GLORIA ROUBAL'S DAILY HAND GENERATED TYPE PHRASE #206

Many people find it easy to have compassion for others. It comes naturally for some people. True compassion is not to be mistaken for pity. Compassion is being willing to be with the pain the other person or animal is feeling as well as being with your own pain in a very present way. Compassion can hurt, yet it is also healing.

The one person that is the most difficult for most people in terms of compassion is his or herself. Why is it so difficult for us to be loving and compassionate toward ourselves? If we can learn how to be gentle, loving, and compassionate for ourselves—unconditionally—we are well on our way to living a life of joy, acceptance, presence, understanding, and inner peace. We are also then able to truly help others find their way to living this kind of life.

Today, please have compassion for yourself, for your fears, for your pain, for your embarrassment, for your feelings of unworthiness, or for whatever is there in the moment. You deserve it as much as anyone else. Be your own unconditional best friend.

GLORIA ROUBAL'S DAILY HAND GENERATED TYPE PHRASE #205

The human mind is a powerful thing.

It uses us... if we let it.

It can take us over, and without knowing it, we think the same things over and over and over again, usually the thoughts that cause us the most suffering.

Without a certain awareness, we just always do the habitual thing—the mind's habits that we have unintentionally strengthened by practicing certain types of thinking are very, very strong.

We can change this, through the power of the mind. But there is an awareness that has to come into play. It's the awareness that observes the thinking we're doing. When we are aware that we're worrying, obsessing, ruminating, etc., we can be gentle with ourselves for doing it, and then make a decision to do something different in that moment. Undoubtedly, the mind will get carried off again by thoughts, but even short moments of being aware of this, and then bringing our attention back to something else—say, our breath, or the sounds around us, or what it actually feels like to experience the raw emotion of fear without the story line that goes with it—can be extremely helpful in the process of changing our mental habits.

One of the things a person can do in that moment, especially when noticing that there is a lot of negative self-talk going on, is to say positive things to oneself. And you don't have to believe them to say them to yourself.

If you find yourself stuck in a negative thought, such as, "I'm so depressed," or "I can't get myself to do anything," or "This sucks," or "I suck," once you are aware that you are thinking that, you can say to yourself, "thinking..." (acknowledge that these are just thoughts). Then also make sure to be gentle with yourself for having these thoughts. Finally, say something different to yourself that is positive. "I feel depressed, but I can still do something good for myself today." "I am not depressed." "I'm going to get up and walk outside." "This is okay." "Being alive is good." I don't know... I am just throwing things out there. But doing something different from your habitual, usual thing is a way to begin to change the habit.

I've heard "Fake it 'til you make it..." I also know that in 12-step programs, the phrase, "Act as if" is important in this same way.

I know so many people, myself included, who can benefit from this short, three-word phrase today. I hope it helps you or someone you know.

Please leave me a comment as to whether this makes sense to you or whether it was written in such a way as to be confusing... Thanks!!!

GLORIA ROUBAL'S DAILY HAND GENERATED TYPE PHRASE #204

There are certain things in life that one might call the "unlimited ones." I believe some Buddhist traditions have something like this in certain teachings.

I would call joy and love two of the unlimited ones. We don't lose any of it by giving it away. In fact, the more we give it away, the more it grows in us.

Simply put, that's what I was thinking about when I came up with the phrase for today.

Share your love. Share your joy. Others will benefit. You will benefit.

GLORIA ROUBAL'S DAILY HAND GENERATED TYPE PHRASE #203

I was talking with a colleague today about going to a really cool design conference in February in Arizona (Phoenix, I think). It would be quite an expense, but we think it would really be worth it. Convincing the administration that it is worth spending the money might be a little more difficult, but we are both of the mind that it never hurts to ask! So, for some reason, in my head it came out like this. :)

I'll keep you updated as to whether we will be going. Wish us luck!

GLORIA ROUBAL'S DAILY HAND GENERATED TYPE PHRASE #202

I miss Border's Books and Music Store. Yes, it was a chain store, and I prefer to patronize locally owned businesses, but when it came to finding new music (before the last decade of ways to find it online), Border's was great. They had lots of headphone stations and tons of CDs you could listen to in order to see if you liked it enough to buy it.

I found a lot of music this way. One such artist was Abra Moore. Her record, "Strangest Places" was and still remains a favorite of mine to this day. I have most other recordings of hers as well, but none of them quite measure up to this one.

While listening to my ipod on shuffle the other day, "Your Faithful Friend," a song from "Strangest Places," played, and I was taken back to the time some 18 years ago when I discovered her music. It's not my favorite song on the record, but it's really a sweet one.



LISTEN (on Youtube)

LYRICS:

YOUR FAITHFUL FRIEND

Try if you can and if you can't
Sing if you want and if you can't, make a sound
Go on and on and on 'til you can't go on
And on any longer

Cry if you can and if you can't
Fall to the ground without a sound
Hold on and on and on won't you hold on
And on and on, don't you let go

'Cause I will be around
To catch you when you're down

You see, it's all about hope, so don't lose sight now
It's all about faith, so don't give up on me
It's all about trust, I'm lifting you up
I'm holding you safe under my wing

So try if you can and if you can't
Sing if you want and if you can't, make a sound
Go on and on and on 'til you can't go on
And on any longer

Cry if you can and if you can't
Fall to the ground without a sound
Hold on and on and on won't you hold on
And on and on, don't you let go

'Cause I will be around
To catch you when you're down
I will be around

(From MetroLyrics)

GLORIA ROUBAL'S DAILY HAND GENERATED TYPE PHRASE #201

Years ago, I bought the Bob Schneider CD, LONELYLAND (2000), after reading a review in a St. Louis record store publication and then seeing his posters plastered all over the loop in St. Louis... I took a total chance and bought it without ever having heard any of his music. This was one of those times I got lucky! Sometimes it pays to take a chance.

His voice is gritty and cool and emotional; his vocal style and phrasing are really appealing to me; he is a prolific songwriter; I love many of his songs; there's great production on the records. He has put out about 20 solo albums since 1998, I believe. He's won awards and his music has appeared on numerous TV shows and in movies. You can find all of that on Wiki if you are interested.

A high school friend of mine who works in radio in Chicago is a big Bob Schneider fan, and for awhile, after reconnecting at the local Ellnora guitar festival some years ago, we would email each other songs we thought the other would like. "Big Blue Sea" is one such song that he sent me. It's not my favorite Bob Schneider song, but I really do like it. It puts me in a good mood. :)

The photo I used, which I found on unsplash.com, was the perfect background for this song title.

Have a LISTEN and WATCH on Austin City Limits.

Read the LYRICS.

Have a LISTEN to my favorite Bob S. song from his LONELYLAND CD, "Under My Skin."

GLORIA ROUBAL'S DAILY HAND GENERATED TYPE PHRASE #200

JOY GIVER

Today I created my 200th daily hand generated type phrase! My plan is to keep going until I've reached one year, so that leaves 165 more. I can do that kind of simple math.

I decided that my phrase should have something to do with the number 200, and I found out some things about that number. One of those things is that it is considered a "Harshad" number. This means... Well, I'll just copy and paste from Wiki:

"In recreational mathematics, a Harshad number (or Niven number) in a given number base, is an integer that is divisible by the sum of its digits when written in that base. Harshad numbers in base n are also known as n-Harshad (or n-Niven) numbers. Harshad numbers were defined by D. R. Kaprekar, a mathematician from India. The word "Harshad" comes from the Sanskrit harṣa (joy) + da (give), meaning joy-giver. The term “Niven number” arose from a paper delivered by Ivan M. Niven at a conference on number theory in 1977. All integers between zero and n are n-Harshad numbers."


Interesting! Well, to me and a few others out there perhaps. :)

So there's your new word for the day. Yes, you'll receive joy, learn math, and increase your vocabulary if you stick with me, baby...