#1 - I accidently ate beef today. It was mixed in a rice dish and I thought it was mushrooms. I believe the last time that happened was in 2000. That is a pretty long streak now that I think about it. In 2000 I bit into a burrito that I thought was labeled vegetarian but after a few bites clearly was not. I took a few moments to process this info and then told my friend sitting beside me, "I think I just ate some beef, and it didn't kill me."
"Not yet," he replied gravely.
It took all my seriousness away!
#2 - I invited a friend to an event last night and told her to get tickets beforehand because previously it sold out. She followed my advice, I did not (or at least I followed it too late). Anyway, she sent an email saying, "I loved it!" which I appreciated since I was the one who asked her to go.
#3 - I made an appointment to get an eye exam on Saturday. This seems like a really small thing, but I don't do that often. I'm pretty sure I'll need a different prescription. I mostly wear my glasses when I'm on the computer and they don't seem quite right. I hope they can just replace the lenses in my frames.
#4 - I heard Eckhart Tolle mention a while back that he was listed as the #1 Most Spiritually Influential Living Person in 2011, but had fallen to #2 in 2012 (he was laughing about it, the Dalai Lama beat him). Since those two are my favorites I was curious to find if I'd resonate with the rest of the list.
Today I found that list. I think it tells what I am most drawn to. If you had a list of the 100 most influential business people or TV stars or musicians or human rights advocates I would probably know far fewer names. There are names unknown to me on the list, but I know more of them then I don't. In the top 10 there was only one person I did not know beyond hearing his name before. Anyway, I listened to him (Ken Wilber) a little on YouTube today and enjoy the idea of exploring more of the unfamiliar names.
#5 -Here are the top ten and what I know about them.
1. Dalai Lama - #1 & #2 are beyond words to me, so here is a photo.
2. Eckhart Tolle
3. Thich Nhat Hanh - In my early 20's I read a lot of his writing. I deeply admire his activism and his peace.
4. Deepak Chopra - I've never really gotten into this guy, tried reading one of his books, but stopped.
5. Paulo Coelho - The only person (besides Jason Mraz) that I have the library send me an alert anytime they get something new from him. And I understand his books in Spanish too, which is rare and I love.
6. Elizabeth Gilbert - I guess I've read all her books too.
7. Iyanla Vanzant - I'm familiar with her name and some of what she does, but no firsthand knowledge.
8. Ken Wilber - he's new to me.
9. James Redfield - I've read a couple of his books.
10. Rhonda Byrne - seen the movie (The Secret) - which I thought had a really materialistic focus, though I understand the "thoughts create reality" theme.
What a joy writing about that list was!
Now I've discovered they have a 2013 list. #17 is the first one I don't know on that list.
1. Dalai Lama
2. Thich Nhat Hanh
3. Eckhart Tolle
4. Deepak Chopra
5. Rhonda Bryne
6. Dr. Wayne W Dyer
7. Oprah Winfrey
8. Paulo Coelho
9. Nelson Mandela
10. Byron Katie
11. Alice Walker
12. Alex Grey
13. Doreen Virtue
14. Richard Bach
15. Desmund Tutu
16. Francis Chan
17. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Just heard the name.)
A couple of months ago, in Belgium they tested people studying to be a teacher, to see how much they knew and what general knowledge they had.
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