2 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or immunity from the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

As the Church of Bike with Joe high holiday of 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs winds down (and ramps up to the final celebration on Saturday, when the DFUs suffer a significant setback, according to prophecy), I am reflecting on some positive insights I have had during the complete and total fast from social and mainstream media (SMSM) proscribed for the duration of the near fortnight period of the holiday.

The primary insight is a bit meta. It is that the absence of SMSM from my life has had no net negative impact on my life whatsoever. It's as if it were never there. In point of fact, its absence from my life has improved my quality of life (QOL) and productivity substantially. I have been a veritable rock star of accomplishment and self care since the start of the high holiday on April 1.

The second insight is that I have had almost zero interaction with any DFUs since the start of 12 Days, leading me to the epiphanic revelation that DFUs reside almost exclusively within the domain of SMSM, and nowhere else. As it happens, the real world is - for the most part - fairly DFU-free for most people in most places in the known Cosmos. Interaction with SMSM leads people to believe a false narrative that the DFUs are superfluous everywhere all the time. But that's simply an illusion - and one you can dispel through SMSM fasting. This is a powerful observation. It means most people have the power to liberate themselves from DFUs by simply boycotting SMSM. That may be easier said than done, given that SMSM is so ubiquitous and highly addictive. But the choice and the power to be free of DFUs resides within all of us (meaning most of us) and we do not have to be powerless against or enslaved by DFUs.

By random chance, today kicks off Deborah's and my 8th Anniversary Week, which will extend from today through Friday 4/18. I'm going to pound out an intentional Peloton workout today, before seeing a handful of marriage and family therapy clients. Deborah bought a new car and I will get to see that after she gets home from work, about 4:30 PM. Tomorrow, we plan to celebrate the final full day of 12 Days with a trip down to the first Dane County Farmer's Market of the year, by way of the BRT (bus rapid transit). I don't know what the rest of the weekend has in store, but I know it will be great.

Fin.

9 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this post finds you and brings you joy, peace, and/or action steps toward the demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

Speaking of that, we are now in the single digits of the countdown for the 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs, one of the high holidays of the Church of BWJ. Only 9 days (including today) remain. If you recall, the basic (but not easy) ritual of this holiday is to abstain from all social and mainstream media (SMSM) from April Fools Day until April 12 - almost a fortnight. This fasting from the poison of SMSM detoxifies the mind, body, and soul, resulting in disenfranchisement of the DFUs from your life (and - ideally - everyone's life!).

This festive holiday is loosely correlated with the Easter holiday observed by the other (arguably less cool) churches and religions of the world. And it serves roughly the same purpose - to restore and rejuvenate good moral values and ethical goals, by bringing back the First Principles of Wholesome Goodness (FPWGs). The DFUs despise the FPWGs and they work very hard to undermine them, using SMSM as the media for their diabolical agenda. So, by abstaining from SMSM dutifully for the proscribed 12 days, you are effectively immune to the toxicity of the DFUs, disempowering them and making them vulnerable to the karmic forces that will be their undoing (aka, demise). I won't lie, abstaining from SMSM is no easy task. The stuff is highly addictive and hard to quit, which is perhaps why most people continue living in a chronic state of suffering and toxic grievance (the main symptoms of chronic SMSM consumption).

Yesterday (Day 10 of the holiday) was a lighter marriage and family therapy counseling day for me. I had my Mindfulness for Therapists class in the morning, followed by a couple of client sessions in the early afternoon. Then I pounded out 40 solid minutes on the Peloton before whipping up a vegan pizza for dinner (I embellished a Salvatore's frozen vegan pie with diced yellow peppers, canned mushrooms, and a heavy helping of Miyokos liquid vegan mozzarella cheese...so good!). It fills me with no small measure of joy that the DFUs will never know the glory of a Salvatore's vegan pie thusly embellished. But they made their bed, so that's all I have to say about that. 

After dinner, Deborah and I drove across town to see if we could catch a Wisconsin Film Fest film at the Barrymore Theater. We could not, because the line was ridic long and - on principle - Deborah and I do not do ridic long lines. Instead, we popped into the nearby Bar Corallini for an overpriced vegan dessert, then went back home.

All of the above happened with ZERO consumption of SMSM. It feels pretty f**kin' good to be free of that s**t.

Fin.

10 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

It's Day 3 (April 3rd) of the 12 Days to the Demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs), a high holiday of the Church of BWJ. Only 10 days (including today) remain and then we can all celebrate the absence of DFUs and live in harmony, contentment, and peace for the remainder of the year. This aligns with the dharmic concept of Radical Acceptance, leading to the alleviation of suffering. Ideally, this is a collective alleviation of suffering (if we all participate in the 12 days!). However, it may be an individual alleviation of suffering, and that's cool too. 

How is your fasting from all social and mainstream media (SMSM) going? Any intentions you have set around it? I mean...besides the demise of DFUs, of course.

I got a whopping 55 minutes in on the Peloton bike yesterday, in addition to some sit ups and dumbbells, by way of SMSM avoidance.

Yay!

Fin.

11 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

It's Day 2 of the 12 Days to the Demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). That means 11 days remaining of the longest high holiday of the Church of BWJ. The holiday is celebrated with complete abstinence from social and mainstream media (SMSM) starting on April Fool's Day and going for almost a fortnight thereafter.

How are you celebrating it?

Fin.