, grandma brandon and grandma teal, for being so badass, so beautiful, and so much of who i am.

blakers, thank you for teaching me to never stop learning, and thank you for having so much faith in who i am and what i want to accomplish; everytime i see you i'm inspired to be more than what i can conceive. you're my best friend and i love you!

lao tzu, thank you for teaching me the beauty in simplicity and patience.

naomi, your strength is so admirable and your talent is so unreal. thank you for sharing your life lessons with me.

ben, there are no words for my gratitude for what you've given me. you are genuinely my very best friend, and i love and admire you every single day.

grandpa, thank you for instilling the pride i have in my family, and especially in myself.

Leesk, oh leesk. thank you for loving me without reservations. you've never hesitated to be by my side when i've needed you, and i'm forever grateful.

judah, thank you for showing me the beauty in the world. you fill me with so much warmth and happiness, my little peenie poo.

brettbabybrotherbear, thank you for your loyalty, your compassion, your ability to do so much for others with so little expectation. you are so wonderful to me, and i can't imagine who i am without my incredible brother. 

brittany, the light you share with me goes farther than you can imagine. i admire, and thank you for being what i hope i can someday be: beautiful, passionate, sincere, genuine, and brilliantly driven.

caitlin, i have never met a soul more beautiful than yours. you speak only kindness, and act only out of love. i'm grateful for even knowing of you, because your presence & warmth ripples through everyone that knows you.

Krista & Elizabeth, thank you for both showing me what strong, fascinating, beautiful women SHOULD be like. you're both idols to me, and will always be.

dani, thank you for being my dani. i love you, and i love that you are so compassionate and sincere, and i love that i have a sister better than i could have ever asked for.

thank you, my brandon family, for being a family to be proud of.

janjan, thank you for inspiring me to hold on. you show me the life i want to be living, and you live it all the time.

rachelle, thank you for showing me what it means to have a heart for god and a life for you. 

gustav, thank you for the beauty you've sprinkled in my life.


maya, thank  you for being you.

most importantly, my mom. thank you for being my mother: you've taught me the most beautiful lessons in the most incredible ways.