This page is inspired by a conversation between two very wise gentlemen, Daniel Schmachtenberger and John Verveake, speaking with each other about their ecology of practices. It took a few days to realize that I could start building my own ecology of practices. I started this list around November 15th, 2022, as part of my Daily Communication, but it’s a list, so it’s going to get long.
A little greater-than symbol connotes >recently distinguished as a practice or recently added. If I discontinue a practice, I will cross it out.
Ontological Practices:
An almost daily check-in with a friend with whom I have an agreement to “say whatever’s there to complete the past” and create my Self newly. (She does it, too!)
I practice being the ways of being I say I want to be as a space, e.g., I am a space for peace, freedom, forgiveness, aliveness, and unconditional love. When I notice I am not being those ways or a space for those ways to show up, I quickly find my way to restore myself as a space for being those ways of being.
CORE: Committed to having space for it all (without having to remind myself that I am committed to having space for it all).
I declare my Self is someone who can maintain my Self as able to clear my Self of disempowering thoughts to make way being a powerful listening for what’s possible for my Self and Others.
I highly value being present.
I go into the streets and intentionally (but secretly) fall in love with people with no attachment to it going any particular way.
Being generous. I am free to give. I receive more than I give.
Ongoing creation of “places to stand.”
Generating attitudes that support standing there.
Having a strong sense of who I am being in the moment.
Maintaining an empowered context.
There are no circumstances that require me to lose my shit.
I maintain being playful! I may seem to gab and joke, but I also generate.
I listen for.
I listen for things to appear in the communication.
I listen for their greatness. (And it appears.)
I listen for them being who they say they want to be
I listen for them getting what they want.
I listen as if listening is a healing practice.
I check myself when I feel a platitude coming up. “It is what it is.”
I have a website called “begreatwithpeople.com”
I enjoy getting down to the What’s So.
Structural Practices:
I use Google calendar to guide my skillful passage through “time”
I (usually) read my text messages first, then emails.
>not new, but I do not have the ringer on, so I don’t hear the phone ringing.
I use Alexa™ to announce what is happening next (in three minutes).
If the next thing happening is with another person, I go toward the starting moment willing to be clear and complete from the beginning of the conversation, >sometimes by putting on a smile.
I use PillPack™ for prescriptions to track whether or not I have already taken my meds. >(However, I have complaints about PillPack™ service as a pharmacy, so I cannot wholeheartedly recommend them.)
I keep a pantry of many items to be used later, i.e., I keep things on hand.
I be willing to examine my habits of consuming and, in time, make changes.
With very few exceptions, I don’t schedule phone or zoom calls on Friday afternoons, Saturdays and Mondays. (I need to putter.)
I am mindful of punctuation, including the apostrophes and quotation marks I use, and I know how to type the keyboard shortcut to make the mark I mean to use.
>I rent a furnished room to someone coming to town to start a new life or take a job as an educator or healthcare provider. It helps me with the expenses of life.
Drawbacks
When I have a health flare-up, I lose track of some or all of these and need to regain the preferred consciousness and resume the structural practice.
When I’m tire, I hear myself get all complainy.
When I go away to stay with my parents, I lose track of some of my practices.
Practices that need to be completed:
Being mystified and guided by superstition around nutrition/consuming.
Having attention on my own self-consciousness, such as when I am in a zoom discussion and while expressing something dealing with me feeling I’ve gone and been “weird and unclear” again.
Having sugary treats before bed (almost handled, but they creep back in!)
Looking at screens right before attempting to sleep. (Apparently, I like sleeping with the “TV” on!)
Last edited July 4, 2024