March 14, 2008 Camron Types

Camron is 5 1/2 months old.  I observe him to study how babies become ‘us’… They have more sensory equuipment than adults and I wonder whether it’s still there, but somehow supressed.  All of his loving baby-isms, the apparently random movement of his hands and legs – how his head moves right and his hands move in an apparently disconnected way– they’re not at all random.  He looks everywhere at once, uses his mouth to gather information… is inrigued by all of it. 

His mother, Nancy and I all take him with us as we use our computers.  He has already adapted to that world.  He grabs at the keyboard and looks to the screen, already knowing there’s a connection.  No awe…except by me.  He grabs the keyboard and eats it…not enough info; he moves his fingers on it and sees stuff change on the screen.  He likes that.

He grabs the remote when I watch TV; he knows there’s a connection.  He has one of those ‘exersaucers’ a circular thing that turns within a tray of amusments.  He turns one way while his hands play with things he can’t see.  Attention Deficit Disorder is what we call it when there’s a failure to conform to a linear attention model.  That’s one of the ways we train babies to limit themselves, just as we reduce their natural tools to gather input and collect data.  We teach them how to fit in, to become this culture on this planet, to become grounded.  I want to learn as an adult to go the other way.

I think of all my commitments, the one that’s least natural for a baby is environmental sustainabiity — next is social justice.  But I believe we teach them early on not to be spiritually fulfilled.  They start there.

Incidentally – My next free seminar, 6 sessions, starting April 21 — The Relationship Principles— Register on my website or, at least, find out: www.MichaelLipp.com

January 28, 2008 To the Gym

I interrupted this journal to go to the gym.  Used to be a habit – but it’s the kind of habit that disappears quickly… And it is a habit again–I have 3 goals, though the sthird isn’t a true goal:  The first is to go no fewer than 3 x a week.  Last week was 5.  I will do 45 minutes on the treadmill. 5 warm up, 35 at 3.5mph, 5 cool down  (so far I’m at 5 warm up, 20 at 3.2 , including 5 at 3.5, and 5 min cool down.  The non-goal is to do other machines in the circuit at my limit.  Today I did 15 stomach crunces, 12 leg curls, 10 weight pull downs.

Doesn’t take that long.  Week days are pretty much the same – I wake, have fruit & coffee.  Handle my treeth and shaving.  Then Nancy & I meditate, using a Paraliminal CD (new one each week.) Then I handle email until Phil leaves me Camron while he takes Diamond to school.  Then I go to the gym & my ‘real’ day starts.  Wednesdays Nancy works home so the time is different, but the same.

I find this ritual spiritually fulfilling and the real day is fully comitted to social justice and environmental sustainability.

January 9, 2008 Too Heads

Nancy and I decided to combine our resources.  We decidedf that – before going to bed we would first list our accomplishments for the day and then our plans for tomorrow.  Fun to put our heads together.  We got so involved that I blew a phone call I had scheduled.  Oh, well…

Babysitting now.  See you tomorrow.  Tonight is my 21 Awesome Results seminar – looking forward to it.

I have to remember my commitment to environmental sustainability — I guess that means my grandson…. and social justice — I guess that means my grandson… and spiritual fulfillment… I guess that means my grandson..

January 8, 2008 School

My granddaughter asked me to drive her to school this morning – so I just typed the title and left.
I never realized how isolated kids have become – Their lives are consumed by alone-ness, by television and play station, by video games, even the internet.  And I don’t know about your nighborhood, butoutside play doesn’t happen that often anymore.
When I was a kid, we always played outside.  Street games were a constant. 

I never got that school is a rare opportunity to be together with other kids.  Imagine that – school as a social institution…reminds me of one of Asimov’s robot novels – maybe Caves of Steel – anyhow, the same robot (Daneel) & detective… How do they make friends?  Our culture changes underneath us and we don’t notice.  Kids are a different demographic; they watch and listen to different things than we do; we may not even know about any of it.  Worse for me, I’m a grandparent, so the discontinuity is large, like jumping over a chasm with 2 leaps (I don’t suggest you try that.)

How do you keep up?

Makes my commitment more interesting, because I have to keep educating myself so that I speak what they’ll hear — having a sustainable environment, social justice and spiritual fulfillment for all of us.

January 1, 2008 A Jumble

Life is always a jumble – Good and bad, always and never and don’t mix with Mr. In Between.  I just looked at last night – of things bumping up against each other.  We baby sat for Diamond and Camryn.  Diamond wanted to stay up until midnight and didn’t make it.  Camryn, who will be 3 months old on Wednesday, slept through.  Very peaceful evening – I watched a Tribute to Ella and a Tribute to James Taylor.

But also last night — I fear for my dog Sadie.  Nancy tells me I am imbued with the culture of veterinary medicine most of us are raised with.  I know that’s so and I’m stuck in it.  Sadie is 17 1/2 and is increasingly staggering and is increasingly incontinent.  And I see that as I write that, I am somehow arguing for my pessimistic viewpoint- equating dog behavior with people behavior.  Every day she lives, we share more love.

I know this is a breakthorugh year – for me, for all, for our troubled planet.

December 3, 2007 The Next Change

Aliya returned to work… And Camron is 2months old today, not yet walking, talking or even changing his own diapers.  So he’s now living in a man’s world.  Help!! And I was designated as care giver while Phil took Diamond to school.    Except Camron was awake and soaking wet.  Who remembers these things?  By the time I figured it all out and had it all done, Phil was back — Camron was warm and dry and I was soaked with sweat… Not really, it was all smooth.  But–

I got this was not a diaper change, it was a lifestyle change.You can’t ‘fit in’ an infant — You have to fit everything else in,  Hmm.  Okay, Michael – Create!