Weather: High: 52 degrees and mostly cloudy today.
Daily Om was apropos today:
Knowing Too Much
Ignorance Can Be Bliss
These days, we can know too much. And while it sometimes can be a great benefit to know the tiniest details of events, both bitter and sweet, there are also times when knowing less about the future, our situations, and the world can be beneficial. Being blissfully ignorant does not mean ignoring vital information or shutting out the world’s tragedies. Rather, it is a way to step away from knowledge that may only needlessly have a negative impact on your life experience. It’s not always necessary to expose yourself to information that will overwhelm you, hold you back, or cause you pain. Sometimes, ignorance can be truly blissful.
While having all the information you need can help you make an informed decision, sometimes knowing all the information can be excess. Especially when you are trying to pursue a goal, the knowledge of all the ways in which you might fail can keep you from even trying. Blissful ignorance can sometimes propel you forward because you never even knew that the possibility of failure existed. Ignorance can also be bliss when you are facing hardships. If circumstances force you to take on a job you dislike, you may enter your new situation with unpleasant and preconceived notions that can likely create the very scenarios you are dreading. Experiencing a situation with no expectations and no advanced notions can allow you to experience it as new, because your blissful ignorance prevented you from having any preset ideas.
There is nothing wrong with avoiding “too much information,” particularly when the knowledge isn’t going to serve you. When information is emotionally draining, impedes your progress, causes distress, or isn’t necessary to your experience, consider letting it pass you by. Remember the bliss of ignorance can sometimes be a gift.
Have to admit, this is one of my biggest stumbling blocks. The emphasis in the text is mine. And the second one especially is what seems to be giving me the hardest time. I’m an analyzer. Most often times an OVER analyzer. I have an almost OCD level need to pick things apart to their component parts. And then try and figure out the microscopic bits therin. I do the same thing to other aspects of my life. I parse information more than it needs to be. Bri’s seen me go on about some miniscule comment and ramble until I realize I’ve been talking for what seems like and hour and he’s starting to glaze over.I also can obsess on only the bad things in the news. And it hurts after a while.
My new challenge is to not worry about knowing everything about everything. I won’t look like an idiot if I’m not conversational on every topic in the known universe. (Although I will still twitch if I can’t google something to understand it. ) I realized of late that I’m becoming bogged down in facts and minutiae and not enjoying the simple idea itself. This is also what’s starting to weigh down my writing. If I continue to worry that one person will point out a non-essential fact and use it to dismiss my work, then I might as well hang it up now. I don’t have to be RIGHT about everything, just informed. There is no shame in being incorrect or not having all the facts. There IS shame in not admitting you might be wrong.
I need to get back to writing full time. I need to get my self image back on track. After seeing myself in my sister’s wedding photos, all the good self image I’d built up got flushed. I’m ridiculously out of shape. My knees are KILLING me constantly. And I know a BIG reason is the weight. No more excuses. And no more using the “I walk 8 blocks one way to work” as my excuse for not working out and cutting back on food. The walk to and from work hasn’t done much to limit my girth or help my heart rate. NO MORE EXCUSES.
On a GOOD note: Supernatural/CSI night. Not sure which one we’re watching tonight. Wish we had a DVR. Seriously.
Nevermoreland 