A personal and human level view of how to live a more Zen life and how others have adapted their lives to become Zen.
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Zen Suggestions
 | The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet, Vesanto Melina, Brenda Davis, Healthy Living Publications, 2003This books helps you adopt a balanced vegetarian diet. |
 | The China Study, The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health, T. Colin Campbell, Thomas M. Campbell, Benbella books, 2006 |
 | To Buy or Not to Buy Organic: What You Need to Know to Choose the Healthiest, Safest, Most Earth-Friendly Food; Cindy Burke, Da Capo Press, 2007 |
 | Everywhere All the Time: A New Deschooling Reader, Matt Hern, AK Press, 2008 |
 | Fit for life 2, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, Warner Books, 1989 |
| Learn more about these links | Suggest |
Inspiration
Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got.Janis Joplin
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| Children - Pleasure or Pain? |
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| Written by Laurence |
| Monday, 30 March 2009 20:51 |
How many times have you heard the phrase that "children are so delightful?" It's often heard around expectant parents, so to reassure them of the new life they are about to embark on.
It was just yesterday that I read a comment from a friend on Facebook: Children are delightful! However, this phrase heard so often made me feel uncomfortable. Children, I love them and they do bring a lot of happiness. But are they always so delightful? Often not. It's essentially a lot of stress, frustration, physical tiredness and worry. Children can be fantastic because they do help us to understand ourselves better, can be entertaining and seeing them learn and grow can give a wonderful feeling of personal accomplishment. Yet that doesn't make family life so perfect all the time. Often it's just difficult.  As parents, to read an ideal that is far from our own reality can give us a feeling of guilt and failure. We ask ourselves what we have done wrong that our life is not as perfect as it ought to be. We start wondering if we are cut out to be parents or whether there is something wrong with our children. It's time to put a stop to misconceptions. If you're a parent and you have doubts, let me reassure you straight away: feeling tired, emotionally fragile, to need time away from your children is completely normal. Let's be clear: changing nappies or diapers five times a day and reading "Miss Polly Has a Dolly" for the tenth time is very wearing. It's definitely not fun. Neither is waking up three times in a night to feed a baby. As a parent you do need time for yourself and it's difficult to find. There are lots of great, happy moments with children, but daily life can and is very hard. To accept this is already a step towards a more calm and zen family.          |
| Last Updated on Saturday, 23 January 2010 22:47 |
