HomeβForumsβShare Your TruthβZen Story
- This topic has 124 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 3 days, 3 hours ago by
anita.
-
AuthorPosts
-
March 9, 2026 at 8:55 pm #455842
Thomas168ParticipantHmm seems someone found my post to Alessa to be inappropriate??
March 9, 2026 at 9:03 pm #455845
anitaParticipantNo, no, no, Thomas- I scrolled down using my phone and accidently I clicked on the “report for inappropriate content” – I apologize. It happened a few times so far: I reported my own posts for inappropriate content. Something about using the π± vs the π₯
March 10, 2026 at 2:37 am #455848
AlessaParticipantIt sucks that you can’t unreported things. It is a very easy thing to accidentally do it while you are scrolling on mobile! π€
I look forward to your post when it gets through moderation Tommy! π©΅
March 10, 2026 at 6:24 am #455850
Thomas168ParticipantAnita,
Your post made me laugh at the whole situation. Sometimes we do things and it messes up. Then nothing we can do to fix it. So, all we can do is laugh. Hope you get your computer back on line soon. Haha.
Alessa,
If the post was really inappropriate then the site’s one and only moderator would have removed it. I believe she is quite artistic or has very good taste in art. Always wished I tried to be more … creative?? This is why when you said you wanted to make things for cats, it made me think you would be successful. I do not know just wishful thinking.March 10, 2026 at 7:03 am #455852
anitaParticipantGood morning, Thomas! I’ll try to scroll down (when using the phone) on the very right side of the screen so to avoid clicking on “Report”. I know how unpleasant it is for me when my posts get reported. I am glad my post made you π.
* Thank you for your support Alessa π€
β¨ Anita
March 10, 2026 at 8:24 am #455840
Thomas168ParticipantYeah, I was a little busy. Get a physical check up. Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Spoke with my doctor and got meds prescribed. Taking those meds … Well, one is giving me headaches and indigestion. I am dizzy and constantly rubbing my head. Being tired all the time. Figured I should check in here to see what is going on.
My father had a stroke a couple of years before he passed away. It really messed him up. Lost of some speech and mobility. Brain fog. I just learned about Etanercept from YouTube. URL “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yaaa-5NAX4”. Fascinated by how it helped so many people yet the Govt won’t .. well, you know big pharma.
I hope Alessa and Peter and Roberta are all doing well. Sorry, might have missed a few someones. I am hoping you are doing well too.
March 11, 2026 at 1:57 pm #455870
anitaParticipantDear Thomas:
I am sorry π to read that you suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I understand your fear in regard to suffering a stroke like your father did (you shared about it previously as well).
I wish you as much healing as possible, wishing that you are able to make the lifestyle changes that can help, and keep yourself as calm and as grounded as you can.
I take a π for high cholesterol, keep active (often a 3.5 mile walk up and down the hills around here and I no longer overeat like I used to (you mentioned recently being parked by the frig, but it could have been you being funny).
And I am trying to keep myself as calm and as grounded as I can.
πΆββοΈπβοΈ Anita
March 11, 2026 at 11:20 pm #455885
AlessaParticipantHi Tommy
How are you feeling after being diagnosed? π©΅
That is a tricky collection of conditions. No wonder the medication is making you feel unwell. I’ve tried high blood pressure medication and it is rather unpleasant, but better than having a stroke.
I hear that cutting salt out of your diet can help? Perhaps you could switch to low sodium soy sauce? Please drink lots of water whilst taking this medication, it’s very drying. How is your sleep? I hear for some people that bad sleep can send your blood pressure through the roof.
Diabetes is no joke either. My old coworker cared for his mother who was a quadruple amputee because of her diabetes.
I’m sorry to hear about your father. π©΅
It seems like this is a crossroads. You have to decide what you want to do. Making changes is not easy, especially when life is stressful and you have a family to take care of. You are important too though and it sounds like you’ve put yourself on the back burner for way too long. π« π©΅
I’m trying to lose weight and manage my health a bit better too. Not very successfully. Nothing to do but keep trying. Hopefully little changes will add up to big ones and pay off in time.
Thanks! I have a new project. Making cardboard scratchers. We always have a ton of cardboard, so it doesn’t make sense to buy them. I can cut it into strips and use wood glue to bind it together. Trim it. Make a little frame from scrap wood.
Also, cats love meaty yoghurt. Instead of buying some, I thought I’d make my own. I don’t hate that finances sometimes lead to creativity instead of just buying stuff. I’ve also been spring cleaning. The first time since having a child. πͺ
What are you working on these days? π©΅
March 12, 2026 at 10:00 am #455899
Thomas168ParticipantNo worries health wise. Life is to be lived not worried about. All we can do is to try. That is the strange thing about will. If we really want it then it will happen. If not then we float between here and there.
New project, yes. Want to hear more. What are we working on? For me, March means getting the tax papers together to file taxes before April 15th. When the weather is a little warmer, then oil changes for the car. Maybe repair a concrete stair or step. Maybe actually build the shed my wife wanted for the back yard. Don’t know. Depends on finances. Have had a couple of trees removed due to dangers of falling down and hitting power lines. That was a big hit in the pockets. So, slowing down projects.
On the subject of stories, short one.
There once was a philosopher and scholar who had devoted himself to the study of Zen for many years.
One day, he finally attained enlightenment.
He, then, took all of his books out into the yard and burned them all.I think the value of the books are like the finger pointing to the moon.
Got to look up to the moon and not focus on the finger.March 12, 2026 at 10:42 am #455900
anitaParticipantThomas: “Got to look up to the moon and not focus on the finger”- I wonder what the π means to you (health anxiety?) And what the π means,to you (enlightenment, as in the short story you gave?).
I am asking because these very days I noticed feeling hopeful about the idea that my anxiety can lessen after living with elevated anxiety and body tension for so long.
π€ Anita
March 12, 2026 at 2:56 pm #455908
Thomas168ParticipantAnita,
Thanks for the reply. Umm, the finger in terms of health anxiety? Well, getting the finger in terms of health means something doesn’t like you being healthy. Nothing personal. Just bad luck. If I were to get bad news like the big C. Cancer then okay. Accept and move on .. the best I can. Don’t hate the cancer. Don’t dread the shortened lifespan. Just do what you think best with the time you have. There was a short video on Youtube which the woman was getting a speeding ticket. She didn’t care because the court date was past her expiration date. Later, she was rude to people she didn’t like. It was funny. Because people who would have been important has now become something else. And it was due to the way one looks at life, with what value.
Having anxiety in life’s situation is about how one thinks about or feels about the situation. If we give up on expectations and live in the moment then it could release some tension?? Sort of saying, Is that so?. The story of the man accused of being the father of the baby of the pregnant girl. The truth comes out after he takes care of the baby for a year. The girl and the real father of the baby want the baby back. If the man lamented his bad luck then he would suffer the incident again. Making his suffering worse. Instead did what he had to do as life presented itself.
Well, this is the way I see it. Only my opinion which doesn’t mean a whole lot. And should not be taken as advice for surely I am the one who needs advice the most. Listen and learn. Even if the words don’t make sense for now. Speaking of which, …. Looking up to the moon. Its meaning could be like religious people’s concern for getting into heaven. It is something far off. Don’t know if it is true. But, we think we can see it and reach for it. Sometimes, I wish I could dream another dream and live another life. Then, here I am again.
March 12, 2026 at 3:28 pm #455911
anitaParticipantThomas π:
Thank you for taking the time to explain what the finger and the moon mean to you. I can see how much thought you put into how to handle whatever life brings, and how acceptance helps you stay steady when things feel uncertain.
Iβm sorry youβve been dealing with so many health worries β thatβs a lot for anyone. I hope you can be gentle with yourself as you go through all this. Your way of looking at life has a quiet strength to it, and I appreciate you sharing it here.
And that last line you wroteβ¦ it touched me. Iβm glad youβre here with us πππ
π€ Anita
March 13, 2026 at 12:05 am #455933
RobertaParticipantHi
For a longtime I had a rotund Buddha with his hand over his mouth sitting on top of my fridge. He reminded me to check in with my emotions & motivation before opening the fridge & grazing. Unfortunately he fell off the fridge one day & broke, pity he wasn’t a chocolate one then I could of recycled him! Zen would say that the crack was already there when it was made.
March 13, 2026 at 6:29 am #455937
PeterParticipantπ That made me laugh. thanks Roberta
March 13, 2026 at 9:48 am #455952
Thomas168ParticipantWould that mean, since I am broken that I was cracked before when I was made?? Maybe that would explain a few things? LOL.
-
AuthorPosts
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 