Friday, August 9, 2013

Appreciating Your Hometown



               I used to think my hometown was boring. There was certainly a base to the feeling, nothing caught my interest. The greatest thing me and some friends could come up with cost a bit of money and the thrill lasted for only a little while. It could be argued that this would lead to delinquency, or doing drugs. The thing is, this feeling exists everywhere.
                When I was younger, I remember talking to friends who lived far away and they would say there was plenty to do in their hometown, but when I got there, the excitement didn’t come. When I asked what he was referring to before, he would reply, “Oh, we just walked and talked in the mall.”
                In my travels, I’ve noticed that many people become bored with their home and think they can find excitement somewhere else. They don’t realize that someone coming from there might be thinking the same way. A person from Arizona could go to Washington and be excited beyond belief at the sight of snow. The enjoyment can be so great that he refers to it as “Raining powdered sugar!” while the natives will just think, “cold…” The key is there. The secret is perception.
                A lot of our dissatisfaction is fabricated in our mind. As a kid, my dad would praise me for always finding some way to amuse myself. Personally, I recall complaining that where we went was boring, but I did wander around to find something to do and have fun doing it. Back then, it was a lot easier because there was nothing hindering us to utilize our imaginations. If a grown man started to pretend in public, he’d probably be considered weird (unless he is playing with a little kid). Oh wait, they are. As a result of some of my philosophy, I don’t consider Live Action Role Playing to be a weird activity, but I can overhear other people’s opinions on the matter.
                There is actually generally quite a bit going on, we just need to look and keep an open mind. If we allow ourselves to enjoy something, then it will be great. Another thing would be we have to learn how to “do nothing.”
                In one day, I experienced how trying, and separately, how pleasant “doing nothing” could be. I haven’t thought much about it before, but it is a very important aspect of life.
It’s amazing how “doing nothing” can be the most difficult trial one can face. It can be an excruciating penance to have to sit and wait and wait.
Learning to cope with “doing nothing” is important, especially for marriage. When I think of marriage, I tend to think about a partner who I could do stuff with and talk with. However, it’s also important to be able to simply sit back and enjoy each other’s presence.
It’s a weird thought, but I guess one secret to making the lack of doing something enjoyable is making it meaningful. If I told a holy man to, “sit and wait,” he’d probably pray and be at ease. The other method is to simply enjoy what is around and appreciate it. Yes, it’s weird that we have to practice “doing nothing” before we can fully enjoy it. The practice is simply to rewire your thoughts on the subject and alter your perception to permitting appreciation.
Sometimes, just having the right companion can be enough. If you bring the right kind of company, and let them bring out the appropriate behaviors, you can have a fantastic time and you wouldn’t need to do anything bad.

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