20 Lessons Learned in 2020 (Part 2)

Continuing on my 20 in '20 lessons learned:

7. Touch matters.
I think there is some kind of life energy transfer that is expedited through touch. You can pick it up just from being around people (some, more than others), but there is something about physical contact -- a handshake, a hug, a hand on a shoulder -- that is both different and necessary to good relationships and good health.

8. Technology is a good thing.
Well, sometimes. It has been a good thing for meeting face to face from place to place, first for businesses and then for personal use. Online meetings and virtual family holiday gatherings have helped to ease the burden of remaining socially distant from one another. Most churches have added more in the way of online worship services and facilitated small group meetings via zoom or other virtual meeting rooms.

9. Technology is a bad thing.
Damn, there has been some real sinister bullshit type of advances in using social media and other online platforms for some evil purposes.

10. Books are your friends.
Late in 2019 I started reading fiction again. I mixed in several fiction books with my non-fiction reads this year. It was very enjoyable and I often found myself setting aside the non-fiction books until I finished whatever novel or series I was reading. A part of me still thinks that fiction books are kind of a waste of time, but retirement is teaching me that I have plenty of time to do the things that need to be done and still have time to read simply for the joy of reading. 

11. No, I don't need a hobby.
Wood working, gardening, crafting, motorcycling, running, exercise of any kind -- No, I really don't need a hobby. I like not feeling obligated to do or pursue anything in particular. I kind of like the daily plan of having no plan.

12. Good health is more than physical.
The non-fiction reading and almost daily meditation is really bringing about the awareness that mind-body-spirit balance is so much more important than our western world has led us to believe. The eastern practices of the ancient Asian world should be taught and practiced more in our western civilizations. Even the western versions of yoga and Tai Chi are so westernized that they barely resemble the full being (mind/body/spirit) practices of their origins. 

13. Becoming more aware of nature has been good for me.
It's weird. It's been gradual, but it seems to have accelerated in the past year or so. It's more than climate change and our impact on the world we live in. It's also about sensing nature's impact on me. I feel a sort of energy smoothing calmness and peace from being in physical contact with the earth. Even on cold days I am likely to be outside and barefooted for a few moments. It's almost like a compulsion or addiction. I capture moths, flies, even wasps and spiders, that find themselves trapped on our screened in deck and then set them free to fly about or spin their webs outside. I'm not real freaky weird about it, but I am moving in that direction.

14. Darkness is as important as light.
We always seem to emphasize the importance of light -- and I love spending time in the sun. But I think that darkness also has its place -- and we should cherish the darkness as well. We need sleep. We need rest. We need time away from the bright lights. As with all of life, it is about balance, yin and yang. 

That's it for today. After reading what I just wrote I realize that it might freak out some more conservative religious friends that might still be lurking in the shadows. Don't worry. I'm not being seduced by the pagan demons of a Far Eastern religion. I am expanding my knowledge of the world that God has given us and seeking to understand.
Remember lesson 5?
Understanding brings peace. 

John