NOTES: Full Cup: Chapter 4-Fully Inhabiting Our Days

Book-Full Cup Thirsty Spirit
Author-Karen Horneffer-Ginter
ISBN-978-1401939939
Pages: 224
Chapters: 6

147	Inhabit-Be present in; exist or be situated within
148	Act intentionally of paying attention to beauty of life/world
149	Discover objects of beauty over and over again
150	Loving-kindness can be defined as “paying attention.
151	“The way we do anything can reflect the way we do everything.”
152	Think the NOW – the present, what you are currently doing and do not wander
153	Do every task as if you are in a sacred ceremony.
154	Show up in life and pay attention
155	Sense the things around you
156	Hear the seen and the unseen
157	Do one thing at a time [strictly]
158	You cannot make soybeans into corn; you cannot make someone he’s/she’s fundamentally not.
159	Practice "Hmm … isn’t that interesting?" [get interested in small wonders around you]
160	Ex.1 I’ve got a $50 parking ticket and I have to write an appeal. Say "Hmm … isn’t that interesting?" and find a way to write an essay to avoid the fine.
161	Ex.2 My wife is mad at me. Say "Hmm … isn’t that interesting?" and find a way to win her creatively.
162	Practice
163	Ex.3 I have a heart attack. Say "Hmm … isn’t that interesting?" and find a way to survive 50 more years after.
164	Ex.4 I lost my job. Say "Hmm … isn’t that interesting?" and find a way to land a job/livelihood that pays more and more enjoyable.
165	Ex.5 Me my husband lost our love for each other. Say "Hmm … isn’t that interesting?" and look for ways to get back on track like the first month of the relationship.
166	Ex.6 I failed in my exams today. Say "Hmm … isn’t that interesting?" and find a creative way to get better.
167	Ex.7 I’ve got cancer and I have 6 months to live. Say "Hmm … isn’t that interesting?" and find out what else you have not done to make a mark to the people around you.
168	Ex.8 I’m really tired of my job and I want to change. Say "Hmm … isn’t that interesting? and think 20 years ahead and see what it will be like if you stay put.
169	Ex.10 My life has no direction. Say "Hmm … isn’t that interesting? and write down a list of things in a piece of paper that you have not done or explored – then pick one and do it.
170	Write a journal and tell something about your life.
171	Take a special photograph each day with an intention of finding beauty in it like no one else.
172	4 Questions
173	1. When did you stop singing
174	2. When did you stop dancing
175	3. When did you lose your sense of enchantment with stories, and in particular, your own life story?
176	4. When did you become uncomfortable with silence?

PRACTICE:

“1. How can you support yourself in bringing what you find during your time within back out into your day-to-day life? What might this expression look like?
2. Set an intention to show up fully in this day. What helps you to be in the moment? How does this type of awareness affect your experience of being busy?
3. Play with bringing your attention to your senses. Notice what objects visually catch your eye, what smells and sounds surround you in different places during the day.
4. Notice the things that are very ordinary.
5. Experiment over the next week with what methods work best for you. Does it help to keep a journal, to carry a camera, to write poems, or maybe to cover your fingers in whatever is
sitting right in front of you?  What is your life telling you about who you are? Reflect on this day
or this past week. 
6. Consider the question from the perspective of your whole life. What have you learned about yourself?  Notice if you have any fears about really listening to what your life is telling you. If so, what are you afraid you might hear?
7. Try moving into the day with a sense of curiosity, either thinking of the phrase Hmm … isn’t that interesting? or looking for moments that contain messages worth listening to.
8. Consider that what’s around you, whether in nature or otherwise, may hold some teachings that are worth paying attention to.
9. Take some time to reflect on these four questions. Reword them as needed so that they make sense within the context of your life:
When did you stop singing?
When did you stop dancing?
When did you lose your sense of enchantment with stories, and in particular, your own life story?
When did you become uncomfortable with silence?
Are there any other aspects of who you are and what your life is about that have gotten lost along the way? What might you do to reclaim these qualities? “