Why Japanese People Live So Long- A comic essay
/
You can get more comics like this as soon as they post by subscribing to my newsletter, A New Creative Life, by CLICKING RIGHT HERE.
Meditation Cat Reaches the End of Thought
/A cute comic about discovering deeper meditation.
Creating this story was a fun way to see if I could illustrate a cute character and also turn an article I wrote into a comic. I'm not sure if Rongo, which is a word from New Zealand's indigenous Maori people that means peace, will become a recurring character, but I enjoy drawing him.
It was so enjoyable I’m putting it out there as a practice for you too.
Assignment: Turn your writing, new ideas you’ve learned, or entries in your journal into a short comic. Try taking your writing, pulling out the main idea, and designing a character to show readers your experiences or ideas.
It could be several panels or something short, like a one-panel cartoon similar to the ones you see in The New Yorker. Even if you’re drawing stick figures, see if you can bring your writing to life or something you just went through yesterday with visual storytelling in a sketchbook or journal.
If you’re interested in meditation, here’s the article I wrote in the publication Publishous on MEDIUM.
What Does it Mean to Reach The End of Thought?
You can get there with this frame of mind.
Photo by Ashley Batz on Unsplash
Getting up in the morning feeling nervous or upset about everything waiting for you in the day ahead can feel overwhelming.
I’ve been meditating for over twenty-five years and have always looked for simple ways to think about the practice. So many people tell me they can’t figure out how to do it or get to a place where they notice the benefits of being mindful.
I watched a powerful video by Dr. K on YouTube, or Alok Kanojia, a psychiatrist and co-founder of the mental health coaching company Healthy Gamer that stuck with me.
In the middle of “Why Finding Purpose is SO HARD today,” he explains about the concept of reaching the “end of thought.” I had never heard this concept before, but when he shared about it, I could finally put into words how to succeed in explaining the benefits of meditation.
Let’s go through the steps he talked about to reach this enlightened place.
Pick a time for mindfulness and sit with yourself
You can meditate traditionally with your legs crossed, sit in a chair, or even lie on a bed. Start breathing in slowly and deeply, paying attention to the different parts of your body one at a time.
It doesn’t have to be only while you’re sitting and not moving.
If you want to be mindful while taking a walk or even drawing, it’s possible if you intend to make the time to connect with the real you and avoid distractions.
“Get away from external stimuli so you can hear your inner voice.”
-Dr. K
There are several phases of awareness that will move you through to reaching yourself.
Sit with your “wants”
Most of your thoughts will first be related to something that’s irritating you or about what you want right now that’s outside of yourself.
Something you’re told should matter.
Mainly stuff you want to do today or think you need to possess, eat, play, or earn to make your life happy—aka desires!
Make it through the boredom
After all of your desires filter through, you’ll feel like you’re left with nothing but sitting there.
Bored.
Many people who try meditation give up on this part. They think, “I can’t meditate. It’s too damn boring!” Or, they think they’re doing it wrong and should be receiving some sort of divine guidance or inner glow after a few minutes of sitting and breathing.
Remember, boredom is your brain trying to get a hit of dopamine or excitement so that it can have fun again. Don’t let it stop you. Let boredom sit there and be bored.
Stay with yourself and give the emptiness time to just be. Don't get up.
You’ll notice your thoughts moving quickly at first and then start slowing down.
Reach the end of thought
If you’re still sitting with yourself, you’ll reach a place where all the other thoughts cease, and as you keep breathing, you’ll meet your true self.
When this happens to me, I notice a feeling of calm, and I even say hello to the real me. The me that’s not manipulated by what the outside world says I should want or do.
It’s lovely.
How long it takes to reach the end of thought depends on how much is going on in your life and how often you meditate.
I find it takes me around ten minutes to get there.
Not as long as you might think, huh? The nice thing is that you want to stay for a while once you get to that place within yourself. It’s comforting to sit with who you are and be at peace.
I look forward to it every morning.
If an emotion comes up, you can feel it intensely and let it dissipate when it’s done showing itself to you. Your shoulders relax, and you become more aware of your body as a whole.
Discover your personal goals
With your quiet connection to yourself, you’ll start to hear only your internal goals speaking.
Anything that’s important to your overall fulfillment will come into your mind. The values that are important to who you are will be easier to notice and remember.
All the distractions are gone, so you can find out what it is you really need.
The hard part will be accepting what your true self is telling you.
Create a life based on your values
One of the greatest benefits of meditation is the ability to tap into yourself and see what you need in order to be fulfilled.
Not what your parents want you to be. Not what society says you should be.
What do you truly want and need to be doing during your time on this planet? You might be surprised at what you hear.
Meditation helps you become aligned with your personal life goals. Once you know them, you can do the things you need to pursue and reach them.
Anytime you get distracted by external messages, remember to sit with yourself and tune in through mindfulness. You can always find yourself with a little quiet and patience with the present moment.
Dr. K talks about how people are always looking for the reason why human beings are here. What’s the meaning of life?!
“The purpose of life is not in life, it’s in you.”
-Dr. K
It’s all inside of you. Stop looking for someone to tell you what your purpose is and find it in yourself. Then, decide to take the real you exactly where you need to go.
Try meditating again today — maybe after reading this article — and sit for a long enough time to find where your thoughts end and your true self begins.
A New Creative Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber RIGHT HERE.
The Time Traveling Anthropologist
/A comic about visiting a lost culture.
Do People Fall Off of Treadmills at the Gym?
/I can’t be the only one…
I'm not a gym guy. I've tried several times, but I can't make it work for me the way my friends can. My mind gets overwhelmed and discombobulated every time I enter one and try to use the machines.
I know, making it a habit would probably help. Over time I'd memorize how to use each one and gain more confidence.
But I ask you, is it really worth it to commit to a gym?
Why are so many people willing to spend their time and energy moving their bodies, sweating like the crazy, stuck inside of a building?
"Spinning" on bikes that don't move. Running on treadmills that go nowhere while watching HGTV.
What are we, human hamsters?
It makes me want to walk around, yelling at people, "Stop working so hard to go nowhere! I know it's cold outside but have some balls. Get a real bike and ride! Ride to an actual place. Move forward. Go somewhere in life!"
To be fair, I can see going to a gym as a win if it's the only way you get motivated to exercise.
You get to drive, not walk or bike, to a building that is enclosed, shut off from the real world, where you can escape.
Like taking a trip to Exercise Land.
Walking in, you see beautiful in-shape bodies, a few that could use some work, and the gym wakes up your senses. And your jealousy.
"I gotta spin and lift too so I can look like all of these Greek Gods."
You smell the motivation in the air. Or is that athlete's foot? Either way, you're pumped.
That's how I try to feel when I enter a gym. It's usually one a friend invites me to in hopes I fall in love with the overpriced sweat house.
It all seems so magical. So, encouraging. Until I walk up to my nemesis.
The treadmill.
Theoretically, I should be able to step on it and just start walking. I'm sure that's how they were back in the olden' days.
Everything has to be so damn advanced now that I have to anxiously go through pressing buttons and choosing settings just to start.
I only want to get moving so I can go nowhere like everyone else.
The super-fit woman to the right of me who clearly has been running for seventeen straight hours tries not to watch me fumble around with the treadmill motherboard.
The guy on the left just gives a smirk. I bet he's thinking, "Look, a new guy. What a loser. He probably wastes all of his time running outside. In...nature."
Once I figure out a setting that will make the treadmill move, I can finally start walking. The choices don't end there, though.
I have to choose a TV station to watch. Here I am taking a stroll and channel surfing. Trying to enjoy the multi-tasking, first-world problem of what to watch while breathing hard and sweating.
After going through all the channels, you know where I end up.
HGTV.
Walking turns to jogging. The feeling is incredible. The treadmill surface is softer than the hard concrete, so I get the false sense that I can run farther than I ever can out in the elements.
I'm jogging while watching a couple remodel their mid-century modern home. Continually checking how many imaginary miles I've completed here in this building of "No pain, no gain."
One mile. I ran one mile. It feels like ten. Probably because I'm still in the same place I started.
Slowing down to a walk again seems like an excellent idea. Change up the pace, like interval training.
Boy, was I wrong.
As I ease back into a walk, I start feeling dizzy. Do you feel like this on one of these things too?
Like a fool, I blame it on HGTV.
Changing the channel will help. I reach for the channel button, the room spins, and I fall forward onto the treadmill.
Or is it back as the moving surface pulls me down and onto the floor?
What do you know, the treadmill surface stops moving. No buttons to press. I just had to fall on my face.
The lady on the right looks surprised for a second but can't stop running, she's too close to completing her five thousand miles.
The guy on the left keeps running but yells out, "You okay, dude?!"
I get myself up slowly, give a shy wave to my super athletic neighbors, and hobble away in shame.
My knee hurts from the fall but not as much as—let's say it together—my pride.
Please tell me falling off treadmills is something that happens at gyms regularly.
It can't only be my failed attempt at running in place.
Tanuki's New Design!
/New Little Fried Chicken and Sushi comic strips relaunched on Monday, March 26 here and on GoComics. There was one change to the strip. Did you notice?
That's right, Tanuki's character design got an upgrade! He's cuter and has actual hands that will make it easier to create gags where he needs to hold objects. Take a look at this model sheet I put together with pictures of actual Tanukis for comparison.
What do you think about his new design? Let me know in the comments.
Fried Chicken and Sushi 420- Competitive phone time!
/I guess when Ryan wants something he does everything he can to get it. Even annoy the heck out of people! I hope that it doesn't annoy you that I have a new HOMEPAGE for this site. Little Fried Chicken and Sushi strips will start running at the end of the month so I need a way to help readers choose which comic to go to when they get to the site. Let me know what you think!
