Tag Archives: Perception

PROMPT: Bothered

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Daily writing prompt
What bothers you and why?
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The second half of the question is quicker and simpler to answer. Things bother me because I — through conditioning and petty impulses — allow them to bother me. I neither blame external circumstances, nor accept that said externalities can be responsible for my state of mind. I could remain unbothered by the things that bother me, with enough work to break engrained patterns. I should also note that I could choose to be bothered by a great many happenings that don’t bother or offend me in the slightest.

As for what bothers me, the list — sadly — remains many. That said, I don’t think it’s wise to broadcast the things that get under one’s skin out into the universe. Just like I wouldn’t announce if I had a gimpy knee or a weak jaw to a general audience that might include those who wish me ill. It just seems strategically unwise.

The Flow Slows [Haiku]

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seated on the wall,
 beside the rushing creek,
  the world slows.

PROMPT: Improvement

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What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?

Realize you have no control of what happens in the world, but complete control of your perception of it.

Palace Views [Haiku]

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did ancient occupants
 look upon new walls and gates,
  or cloud reflections?

Snake Hijinx [Kyōka]

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i see snakes jutting
 from the water; usually 
  i’d discover
 it’s not snakes but sticks,
 but today isn’t the usual.

Proof of Life [Lyric Poem]

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Something shakes the high grass,
   what it is I can't say.
 I see flowers tremble,
    near a part-line splay.

I hear dry stems rattle
   to some darting moves.
 But a creature's existence
   still remains unproved.

Maybe it's delirium,
   or a trick of the wind.
 I catch no flash of fur
    on which my claim to pin.

Even from the watchtower,
   my grounds are circumstantial.
 I can't give proof of life --
    at least not that's substantial.

Topsy Turvy World [Haiku]

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clouds hang... 
 fixed in pond reflections, 
  or has my mind slowed?

PROMPT: Comfort

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What strategies do you use to increase comfort in your daily life?

I don’t, but I have a lot of strategies for being more content in the face of various situations and environments — including uncomfortable ones. These include the yogic practice of dispassionate witnessing, minimalism, travel (and specifically minimalist travel to places – the less familiar the better,) and intense physical activity.

I think comfort as a major objective in life is overrated, and virtually insures a discontented life. A life in which one can be content, whatever may come along, is a happy life.

Rock Spires [Haiku]

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rock spires
 feign being coast via
  depth deception.

Proximity Perception [Haiku]

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the distant apple
 isn't an apple, but a
  hairy air sack.