nature

An earthquake and hurricane in NYC in the same week. I wonder what the city did to piss off Mother Nature. We survived the quake with minimal disruption but Hurricane Irene appears to be bringing more inconvenience and destruction.

We live in lower Manhattan in Zone A which has been given a mandatory evacuation order. Although we are nervous we have decided to stay home and wait out the storm. Our neighbors are also hunkering down so we'll be able to stick together if things get particularly bad.

We have plenty of food, water, candles, batteries, flashlights and are ready to deal with a power outage. We have taped up our windows and are filling up our tub for flushing the toilet. We checked in with our family and friends and are watching the latest developments on the news. Our Go Bag is packed and ready.

This morning I took my doggie for one last walk to Battery Park - the area that they think will surely flood as soon as we begin to feel the beginning of the storm. It was empty, the only people I saw were news casters and tourists who obviously still didn't understand what was coming. I experienced a strange sense of peace while walking along the water - perhaps this is what they refer to as the calm before the storm?

NYC is experiencing an unprecedented preparedness for Irene. Subways, buses, and trains are about to be shut down citywide. Mayor Bloomberg ordered the first ever city evacuation for a hurricane. Evacuations for hospitals in the low lying areas were completed yesterday.

I am about to bake some chocolate chip cookies so we have some freshly baked goodies to provide some comfort during the storm.

I know we will survive this but I expect to feel the normal range of emotions that one experiences during natural disasters. Throughout the last day or so, I can't help remembering the Northridge Earthquake of 1994 in Southern California that I lived through when I was almost 10 years old.

To everyone on the eastern coastline, be safe and stay indoors and we'll all come out OK on the other side of this.

moderation

We have all heard of the phrase, "Everything in moderation" at some point in our lives. I think Socrates said it first, but maybe not, and many others have repeated this phrase since him.

This rule to live by applies to eating, drinking, working, playing, things we love to do and things we hate to do.

This concept is difficult for me to embrace. I am not a moderate person. I am am excessive person. If i enjoy listening to a song, I will listen to it over and over and over again until I can't listen to it anymore. If I love eating something (OK I confess, my weaknesses are cookies and pop-ems) I will eat it until I feel sick. If I had fun doing something, I will keep doing it until it is no fun anymore. Does this mean I have an addictive personality? Am I a slave to my sweet tooth? Why isn't some of something not enough for me?

There are some things for which avoidance is easier than moderation. When it comes to some things, I have will power and self-control and when it comes to other things, its like I am a child with no sense of restraint. When you get right down to it though, who wants to live moderately? Doesn't that sound boring?

My attempts at moderation are usually fueled by a drive to be purposeful. Enjoy every moment of life and if you are truly enjoying each second, you can feel satisfied with only a moderate amount of whatever it is. Whereas, if you are not fully engaged in your present activity, you will feel the need for more until you are satisfied.

I am constantly derailed from this purposeful execution of moderation by my busy life. It is hard to stay engaged in every moment when you are forced (or feel like you are being forced) to get things done and move onto the next thing. And, moderation contradicts one of my other principles of living: Carpe Diem - Seize the Day!

Will someone tell me how can one seize the day in moderation?

losing control

OK, it has been a long time since I posted. I've been busy, but I am back now.

A couple weeks ago, I listened to Joe Caruso discuss the principles in his book The Power of Losing Control. It was at a work thing and was obviously a motivational speech designed to increase the confidence of the sales force to ultimately make more money for the company; but, I really enjoyed listening to Joe and I got a lot out of it, perhaps more personally than professionally.

The main idea is that you can't worry about things that are beyond your control. If you do you are essentially wasting your life. And, who wants to waste their life?

Well, I worry about things all the time and am now really trying to make a concerted effort not to worry about things and be more accepting of how life unfolds.

He says to only focus on things that are within your power to control or influence. And, he says you should only expend the minimum amount of effort to get your desired result.

I often go overboard, for no reason at all. Why expend all that effort for the same result? I think it just means to be mindful of what you really need to do to obtain a specific result.

He says you should keep 4 rules of engagement in mind when interacting with other people:
1 Everyone is right
2 Everyone has a desire to be right
3 You can't change people's minds
4 You can shift someone's perspective

You can avoid arguments and conflict if you just try to be mindful of what the other person in the situation could be thinking. As human beings, we are very self-centered but it is powerful to understand how another person views the world. You will realize in their own way, they are always right.

These were my most significant takeaways from the whole experience:

• Life is about making sincere human connections that provide meaning
• You need to stop caring about whether people like you because it is not important if people like you
• Observe. Ask questions. Then talk about yourself.
• Understand what people are telling you with their body language, tone, inflection and not just their words
  
• Increase your appreciation for life and you will be happier