How to Meditate

Instructions.
Things You'll Need:
•A comfortable place to lay down.
•Quiet
•An hour of free time
•Calm
•Patience

...

Step 1
Find a nice comfortable room in the house.

Make sure that all distractions are turned off.

Radios, TVs, etc. will keep you from relaxing.

Take any portable or cellular phones out of the room and set them to their "silent" function.

Even relaxing music or "white noise" generators are distractions to this process.
Step 2
Get comfortable. Take off your shoes and socks.

Remove any jewelry, especially necklaces, watches, or loose hanging bracelets that can move easily. For best results total nudity is recommended.

There is no specific direction or "style" you should lay in.

Just be the most absolute comfortable you can be.
Step3

Clear your mind.

Consciously try to forget everything that is in your brain.

While this is entirely impossible to do, it is a good exercise in removing malignant and useless processes and thoughts from your mind.

It generates focus of mind and energy into the overall purpose of you meditation.

Oddly enough, the more work you put into this focus the more relaxation you will have.
Step 4
Center your focus on positivity.

Earlier you were looking to clear you mind of the trash and muck that filled your mind.

Turn your focus now to filling your mind with peace and beauty.

Imagine what is beautiful to you.

Do NOT focus on a person or a personal object.

Think generically.

I prefer to think of a red rose on a white background.

This image will seem perfect at first, but continue to focus.

Soon it will seem that rose is being painted in your mind.

As each "brush stroke" appears the rose will become more real, more solid.

You have now found your focus.
Step 5
Now, while centered on the roses image, transfer your focus to your own body.

Imagine standing under a waterfall.

Where you stand is shallow, but the water rushes over you, starting at you head.

As it cascades feel the temperature of the water change starting warm to cold, then back to warm. By the time the warm water has passed over your head and circulated to your feet it is now cold on top of your head.

Visualize this by seeing color changes in your body that flow from the top of your head to the furthest most tip of your big toe.
Step 6

Stay in this stage of focus as long as you can.

Most people will drift off to sleep while meditating, and this is quite alright.

Relaxation, after all, is the point.

How to Accept a Really, Really Bad Gift

This article will show you how to overcome

badgiftaphobia

and learn to accept a really, really bad gift.

Step1

First, practice making a poker face. Never, ever open a gift and expose your true feelings. When Aunt Bitty gives you a neon blue glowing brain lamp, say something like, "I could always use more brains." Of course it's a lame thing to say, but you have to be a quick thinker. Trying to diffuse the awkwardness is the kind thing to do.
Step2

Awww, you really shouldn't have! Secondly, get it over with fast! Unwrap that godawful jar of pickled turkey gizzards and the sooner the better. This is not the time to be lollygagging around. If you wait too long, the perspiration on your face is a dead giveaway and the second cousin twice removed who got your name in the family gift drawing will surely be disappointed.
Step3

Needs more practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice your facial expressions, your whole body language. Practice being gracious. Practice being a good sport. Perfect the art of lying. Go to this website (link below) and look at their emporium of really, really bad gifts. Be resourceful; these guys allow you to showcase your tacky treasures and even sell them free of charge! :)
Step4

Most importantly, when you receive a really, really bad gift, don't ask yourself "why?" You should remember that it's not our place to ask why, just to accept. There will always be really, really bad gifts out there. The best thing you can do is be prepared. Picture the worst gift imagineable and hopefully, it will be better than that. Won't it?

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JESUS...is the reason for the SEASON!

For many people Christmas is all about spending time with family.

For others it is about presents and shopping and the hype that goes along with Santa and presents.

For those estranged from family or with no loved one nearby Christmas is the loneliest time.

It is no surprise that the suicide rate goes up at Christmas.
Christmas is the time when we celebrate the fact of God's love sending His Own Son into the world as a human baby. As Michael Card puts it 'Christmas is the celebration of the keeping of a promise... the promise that he would someday walk with us, that we might be His people and He our God... a saving promise.'
The Bible puts it like this. 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, "God with us," Matthew 1:23.
Sadly many people in our world don't have an idea about this central truth of Christmas and they may never know unless we tell them. Look around, what can you do to share this good news with others or to help brighten Christmas for the lonely?
There is so much I love about Christmas, like the carols that reflect the truth and message of Christmas and the Bible words as they tell the story never lose their appeal, the light, the tree, the preparations many of which I still need to do.
I like this anonymous quote which is on my calendar.

'Christmas is a time of the heart, not just a date.'

Its meaning transcends time.

Jesus was born to love us and fill our lives with himself.'
My prayer for each of you is that you will know His love, not just this Christmas but each day throughout the coming year.

Spread the Christmas Cheer!...Smile!

Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories. But two things made me take it down.
First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.
Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that.

My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up into my yard to try to help the poor guy."

Thanks for the laugh Bobbie Jo...

(FWD:My Best Christmas Decorations)

http://www.youravon.com/astoffer