Andrew Furst's Blog, page 33

Most Popular Writing by Andrew Furst

Here’s the most popular writings articles as of today.  Enjoy

Popular In Writings

1 Failing Other’s Expectations? – Dialectic Two Step

2 Secular Buddhism – What’s Your Take? – Modern Koans

3 No Such Thing As Good and Evil? – Dialectic Two Step

4 Does Christianity Make Sense? – Modern Koans

5 Are the Laws of Physics Empty of Inherent Existence? – Modern Koans

6 Where is Truth? – Dialectic Two Step

7 From Zero to Buddhist – 10 Principles For Finding Your Religion

8 War – What’s It Good For? Thoughts on Dallas – Modern Koans

9 Is The Mind Aware Of Itself? – Redux – Modern Koans

10 Science vs. Religion? – Modern Koans

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Phased – Tiny Drops (Photography)

This is a triple exposure of images taken in a time lapse at Comic Con in August 2016.

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All Tiny Drop photos Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

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Slowing Down – Cut It Out

This is part of a series of articles I’m writing on slowing down. My goal is to Cut It Out. It’s less of a “how to” and more of a “here’s what I’m trying now” thing.  We’ll see how it turns out.

So, here’s what I’ve set out to accomplish

Spend more time with my family
Continue to Meditate
Write more and better
Be healthier
Do Waterfall chasing and photography
Make room for all of this by reducing time spent doing other things

As I’m gradually working towards this merger of slowing down and doing the things I love, I did an inventory of how I spend my time.  It looked like this:

Activity
Hours per week


Work
60 hours


My Business
4 hours


Meditation Group
2 hours


Church
1 hour


Writing
21 hours


Errands
7 hours


Social Media
25 hours


Photography
3 hours




Breaking It Down

That inventory translates to a few things about my time:

I spend an estimated 123 hours a week doing stuff (out of 165 hours in a week)
That leaves 45 hours left in the week to eat, sleep, and relax
Or just under 6.5 hours of free time per day

That’s not a lot of time left over.  I definitely need to do less. So it’s time to hit number 3 on the list of things I can do which was cut out what’s unnecessary\doesn’t meet my goals.

Cut It Out

Things I Can Cut Out

Disconnect from Ello including passing on my Ellozen curator position
Stop posting and being involved on Medium
Budget some evenings for non-computer time

Things I Can Streamline

Get someone to help manage meditation group logistics
Change blog post frequency to once every 3 days
Change email newsletters to monthly
Reduce time spent on Social Media
Consolidate FreshPath Consulting (my company) administrative work to one day

Make My Day

So to keep me honest on my quest to “cut it out”, I’ve built myself a weekly calendar. Now, all I need to do is follow it.  I’ve taped a post card sized schedule to my computer, let’s see what happens.

 
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday


7:00 AM
Write Meditate
Meditate
Meditate
Meditate
Meditate
Meditate
Write

Meditate


8:00 AM
Commute
Commute
Commute
Commute
Commute


9:00 AM
Church
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work
House Work


10:00 AM


11:00 AM


12:00 PM
House Work
Calls

Social Media
Walk
Calls

Social Media
Walk
Calls

Social Media
Walk

Photography


1:00 PM
Work
Work
Work
Work
Work


2:00 PM
Off

Computer


3:00 PM
Off

Computer


4:00 PM


5:00 PM


6:00 PM
Commute
Commute
Commute
Commute
Commute


7:00 PM
TBD
Meditation Group

Write
Scouts
Errands

Write
Errands

Write
Family Night
TBD


8:00 PM
Off

Computer
FreshPath


9:00 PM
Family Night


10:00 PM
Write

Social Media
Off

Computer
Off

Computer


11:00 PM
TBD
Write

Social Media


12:00 PM

A short series on slowing down.  I'll be sharing some of the things I've been doing to pare my life down so I can focus on the things that I think are impoirtant.

Slowing Down - Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.  - Benjamin Franklin

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How Many Buddhists? – Say What?

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Say What?  is an ongoing series of laconic exchanges on Buddhism in the format of a comic strip. 

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A Chipmunk on Crooked Pond – A One Minute Meditation

.

A playful moment from a hike in Boxford State Forest in early May. A chipmunk indulged me enough to get several shots as she snuck in and out of a burrow.

A Chipmunk on Crooked Pond in Boxford State Forest in Boxford, MA

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Minute Meditations is an ongoing series of short videos, poems, and commentary intended as a meditation.  Offered as an opportunity to step back from your cyber routine and settle into a more natural rhythm, if only for a minute.

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These videos are produced for those of us who spend an inordinately large amount of time in the cyber-world.  They are not a substitute for unplugging from your devices and taking a stroll near trees, water, or a patch of unkempt grass.  Getting out into the world - touching, smelling, hearing, and seeing nature is the best way to reconnect with our prime purpose.  

What is our prime purpose? We are feeling and sensing machines.  We are the universe looking back on itself. We are witness to the wonders and dangers of living in this corner of the cosmos.  We are the seekers looking for connection a little further beyond yesterday's borders and boundaries.

But sitting and staring at the screen robs us of the sustenance that we rely upon for wonder and sanity.  These videos are an opportunity to bring the sensations of nature to you, while you're in the cyber-world. Its an opportunity to relax your gaze, resettle your posture,  and regain some depth in your breath.  Listen and watch the video and allow your self to open up and recharge.

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Popular In Art by Andrew Furst

Here’s the the most popular art by Andrew Furst posted here. Photography, art collaborations, drawings, and other pieces. Enjoy

Popular Art Posts

1 Looking Skyward – Tiny Drops (Photography)

2 Stages – Tiny Drops (Photography)

3 Nature- Tiny Drops (Photography)

4 Coming Together – Post Card Art Project II Gallery

5 Natural Perspective – Tiny Drops (Photography)

6 View From the Tube – Tiny Drops

7 Close To Nature – Tiny Drops (Photography)

8 Acadia – Tiny Drops (Photography)

9 The Post Card Art Project Parties

10 The Post Cards Have Arrived

At Patreon you can make small monthly micro-contributions that help support my work.

If Patreon doesn't work for you, then drop me a one time contribution at PayPal.me

 

The post Popular In Art by Andrew Furst written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Popular Art by Andrew Furst

Here’s the the most popular art by Andrew Furst posted here. Photography, art collaborations, drawings, and other pieces. Enjoy

Popular Art Posts

1 Looking Skyward – Tiny Drops (Photography)

2 Stages – Tiny Drops (Photography)

3 Nature- Tiny Drops (Photography)

4 Coming Together – Post Card Art Project II Gallery

5 Natural Perspective – Tiny Drops (Photography)

6 View From the Tube – Tiny Drops

7 Close To Nature – Tiny Drops (Photography)

8 Acadia – Tiny Drops (Photography)

9 The Post Card Art Project Parties

10 The Post Cards Have Arrived

At Patreon you can make small monthly micro-contributions that help support my work.

If Patreon doesn't work for you, then drop me a one time contribution at PayPal.me

 

The post Popular Art by Andrew Furst written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Winter Friends by George R R Martin – Quotes

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Quotes -The path to right view is an arduous walk through fields of manure.

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Winter Friends

The post Winter Friends by George R R Martin – Quotes written by Andrew Furst appeared on Andrew Furst.

Truthiness – Say What?

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Say What?  is an ongoing series of laconic exchanges on Buddhism in the format of a comic strip. 

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Endless Saturday Afternoons – Verse Us (Poems by Me)

Crimson Japanese maple leaf

Fallen; huddled

amongst siblings over their mother’s roots.

Fallen suddenly

As though timed to the moon or the length of the day.

Or the stride of something ancient.

It’s not like they died.

Dutiful children,

warming her roots for the winter.

Dutiful children,

Even as they wither,

Wither away from the likeness of youth,

And those last bold vibrant hues.

I was drawn

to pick this one;

Carry it along for a while at the end of my meditation.

I was drawn

to pick this corpse

Cut off from the sap of her mother.

Letting go

decrementing life?

The tree; or some particular vein or stomata?

Letting go

I could not add

or subtract anything in my mind

Letting go

I could not see

life’s passing in this leaf.

So I set her on the shrine

And moved on.

– Endless Saturday Afternoons (Andrew Furst)

The image is from Hans Hofmann’s Black Demon, 1944. (Addison Gallery of American Art)

Verse Us - Poems I write: haiku, senryu, mesostics, free verse, random word constructions, I might even use rhyme or meter once and a while.

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