Email: A Normal Life
Today, in my ongoing efforts to lead a normal life, I have removed my email address from the website. It was simply generating an unmanageable amount of email.
What I am asking is for people to post in the Whispers section what they would normally email to me personally (comments, observations, suggestions, kudos, jeers, jokes, thank-yous, screw-yous, personal insights or experiences etc).
If there is personal information involved (e.g. “Your latest post made me chew my arm off” — and you don’t want to reveal who it is out there that is chewing their arm off) you can post the whisper anonymously by simply not filling in a name.
If you would like to set up an email or phone session with me:
Emm-Admin will be the Nun-of-the-Sessions-and-Subscriptions.
Jane-Admin will be the Nun-of-the-Whispers, answering questions and directing monastery traffic in the Cloister.
(Should you want an immediate private session by telephone please write Emm-Admin and she will immediately contact me with your information, and I will contact you as soon as possible. Her email will be set to “forward” [to me] if she is not available.)
While it is no longer possible to have a normal life and respond to the amount of emails I receive, this is not to say anyone should feel bad for having emailed me — I have enjoyed them greatly, I will just enjoy them from the Whispers section now, and will comment there.
As Course students we have a serious tendency towards not being normal. This is my small contribution to the greater good of normalcy.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
It’s great to hear you are finding ways to simplify and streamline, finding normalcy, dear Monk. Overload creates imbalance for anyone and probably more so for those drawn to a spiritual calling. Way to go! :)
July 7th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
ACIM Monk,
Good for you! You need to keep everything managable for you. The irony is how much stress a spiritual website can cause, since it calls out to people in need. I hope I didn’t add to your stress with my continuous emails about my dreams where I find I am a chipmonk named Chip, (part of a monogamous gay couple named Chip & Dale). The Walt Disney dog Pluto is a representation of my ego, chasing us around a house, while the house owner Mickey Mouse (representing the world at large) is oblivious to the entire wrong versus right mind decision process. In every dream, Dale is trying to get my nuts! It is very nerve wracking!
Seriously, I do have some suggestions about the Oratory Class recordings.
1. When you laugh, the sound track for the laughter seems a lot louder than when you talk. So when I listen at the PC, I find myself constantly adjusting the PC volume up to hear you talk and then down when you laugh. It is probably just me, because I am a cantankerous old man (Robert Perry, a Course teacher, called me that one time, and I’ve always been rather proud of it).
2. Is it possible that when members of the class like Lonnie, Bonnie, Pixie, Dixie, Huey, Louie and Louie ask questions, that they could come to the microphone? I appreciate that you paraphrase their comments, but sometimes one of these dear monks goes on for a few minutes, and at full volume I cannot hear them. So I feel it would help a lot if folks could get off their silk cushions or feather pillows and ask the question into the microphone. This would just give your class recordings a much better interactive sense. Once time one of the class members went on and on, and it came out just as a sort of mosquito buzzing. I went and brushed my teeth. When I came up, the person was still talking, and then you responded. So, when someone in the class asks a long question, picture me flossing my teeth, putting breakfast dishes in the washer, or blowing kisses to my dog (because it’s all sort of blank-air-time for me).
So much for the suggestions of a humble listener!
July 7th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Hey Chip Monk,
Tell Dale to look after his own nuts.
1. There’s not much I can do about the laughter, other than to try to talk as loud as I laugh… or is that laugh as quietly as I talk? If this week you hear me give a quiet “hah hahhhh” that sounds unnatural, you’ll know why. :) The problem is that the mic is right in front of my mouth practically, so any projected laughter (or glug glug glugging) is like a blast into your ear.
2. I’m thinking / hoping you are talking about the older classes — the ones that were recorded before I knew they’d ever be going online (and thus no effort was made to get questions on mic). Since then I have trained people to reveal their question in 10 seconds or less. It’s like the Oscars… I start talking after ten seconds whether they are finished or not. (Some of the bigger stars don’t like it.) I also walk up so close to them, to get the mic close, that a passing neighbor might start spreading rumors. They’ve also been intimidated into asking the questions LOUDLY. So, yeah, I’m hoping you’re talking about a pre-April class. The thinking behind including some of the old classes in the Oratory is that even though the sound quality isn’t as good as now, it’s better that than not putting the class up at all, and I think you can still hear me OK on the old ones. Oh, and my class editor says “No more quiet spots”… her delete finger is trigger-happy these days. She’s a tough nut now. Don’t tell Dale.
The Other Louie
July 7th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Did we just HAVE to leave out Dewey?
July 8th, 2009 at 2:31 am
Will, Monk -
You guys make a great comedy team :).
Monk –
Congrats on the move towards reducing email overload.
Best wishes to all – I thoroughly enjoy my visits to the monastery.
Love,
Anil
July 8th, 2009 at 4:41 am
Dear Monk,
I salute your desire to be normal ;} Taking care of your own needs is a good thing and I’m seconding Lonni.
July 8th, 2009 at 7:16 am
So excellent to take care of yourself…this E stuff can be very overwhelming. Gentleness in all things is the way.
Blessings
July 8th, 2009 at 7:18 am
Dear Monk~
Smart move to cut back on your email overload.
Simplifying life is a good thing.
I’m totally intimidated with this whole blog thing, but I’ll give it a try.
Feels like I’m talking to the clothes in my closet. Email is like that, but with email I know that eventually there will be a response, and with a blog it’s like tossing a letter out the window and watching the wind carry it off to who-knows-where.
Freaky.
As a private person, a blog feels a bit like running naked through the Oratory during matins.
And what if I say something really stupid, then everyone will know just how silly I am.
The gig will be up
The mask ripped off.
And the whatever-that-I-am laid bare for all to see.
Eeeeegadzooks.
That wouldn’t be the ego rearing it’s ugly head, now would it?
You mean I’m not special and I’m just like everyone else?
Yikes!
I think I’m going to dive back into bed and hide under the sheets for the rest of the day.
And the poor llamas
They’re still in shock.
Absolutely no clue about a blog.
They’re off hiding in the mist.
If you ever start open mic night in the Monastery, you and Will will :) make a good team.
With love from The Misty Meadow
July 8th, 2009 at 8:19 am
hi cynthia!
you are so adorable. :) thanks for posting your comments – i loved them! and i think everyone can relate to some degree…. i know i can! especially the part about tossing the letter out the window. it can be a bit unsettling at times, for sure. but i, for one, love to hear your thoughts, and am listening! also about running naked through the Oratory during matins – haha! well, you won’t be the only one. :)
July 8th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Cynthia,
Lovely post. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Looks like the wind delivered it to all of us just fine :)
Cheers,
A
July 8th, 2009 at 9:08 am
(Chuckle) Now it comes out what goes on behind the blog scenes. Count me in. I agree with Bonnie and Cynthia. It’s a little like walking around with your hands out in front of you, not sure what you’ll run into. But I know, speaking for myself, I can make the shift if there are people like you wonderful “blog” people out there to run into. Jamie and Will, what a team. And you are very witty, too, Cynthia. I had such a good laugh this morning. Love from illusory Canada.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Oh yes, Cynthia. Me too! I tend to like to hide in the mists with the llamas.
The love here soothes…as does Jesus over there on the couch. :-)
July 8th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Hi Bonnie, Anil & DonnaD ~
I so appreciate your support.
Doesn’t feel quite so {{{scary}}}
Comforting to know I’m not the only one (again the specialness thing) who feels insecure in blog land
I’m looking forward to feeling at home among these gentle whispers.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Oh, by the way, Jamie
Your tweets are hilarious!
“Heal me Jesus!”
Indeed
July 8th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Thank you for your decision because now that you are going to be more normal, you will have more time for your posts, and all of us will benefit. Cheers for you and all the monks.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Cynthia,
Hey, ultimately there’s no privacy anyway. We are all one big Mind which considers itself fragmented into itzy bitzy pieces. But we all know what you’ve been writing to the ACIM Monk since we all share that one Mind. Of course, on a conscious human level, I don’t know but my spirit knows. So, what the hay? Might as well reveal all here in the blog with the rest of us. There is no stupid comment or question, is there? Only the ego would think so, and who cares what Dewey thinks (There! I got Dewey into this series of posts).
Will
July 8th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Silly, silly, silly me. I thought I was special [so very special] so special “love” would never turn to “hate”. Breathe. What is going on? Oh: let go of the idol I chose and forgive me one and all. Squirrely nuts indeed.
Take care of you dear jamie!
July 8th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
ACIM Monk,
OK, I am going to ask a stupid question, the kind of stupid question that begs to be asked (does it?). Um….OK, here goes: Have you considered relocating to Temecula or nearby? I lived most of my life in California and it is a splendid place. While there are numerous practical reasons why a person does not just pull up stakes and move (Family, Friends, Jobs, Economic “realities”, desire to never fill out U.S. Post Office “new address” cards ever again), it just seems that the Course is your life long path, and Ken is your spiritual Father and mentor. You trek across the desert constantly to attend classes, and perhaps this is a necessary part of the “journey”. Dunno. But I do not ask the question in jest. Even living in gorgeous San Diego would put you perhaps a half hour away from Temecula, I think.
So why don’t I live near Temecula? Well, my partner would metaphorically kill me if I suggested moving yet again. We wanted to retire to San Diego, but it was too expensive for retirement on our budget. I also have this ancient conspiracy theory fear that someday the “big one” will devastate California, and then the waves will come in (1000 feet high) and replenish the Mojave Desert. Maybe Phoenix would be ocean front property?
That brings up another typical question: Why did Ken and Gloria pick Temecula? I know it can’t be because the “vibs” were perfect since they are far beyond such nonsense as walking around with divining rods (I hope).
Will
July 8th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
whisper overload has already appeared in the dream by circumventing emails…will refrain from whispering :-)
July 8th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Hey Jamie,
Guess what! I tried to print my version of the blogs tonight. Any picture I used from your blogs does not print. I get a blank box. However, if I save the picture as a jpeg file and then manually re-insert it into the document, it works fine.
Sigh….so if you ever want to print your own blogs from the files I’ve sent you, you will have this issue probably. I will have to go through and update each picture. I replaced a number of them with my own favorites (which work, of course). But if you just want the documents and not print them ever, then you are OK. For what it is worth, I havae never encountered this before in my life, and I download tons of stuff from blogs. Each of your pictures acted as a link back to the internet source, and that is probably the reason, rather than being just embedded within the blog itself as a jpeg file.
Hi everyone!?! This is the kind of stuff I would previously email Jamie. Isn’t it fascinating?
Will
July 8th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Will: Fascinating stuff. Could only be more fascinating if you wrote it in German. Please don’t go to any trouble at all with the pictures. I have them all saved, so no need to include them with the posts. It might drive you insan… wait.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Jamie, the only German I know is from HOGAN’S HERO’S TV reruns. although Sargeant Schultz was my role model within the corporate world (”I see nothing, I know nothing”).
I have been told that I speak very well in tongues (wink, wink, nod, nod). I know, when a guy over 50 tries to talk sexy in public, it can be quite embarrassing.
July 9th, 2009 at 5:45 am
Thanks, Will,
for your supportive comments about the ego’s foolish thoughts and judgments
about my possibly stupid/silly (oops) thoughts and questions.
I always feel so much better when I don’t take myself so seriously:)
July 9th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Hi Winnie ~
I’m glad you shared your monk dream.
Lovely and comforting.
July 9th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Hi Donna McG
Sorry I missed your post yesterday.
The llamas would enjoy your company.
They’re curious creatures and like meeting
new people.
You’re welcome anytime:)
July 9th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Cynthia,
You have llamas? Wow. Are any of them named Dalai?
We used to have an ostrich ranch near us, but we learned the hard way that they weren’t very sociable with humans. They would come to the fence, but then they’d try to attack us with their beaks. Typical creation of the world, eh?
From the bias of my illusional human perspective, I always wondered why a fragment of God would want to manifest as an ostrich. What’s the point? I guess THAT is the point. The world is meaningless except when we see it with the Holy Spirit/Jesus. However, I’ve never taken the subject of ostriches to Him in prayer. Nonetheless, each ostrich is also a Son of God, per the Course’s lingo. (Freudian slip: when I first typed the previous sentence, I typed “Curse” instead of “Course”. Hmmmm).
Have a nice day. Phoenix is expecting highs around 118 degrees Farenheit this week. I was just in the backyard watering plants, and giving my dog a “rain shower” with the hose. He adores getting all wet and then running amok in the yard with his golden coat glistening in the sun. He is definitely one of the sweetest manifestations of form in this dumb old world! :-)
July 9th, 2009 at 10:43 am
I think there might be a cloned one named Dolly.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Just musing……I wonder if ACIM Monk has a normal life yet? By American definition, that would include an 8 to 5 job, an SUV or macho truck jacked 8 feet above the ground, a couple kids, and membership in the Lions Club, Moose Lodge, local church, Rotary Club, a bowling league, political action group (does a monk wear a hat adorned with tea bags?), and Triple A towing services. Just like me as a little kid, when I’d say to my parents on a ride “Are we there yet?” I was just wondering “Are we normal yet?” ;-)
July 9th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Jamie,
What does WTF mean?
I asked the llamas, and
they’re as clueless and I am:)
“Was said with an excited-expectant-earnest squeal.”
I love it !
Were you also waving your hands overhead, your head back
and your eyes rolled up in a religious froth? :)
What was that you were saying about bliss ninnies?
July 9th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Haha! Funny, Cynthia. :) Oh, and WTF means “what the….??”
July 9th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Thanks, Meredith
I suspected that that’s what WTF meant,
but in the sanctity of the monastery? :)
Hot Stuff!
Laissez les bon temps roulez !!!!!
July 9th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Gee, I thought WTF meant “Why The Fuss?”
My partner thought it mean “Where’s The Food?”
We live sheltered lives within the illusion. :-(
July 9th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Hi Will
I do enjoy your humor.
Yes I do enjoy sharing my life with 9 llamas
One of which is invisible:)
None bear the name “Dalai”, though “Dolly” was a consideration, except there are several Dolly llamas out there in Never Never Land. And I wanted each of my llamas to be unique and special :)
I know zip about ostriches, from either the right or wrong minded perspective, but I do know that my experience of my furry friends varies greatly depending on which half of my mind I’m choosing to perceive them with. (Hope that makes sense. Feels a bit twisted to me)
118 degrees!!
Whewie
So far summer here in New Hampshire has been coolish and rainy.
Phoenix temp. would be too hot for llamas
Not enough mist.
About your dog with the glistening, golden coat.
Is that a golden retriever?
I’ve got one of those; sweetest heart on the planet
And an adorable, feisty part-terrior
July 9th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Cynthia,
My dog is indeed a golden retriever, almost 2 years old, a light gold coat. He is the sweetest creature I’ve ever met (and yes, he certainly has an ego!). He is my constant companion when I am home, and usually sleeps on the cool floor tiles about 5 feet away from me, if I am at the PC (in a carpeted area – he finds carpeting inexplicable). Soon he will come over and start tapping me on the arm with his paw, which means it is time for his dinner. Other times he just wants to play. How did the Ego “screw up” and let such delightful creatures into the illusion? To keep us here? I already told Spirit that I ain’t coming Home (to final Oneness) without him! :-)
I sense that ACIM Monk is a (gulp) cat person. For me this is a forgiveness issue. ;-)
July 11th, 2009 at 2:39 am
Hi Winnie -
Thanks for sharing that dream. Very cool.
Cynthia, -
You’re so witty, that I’m actually contemplating excerpting the first half of your first comment on this page – the one where you feel like this whole blog thing is like “talking to your clothes”, and sending it by email to my wife. (I was laughing most of the day that I read that, and still get a chuckle out of it today as I write this…)
And Will,
I enjoy your writings too. Monk’s one-liners play a very effective off-set to your writing…
Anyway, apologies for rambling on..
Ciao,
A
December 13th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
So where are Cynthia and Will today me wonders? Disappeared into the enlightened blue yonder? I’d love them to drop by some time …
December 14th, 2009 at 12:43 am
Extremely hilarious exchanges eh Al…I think MloveS reports she’s away on the East Coast. But where did Will go to….hoarding nuts safely for the winter?